Ara
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DayDreamers
We're excited to visit campuses this spring to explore a simple question together: what does it look like when everyone has access to their own AI personal computer?
With support from Ara, we're hosting a Build Day on campus — a one-day experience where students from different backgrounds come together to experiment, build, and imagine new possibilities with AI.
This is an opportunity for your community to not just learn about AI, but to actively shape how it can be used in creative, meaningful ways.
Whether you're a computer science student, a researcher, or simply curious — we'd love to create a space for you to explore and build together. No prior experience needed — just curiosity.
Ara (YC X26) is a personal AI agent that works 24/7 across WhatsApp, iMessage, Signal, and Telegram. One download gives users access to Claude, GPT, and Gemini through a privacy-first, cross-messenger interface.
Ara is actively targeting the university market — already adopted at Stanford, UC Berkeley, Virginia Tech, and Carnegie Mellon. This campus tour accelerates that momentum across 6 additional top-tier institutions.
We're running a college tour this spring, partnering with six universities to host Build Day hackathon events on campus. Here are some of the schools we're looking at partnering with.
Stanford University
Johns Hopkins University
Harvard University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of Pennsylvania
New York University
Columbia University
University of California, BerkeleyAfter the event, your students join the Builder Network — a community on Discord and Slack connecting students, builders, and organizers across all participating universities.
Onboard participants from each campus activation into a shared global builder community.
Enable collaboration between students from different universities working on Ara projects.
Share tutorials, build resources, and project support materials for Ara.
Highlight projects and demos created during the hackathons to inspire new builders.
Maintain engagement after each campus event, extending impact beyond the physical activations.
We're proposing a six-hour Build Day format — short enough for strong student turnout, long enough for real building and demos. That said, this is completely flexible. If you have an existing event or preferred format, we're happy to adapt and accommodate.
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Kickoff & Live Ara Demo | 30 min |
| Idea Formation & Team Matching | 45 min |
| Guided Build Session | 3 hours |
| Mentor Feedback | 45 min |
| Demos & Judging | 60 min |
| Closing & Community Onboarding | 30 min |
We're happy to provide food, snacks, and beverages for the entire event — fully covered by us. We typically partner with local food providers near campus to keep things fresh and authentic.
We source from nearby restaurants and eateries, supporting local businesses. Dietary accommodations (vegetarian, vegan, halal) at every stop.
Meal service plus continuous snacks and beverages throughout each 6-hour sprint. Scaled per event based on expected attendance. All catering is fully covered.
We'll bring banners, signage, swag, and branded materials to your campus — everything you need to make the event look and feel professional. Your students walk away with goodies too.
Co-branded pull-up banner design
Banner + branded tablecloth with materials
Table display for registration & demos
All materials, swag, and signage are provided by us — your school just provides the venue.
T-shirts, die-cut stickers, custom pens, tote bags. DayDreamers handles design and production — scoped and billed separately.
Demo day with 90 startups, 1,500+ attendees, and 300 investors.
200 participants in an AI-focused hackathon exploring assistive technology.
73 participants from 15+ countries, producing 21 projects.
40+ participants, 8 teams, with 75% intending to continue their projects.
A large classroom, auditorium, or event space that can hold 50–150 students for 6 hours, with power outlets and Wi-Fi.
Help spread the word through your club channels, mailing lists, and social media. We provide all marketing assets.
2–3 student org members to help with check-in, wayfinding, and general event coordination on the day.
We handle everything else — catering, prizes, mentors, branding, signage, AV, registration, and post-event reporting.
Zero cost to your organization. Ara and DayDreamers fully sponsor every event.
