How joining the right hackathon can get your startup funding, users—or your first big break
Some startups raise their first cheque. Others build in public. Some just need a spark. Find out how a hackathon can do all three.
It usually starts with curiosity. You hear about a hackathon, maybe from Twitter, maybe a friend, and you wonder if it’s even worth your time. You’ve got a half-built minimum viable product (MVP), an idea scribbled in a Notion doc, and zero clue if anyone would care.
Adding a weekend of building sounds intense, but what if it could change everything? For many early-stage founders, it does.
In writing this piece, I spoke to founders in Nigeria and India who’ve used hackathons not just to win prize money, but to validate ideas, find co-founders, attract users, and land funding. What they shared wasn’t the usual “build fast” playbook. It was more honest, messier, and much more valuable.
But it starts with understanding what hackathons are and how to make them work for your startup journey.
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What is a hackathon?
At its core, a hackathon is a time-boxed event, usually 24 to 72 hours, where builders come together to solve problems, create prototypes, and pitch ideas.
Traditionally, hackathons were developer-focused. But today, they’re just as valuable for designers, startup founders, marketers, and solo operators with a rough MVP or even just an idea.
Some are online. Some are in-person. Some are themed around blockchain, fintech, or AI. Others are completely open-ended. But what they all have in common is this: you show up, build something fast, and tell a story that makes people care.
For early-stage founders, this speed, pressure, and visibility can be a game-changer.
Why hackathons still matter even in 2025
The idea of hackathons might feel outdated if you’re picturing pizza-fueled college nights or coding-for-fun marathons. But their real value today is momentum.
“I didn’t go expecting to win,” said Priyanshu Tiwari, a developer and early-stage founder who joined a BNBChain hackathon and ended up as runner-up. “But what I really won was perspective, people, and purpose.”
For Priyanshu, that weekend event led to co-founders, confidence, and exposure within the Web3 space. And his story isn’t rare.
“We didn’t have a big budget,” shared Nishith Gupta, co-founder of UXHack. “But just by running 7–8 [UX] hackathons, we onboarded over 1,000 users without burning a marketing budget.”
What makes hackathons useful isn’t just the prize money or swag bags. It’s that they force you to:
- Test your idea quickly
- Tell your story clearly
- Build in public
- Get fast, sometimes brutal feedback
You learn how to prioritize, how to pitch, and how to tell whether your idea actually resonates in the real world.
Kelechi Edeh
How to pick a hackathon that’s worth your time
Not all hackathons are created equal. Some are focused on learning and community. Others can be launchpads into accelerators, angel networks, or startup ecosystems. The key is to know what you’re trying to get out of it.
If you’re looking to validate your MVP, go for hackathons with real users or mentors in your target space. If you’re hoping to raise funding, look for ones backed by VCs, big tech companies, or accelerator programs. If you’re early and just want signal, go where the energy and feedback are strongest.
“We joined EthGlobal because we knew it wasn’t just a dev playground but where serious builders got noticed,” Buylist co-founder, Juwon Olagoke told Techloy. “Even though we didn’t win, we got intros to angels and accelerator programs we hadn’t cracked before.”
Here’s how to filter the noise and pick one that moves the needle:
- Themed vs open hackathons: If your product fits into a hot domain, like AI, climate, fintech, or Web3, find a hackathon that aligns. The audience, judges, and mentors will be more relevant.
- Online vs in-person: Remote hackathons give you access from anywhere, but in-person ones often lead to stronger relationships. Think about what you need more right now: reach or depth.
- Backers and judges: Is the event backed by VCs, accelerators, or ecosystem partners? A strong panel can lead to meaningful intros, even if you don’t win.
- Previous winners: Look at what happened to previous winners. Did they raise funding? Get accepted into a program? Start building full-time? That’s your signal.
What the founders we spoke to had to say about the hackathons
- EthGlobal – great for Web3 startups
- Startup Weekend – A classic 54-hour sprint run by Techstars where teams go from idea to MVP. Startups like Zapier, EasyTaxi, and Carousell were born here.
- YC Build Sprint – a low-stakes sprint that’s helped founders refine their story for YC
- Norrsken Africa Hackathon – focused on mission-driven startups across the continent
- Google Solution Challenge – ideal for student-led or university-affiliated teams
- AngelHack – often leads to accelerator and investor exposure
How to prep your pitch so you get noticed
You’ve only got a few minutes with the judges, and maybe even less attention from the crowd. What makes you stand out isn’t your tech stack. It’s whether your story lands.
One narrative structure works especially well at hackathons:
Problem → Why Now → Who You Are → What You’re Building → Signal → Why You’ll Win
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- Lead with the problem: What’s broken? Who’s suffering? Why hasn’t this been solved yet?
- Explain why now: Is there a shift in tech, policy, or culture that makes your solution timely?
- Show your edge: Why are you the right person to build this? Talk about your experience or insight.
- Demo the solution: It doesn’t have to be fancy, just functional enough to show what’s possible.
- Highlight traction: Even small wins, a waitlist, 50 signups, feedback from a Discord server, go a long way.
- Paint the path: What’s next if you win? Or even if you don’t? Give people a reason to keep watching.
A judge doesn’t need to hear your 5-year roadmap. They need to feel like you’re not just building for fun; you’re onto something.
Kelechi Edeh
Final thoughts
Hackathons aren’t a silver bullet. Winning doesn’t guarantee funding. And building something fast doesn’t mean it’ll scale. But if you’re early-stage, still figuring things out, and craving feedback or momentum, they might be the best use of your weekend.
Like Priyanshu Tiwari put it, "The experience [hackathon] gave me something I never expected—confidence and visibility.” That’s what makes hackathons worth it. Not the prize money. But the signal, the story, and the doors they can quietly open and did open for startups like Zapier.
So, if you’ve got an idea sitting in a doc and a few hours to spare, maybe it’s time to stop building alone. Find a hackathon. Pitch boldly. And see what happens next.
