A guided, hands-on program takes developers across Asia Pacific and Japan from idea to a working, deployed AI app in five quests with a US$10,000 prize pool and hands-on guidance from the Databricks team.
SINGAPORE, 7 September 2026, Databricks and AngelHack today announced Databricks AppQuest, a five-quest learning program that helps developers across Asia Pacific and Japan (APAC) build and ship working AI applications faster — taking them from an idea to a fully deployed app. Designed and run by AngelHack in partnership with Databricks and hosted on the AngelHack platform, the program is open from 7 September to 31 December 2026 and is backed by a US$10,000 prize pool.
The premise behind AppQuest is simple: the fastest way to learn a platform is to ship something on it. Over the past year, Databricks has worked to shorten the distance between an idea and a running application. Databricks AppKit, the TypeScript framework behind Databricks Apps, handles the parts developers usually wire up by hand, authentication, caching, observability, and connections to SQL warehouses, model serving, and Lakebase. This helps builders reach production with less code and fewer things to debug.
Onboarding developers onto AppKit at regional scale takes more than a documentation site. Databricks and AngelHack created AppQuest to give builders across APAC a structured path to building and shipping a working application. The partnership combines AppKit with AngelHack’s 15 years of experience building developer programs and its established APAC footprint, backed by a community of more than 500,000 developers.
“Developers across Asia Pacific and Japan are moving quickly to build with AI, and they need a clear path from learning a platform to shipping on it. AppQuest provides that path through hands-on quests that turn learning into a working application. Participants can leave with the confidence, skills and portfolio project to keep building on Databricks”
Lishan Kooh,
Marketing Director, Asia Pacific & Japan, Databricks
About the program
Databricks AppQuest is a five-quest, 16-task program that takes participants from zero to a deployed application, with no prior Databricks experience required. Along the way, developers set up their environment, scaffold an app from a DevHub template, deploy it with AppKit, wire up Lakebase for storage, and add intelligence with Agent Bricks. The five quests run as follows:
- Quest 1: Set up your Databricks account and join the developer community
- Quest 2: Map how Databricks Apps, Lakebase, Agent Bricks, and the Data Lakehouse connect
- Quest 3: Install the CLI, authenticate your workspace, and load agent skills into your coding agent
- Quest 4: Scaffold and deploy your first Databricks App with a Lakebase backend
- Quest 5: Extend it into a working AI app with a RAG assistant, then demo what you built
Every participant who completes all five quests receives a US$20 reward and earns an AppQuest Graduate badge issued by Databricks. Participants who go further and customize their app in Quest 5 are also eligible for a US$750 Databricks training voucher. Throughout the program, participants receive hands-on guidance from the Databricks team as they build.
Meet the team on the Databricks Data + AI World Tour
AppQuest runs alongside the Databricks Data + AI World Tour, which brings the Databricks team to major cities across the region. At stops in Singapore, Australia, India, and Japan, connect with the Databricks team to explore Databricks Apps, AppKit, Lakebase, and Agent Bricks. Get hands-on guidance, learn how to join AppQuest, and start building. The tour runs from September through November 2026, with a virtual stop in January for those who can’t attend in person.
Learn more about the Data + AI World Tour – https://www.databricks.com/dataaisummit/worldtour?region=apac
How to take part
Registration is open now on the AngelHack platform. Developers can sign up, set up their Databricks account, and begin Quest 1 at earn.angelhack.com
The program opens on 7 September 2026, with a first review window on 1 November 2026 and submissions closing on 31 December 2026. A second review window and reward disbursement follow on 2 January 2027.
About Databricks
Databricks is the Data and AI company. Founded by the original creators of Apache Spark™, Delta Lake, MLflow and Unity Catalog, Databricks was built on a foundation of open source innovation and academic research. More than 20,000 organizations worldwide — including adidas, AT&T, Bayer, Block, Mastercard, Rivian, Unilever, and 70% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data + AI Platform to build and scale data and AI apps, analytics and agents. Headquartered in San Francisco with 30+ offices around the globe, Databricks offers a unified platform that includes Genie, Lakebase, Agent Bricks, Lakeflow, Lakehouse, and Unity Catalog. To learn more, follow Databricks on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and Instagram.
About AngelHack
Since 2011, AngelHack has been a global leader in developer relations and marketing, helping tech companies connect with a worldwide developer community. Through hackathons, incubators, and meetups, AngelHack engages over 500,000 developers across the globe. As a strategic partner to more than 250 leading organizations, including Meta, Google, Mastercard, Intel, NVIDIA, IBM, Circle, and Polkadot, AngelHack is committed to driving innovation and fostering growth within the global tech ecosystem. To learn more, visit angelhack.com.
