In "Proof of Concept," the Pied Piper gang attends the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield to compete for $50,000 in funding capital. Richard is physically ill because Pied Piper hasn't been completed yet, leading to constipation and vomiting, and both he and Erlich are dealing with issues from old relationships. Richard runs into his ex-girlfriend at the event, and Erlich tries to avoid Dan Melcher (Jack Broder), one of the competition's judges whose wife he previously had an affair with.
Dinesh starts hitting it off with an attractive coder named Charlotte (AJ Michalka) at the event, only to find that he's only really attracted to her excellent coding skills. Eventually, it's revealed that the code Dinesh was so infatuated with was actually written by Gilfoyle. The episode ends with Pied Piper beginning their Battlefield presentation, during which Melcher tackles Erlich as he is giving his presentation as revenge for sleeping with his wife years earlier.
Though it is pretty early in the series, "Proof of Concept" holds up as one of the best episodes. The love triangle between Dinesh, Charlotte, and Gilfoyle's code is worthy enough, but the second dysfunctional relationship between Melcher and Erlich, ending with the attack, really seals it.
