LA Hacks 2026 April 24-26 UCLA

Build AI apps that run on-device.

Build AI apps that run
on-device.

Use Melange to deploy AI models locally on real smartphones.

Fast, efficient, and private by default.

Use Melange to deploy AI models locally on real smartphones.

Fast, efficient, and private by default.

OVERVIEW

What is this challenge?

ZETIC builds infrastructure for running AI on edge devices. Our mission is to enable billions of devices to run powerful AI models locally - without relying on cloud servers for inference.


Melange is our platform that enables developers to select, benchmark, and deploy AI models on smartphones across CPU, GPU, and NPU. The challenge is to build an AI-powered app using Melange where the primary functionality runs on-device, and the cloud is only used for secondary tasks.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Strong submissions will

• Run core functionality directly on-device

• Clearly separate on-device and cloud responsibilities

• Optimize latency, efficiency, and resource usage

• Deliver a working prototype with real-world usability

• Must have used the Melange SDK

What to avoid

• Cloud-heavy applications with minimal on-device usage

• Simple wrappers around APIs without system-level thinking

• Generic chatbots without meaningful functionality

IDEAS

What to build

3D Icons real estate

Education

Offline-first learning assistant for students with no data plan required

3D Icons real estate

Productivity

Real-time transcription and summarization with local processing

3D Icons real estate

Accessibility

Accessibility tools using on-device speech or vision models

3D Icons real estate

Healthcare

On-device healthcare assistant that works offline with cloud fallback

3D Icons real estate

Education

Offline-first learning assistant for students with no data plan required

3D Icons real estate

Education

Offline-first learning assistant for students with no data plan required

KYB/KYC 3d Icon

Productivity

Real-time transcription and summarization with local processing

KYB/KYC 3d Icon

Productivity

Real-time transcription and summarization with local processing

3d icon of E-commerce

Accessibility

Accessibility tools using on-device speech or vision models

3d icon of E-commerce

Accessibility

Accessibility tools using on-device speech or vision models

3d icon for industry classification

Healthcare

On-device healthcare assistant that works offline with cloud fallback

3d icon for industry classification

Healthcare

On-device healthcare assistant that works offline with cloud fallback

PRIZES

What you can win

All three winners also receive a real interview opportunity with the ZETIC team.

Ist Place

$ 1000

3 months Melange Pro+
Interview opportunity with ZETIC

2nd Place

$ 600

3 months Melange Pro+
Interview opportunity with ZETIC

3rd Place

$ 400

3 months Melange Pro+
Interview opportunity with ZETIC

Ist Place

$ 1000

3 months Melange Pro+Interview opportunity with ZETIC

2nd Place

$ 600

3 months Melange Pro+ Interview opportunity with ZETIC

3rd Place

$ 40

3 months Melange Pro+ Interview opportunity with ZETIC

EVALUATION

How submissions are judged

• Effective use of on-device inference with Melange SDK as the primary functionality

• Clarity in separating on-device and cloud responsibilities

• Performance, latency, and efficiency considerations

• Overall user experience and usability

Everything you need

Begin today

Ship your first
on-device AI App today.

Start benchmarking and deploying in minutes.
No credit card required for the free tier.