Rise of the Builder: The Xero App & Agent Hackathon
The Rise of the Builder era is here. Two days. $9,000 in prizes. One mission: build AI-powered apps and agents that don’t just look good in a demo, but actually work in the real world. This July, Encode Hub and Xero are bringing together London’s builders, tinkerers, and vibe-coders for a high-energy weekend of hacking.
About
Build AI-Powered Apps & Agents for Small Businesses The best builders don’t just “vibe code.” They use AI to scaffold ideas quickly, then solidify them with proper tools, frameworks, and production-ready architecture. This hackathon is about doing exactly that with Xero. Over one weekend, you’ll build next-gen apps and autonomous agents using Xero’s APIs, MCP Server, CLI, and AI toolkit to solve real small business problems. The Problem Modern small businesses are overwhelmed by: Manual data entry Fragmented tools and workflows Constant tab-switching The result is lost time, inefficiency, and missed opportunities. The Opportunity This hackathon challenges builders to create the next generation of Xero-powered apps and autonomous agents—tools that reclaim time, streamline operations, and help small businesses run smarter. The Approach Participants will: Use vibe coding (natural language prompting) to quickly scaffold functional, user-friendly apps Transition to production-ready architecture using CLIs and frameworks Build systems that are not just fast—but accurate, reliable, and financially trustworthy What You’ll Build Intelligent Apps: Extend Xero with high-utility tools (e.g., inventory management, contractor time tracking) Autonomous Agents: Background workers that take action using Xero data (e.g., chasing overdue invoices or managing vendor interactions) Judging Criteria 50% – Xero Connection (real problem + strong use of Xero) 30% – API Integration (effective use of Accounting/Payments APIs) 20% – Architecture (reliable, production-ready design) Workshops & Support Learn through sessions like: Scaffolding for Small Businesses Mastering the Xero AI Toolkit Vibecoding 101 Get support from Xero teams across API, Product, Engineering, and more.
This hackathon has ended