what is a hackathon

--- title: "What is a hackathon (and how it compares to case comps)" slug: "what-is-a-hackathon" type: "event" excerpt: "A plain-English explainer on hackathons, what teams build, and how the judging differs from case competitions." difficulty: "intro" readingTime: 4 topics: ["events", "hackathon", "product"] categories: ["events"] publishedAt: "2024-03-24" updatedAt: "2024-03-31" ---

Hackathons are short build sprints where teams ship a prototype or product concept. They value execution and technical feasibility more than long-form analysis.

How hackathons differ from case comps

• Output: working demo versus deck recommendation
• Judging: feasibility and impact versus depth of analysis
• Team roles: builders, designers, and product storytellers

How to prepare quickly

• Align on a clear user problem
• Define a minimum viable demo
• Rehearse the product story and live demo