A Series of Unique Vibe Coding Catfes, Starting with Grand Central Station

This summer, we’re turning three legendary venues into pop-up playgrounds for (AI-assisted) app builders: Free desks, great coffee, surprise guests and an open invitation to finish – or start – the project that finally launches your app-store stardom. The first stop is only two weeks away (June 27–28 2025) in New York City, so brew up your best idea and meet us under the celestial ceiling of Grand Central Station

Grand Central Station Catfe – New York City

June 27 and 28, from 08:00 to 20:00

For 48 caffeine-fuelled hours, Vanderbilt Hall becomes a vibe coder’s sanctuary. Expect:

• Free two-hour desk slots (plus walk-in lounge space, and use of any unreserved desks)
• Blazing WiFi, plenty of power, and a number of app dev and growth experts on hand to debug your in-app purchase flow or help you figure out a paywall experiment that drives up conversions
• Hourly lightning talks from app founders, developer advocates, and growth pros – grab the mic and pitch your project if you’re feeling bold
• Pop-up swag shop with Catfe-only merch, as well as some very special RevenueCat goodies
• Specialty coffee and snacks on repeat

The timing is perfect – the Hall doors open right before Bolt’s “World’s Largest Hackathon” building period closes. Bring your Bolt.new project, polish the last commit, hit submit, and then show it off to your peers. In case you missed it, there are more than $1 million in prizes available for this hackathon, and RevenueCat added $75k (3 prizes of $25,000 USD each) for any team that ships subscriptions with our SDK

How to join

The Catfe is open daily from 8 in the morning until 8 in the evening, and you’re free to walk in at any time. The lounge area, coffee, the lightning talks are all available without a reservation. It’s a Coding Catfe though, so there are desks for you to work from with support from our experts and all the other builders that have joined. If you want to ensure there’s a desk available, you can 👉 Reserve a two-hour desk on Luma

You can also RSVP on the Bolt.new Hackathon River space to see who else is joining

If you’ve reserved a desk, check in with your QR code no later than ten minutes after your slot starts – open desks are released if you’re late. Need extra time? Stick around in the lounge area once your slot ends and keep coding

Vibe Coding in the World’s Biggest Startup Space at Station F Catfe, Paris

July 15 – 18

Two weeks after New York, the tour rolls into Station F, the world’s largest startup campus. Work beneath the historic iron arches, sip a noisette, and swap stories with Europe’s leading AI teams. Evening sessions will spotlight French founders who turned side-projects into category leaders, and will feature appearances of some of France’s hottest app companies

Registration opens soon, so keep an eye on our socials

Every End is a New Beginning at the Final Catfe in Roppongi, Tokyo

July 28 – August 1

We finish in Roppongi in Tokyo with five days of coding, karaoke-level energy, AND…. the official kickoff party for Shipaton 2025. Expect local dev influencers, VC drop-ins, and a closing night event that will mark the start of this year’s Shipaton hackathon (more on that below!). Venue specifics and desk bookings go live early July

About the Bolt “World’s Largest Hackathon”

The “World’s Largest Hackathon” kicked off on May 30, 2025 and already counts 98,485 registered builders chasing more than US $1 million in prizes. Submissions stay open until June 30 at 2 PM PT, so you still have a few weeks to polish that app, or start from scratch if you’re feeling adventurous 

We’ve sweetened the pot with the Make More Money Award: US $75,000 in cash split evenly across the three best subscription apps ($25 K each). That makes our challenge three times richer than any other track in the hackathon

To win, you’ll need to:

1. Build a mobile app with Bolt
2. Integrate RevenueCat’s SDK and Paywall Builder—show it working in your demo video
3. Ship and attempt to acquire real trial subscribers before the deadline (we’ll peek at your Project ID)

RevenueCat co-founder & CTO Miguel Carranza joins the judging panel, so polish counts. Need a head start? Developer advocate Perttu Lähteenlahti has a step-by-step guide to wiring subscriptions into a Bolt-generated Expo app, and on June 16 at 9 AM PT we’re co-hosting a livestream with the Bolt team on “How to Actually Make Money With Your App.” Mark your calendar and come armed with questions

Finish and ship your Bolt build at the NY Catfe, and you could walk out with $25 K and bragging rights, before we even hit Paris

Next stop – Shipaton 2025

All roads lead to Shipaton, our own 2-month long online hackathon that starts the moment the Tokyo Catfe closes its doors. Expect new surprise categories, heavy-hitting judges, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash prizes. We might also have a billboard or two reserved for the winners again

We’re also expanding Shipaton into the real world this year with a very special ‘meetup in a box’ that you can request to help spice up your local Shipaton-themed meetup or event. Find more info at shipaton.com

See you on the road

Whether you are polishing your Bolt entry, scouting partners in Paris, or planning an all-night sprint in Roppongi, the Vibe Coding Catfe has a seat (and a hot mug) waiting for you. Grab your desk, pack your laptop, and let’s ship something unforgettable. See you soon!