Great minds think alike. You might want to consider that phrase if you’re going to build your own winning hackathon team. Winning might be easy for you since you have the knowledge and skills, but building a team is where the challenge is.
But don’t worry; we are here to guide you on building a winning hackathon team that can withstand the stress and hell of the competition. Keep reading to find out about our tips and tricks.
Tip #1: Look for Teammates Early
The moment you decide you’re going to participate in a hackathon, immediately start looking for your teammates. That’s the best headstart you can give to yourself. After all, the competition day is coming, so you need to fast-track your search as quickly as possible. Don’t wait until you come up with an idea. Instead, look for your teammates so that they can help you come up with one.
Start putting the word out to your friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. Then, try to visit popular platforms and events where you can find seasoned coders, IT professionals, developers, or tech experts, and immediately invite them to join your team. If someone is interested, test their skills and review their credentials to know if they can help you win.
Tip #2: Achieve Diversity in Your Team Members
When forming a team, always consider looking for those different from you and have diverse expertise, strength, and ability. If there’s diversity in your group, there’s a higher chance you’ll win that first place.
It’s up to you whether to look for diversity in domains or demographics. But, let us tell you that most strong teams in a hackathon competition have members with complementary skill sets, like a project manager, a few coders, and a designer. So, as a tip, look for team members with different skill sets and backgrounds for a higher chance of success.
Tip #3: Understand Each Member’s Strengths and Approaches
As a leader, you need to understand each of your member’s strengths and approaches so that you can assign roles and responsibilities effectively. As much as possible, assign roles based on everyone’s core strengths so that they can give their energy into what they’re good at. If all your members are comfortable with their functions, you’ll see a high-quality output, which can make you win the competition.
Tip #4: Invite People Who You Click With
As you know, a hackathon can be extremely stressful. All of you will work tirelessly over a few days or weekends, and everyone will experience a lot of pressure, stress, and exhaustion. These emotions can make everyone burst and may even cause tension. So, as much as possible, only find people who you’re comfortable being with despite the stress happening. Be with people you think you’ll be able to work with well and ensure that everyone is bringing value to the table.
Building a Winning Hackathon Team Is Within Your Reach
Building a team for a hackathon is not that easy. In fact, it may even be more challenging than creating an idea or a viable product for the competition. But, by following our tips, the process will be less daunting and more exciting. You can even build a winning hackathon team that can make the whole experience worthwhile.
If you want to join the biggest hackathons in the US, find one at Hackathon.com! We are the largest hackathon community worldwide, connecting over 2,000 hackathon organizers with our ten million+ member innovators around the globe. Find upcoming hackathons online or in your city today!
