Founder Hackathon

● Plan Forecast Prove Score

Identified Intent & Tier

Primary Intent

Community

+ Product as a secondary lever — the "build on our product" mechanic is the vehicle, not the destination.

Suggested Tier

T1 · Priority

200 people · ~$75/head · hosted multi-hour build. Real tradeoffs at this budget.

Hypothesis Scaffold

→ Forecast tracks

By hosting 200 founder-builders at a hackathon where they build on our product, we expect to convert a meaningful share into repeat community members who feel ownership in the ecosystem — measured by repeat-engagement intent and post-event advocacy.

The Single Next Step

→ Prove captures

RSVP to the next community touchpoint — before they leave the room.

Not "follow us." A named, dated next gathering they commit to on the spot.

Key Metrics

→ Score weighs

Hard — primary proof

Target

80 / 200

repeat-attendance commitments captured on-site (40%)

Active community members at 30 days
Projects still alive 2 weeks post-event
Founder-to-founder connections facilitated

Soft signals

Observe

Quality of the room — which founders showed up that you hoped would
Whether people stayed late / lingered after the official close
Unprompted "next one?" demand surfaces during the event

Dott — Event Plan Brief

Prepared for

Founder Hackathon Host

Investment Categories

→ Forecast budgets

Venue & F&B

Will eat most of it. Feeding 200 builders for a full day is your single biggest line. Consider a sponsor venue or co-host to stretch this.

People time

Your hours + judges/mentors. Mentors who are themselves respected founders do more for community than prize money does.

Follow-up infrastructure

Discord/community home, recurring-event calendar, recap. Chronically under-budgeted — and where your primary metric lives.

Prizes / swag

Keep modest. For founders, status and connection beat cash. Don't blow the budget here.

Outcome Targets

→ Score compares

Quantitative

80+ repeat-attendance commitments captured on-site
100+ active community members at 30 days
≥15 projects still alive at 2 weeks
Personalized recap to 100% of attendees within 72 hours

Qualitative

The room feels like founders chose to be there, not extraction
At least 5 founder-to-founder collaborations spark organically
Unprompted "next one?" demand
3+ stories worth retelling

These targets are your forecast. When the event runs, Dott compares actuals against exactly these numbers — so set them honestly now, before the result can bias you. 40% repeat-commitment is ambitious but right for a community-led event; sandbagging it defeats the purpose.

Pre-Event Watch-Outs

The second one is harder than the first

Set the cadence intention now — a one-off hackathon builds excitement and then evaporates. Announce the next gathering's date at this event.

"Build on our product" can hijack the vibe

If onboarding friction eats the first 90 minutes, you've run a frustrating product demo. Pre-stage starter kits + on-site help.

Judging criteria + IP are landmines

Resolve who owns what before kickoff, especially with founders who'll ask hard questions about IP rights and prize terms.

$15K for 200 is tight

A smaller, better-fed, higher-touch room of 120 beats a stretched, under-catered 200 for community specifically. More bodies ≠ more belonging.