How to Succeed at Hackathons
I’ve participated in a total of 4 hackathons of which 3 of them my team and I either came first place or runner up. New Relic x DEV Hack The Planet 2021 is my most recent winning.
Every hackathon has a different set of rules. Some hackathons give you the freedom to choose your own team while others allocate you to a group of strangers. But all hackathons have one thing in common — unlimited snacks, mercs and swags — even if you don’t win a prize, you still go home feeling like a winner!
What are hackathons?
The word “hackathon” is a blend of the words “hack” and “marathon”. The goal is to create functioning software or hardware by the end of the event. Interestingly, “hackathon” was coined by OpenBSD and Sun at the Calgary cryptographic development event and the JavaOne conference back in 1999.
How to succeed at hackathons?
- Get to know your team members
Obvious but often forgotten. Take the time to personally know your team members and what skills they can bring to the table. This is especially crucial for randomly selected groups.
There are certain types of people you may encounter:
- The enthusiast — Extremely excited to build stuff as it is his/her first hackathon, but then realises that he/she is the only one pulling the weight of the team.
- The MBB consultant— Good at delegating tasks. Data visualisation and Powerpoint slides are second nature to the consultant.
- The social bird — Likes meeting people, getting free food and always the first to know. The social bird probably knows the projects of other teams too.
- The sunshine — Bubbly and brings loads of positivity and motivation to the team.
- The storyteller — Has the superpower to turn a good product into a great one.
- The Yoda — Does not talk much but wise with words.
Spotting each of them is like catching a pokemon, I hope you can spot them all!
2. No idea is a bad idea
Use post-it notes to gather all ideas and possibilities — the crazier, the better. Then sort these notes thematically.
3. Plan before code
This step is important and should not be missed.
What is your problem statement? I use Moore’s template to answer this.
4. Understand the target customer
Think of someone who might use this product — will it be someone like your dad or aunt Karen? For easy reference, jot their names down and write a short description of them. The early adopters are the users you want to target during infancy.
5. Have a business model
The billion-dollar question.
How do you monetise your product?
A high-level business plan is often asked during Q&A so be sure to have that information on hand. This is a simplified Business Model Canvas that I use.
6. Find your sponsor
It is worthwhile to know the panel of judges. He/she may be the key person to sponsor and advocate for your team’s idea during judging.
7. Practice makes perfect
The most thrilling part! Generally, the pitch goes no longer than 5 minutes so I use Canva due to its beautiful visuals and simple drag and drop feature.
I always frame my presentation in this way.
🙌 The good news is that if you’ve been following my suggested templates, your pitch deck is almost 50% done. Feel free to download the templates here.
7. Give yourself a pat on the back
Ultimately, the most rewarding part is the journey of learning, building cool products and meeting interesting people. Once you’re done (and maybe after a nap and shower), don’t forget to celebrate! 🥂
