Hackathon: What Are the Benefits for Your Business?

Discover how hackathons—far more than just a passing trend—offer a real opportunity to drive innovation within your company. Explore the tangible benefits of these collaborative events and learn how to organize them successfully to accelerate new product development, strengthen your corporate culture, and foster creativity among your teams.

Understanding the core goals of a hackathon

I started skiing when I was 40.

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It's late... And yet, it's never too late. When I was younger, because I lacked the means, I thought that the older I got, the harder it would be to learn. I used that as an excuse for my lack of motivation, thinking it was pointless.

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When I finally found the motivation, I did what I always do: I scoured the internet for articles, YouTube tutorials, and masterclasses on how to learn to ski. Of course, on the first day, as Tyson says, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face”—it was a disaster. I’ve lost count of how many times I fell and how clueless I was.

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Then, little by little, I picked it up pretty quickly, thanks in large part to my “online lessons,” my background in other sports, and the advice from my group and the instructor. I had a clear goal: to ski the blue/red run in front of the course before the end of the week.

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Through this discovery, I was reminded of the fundamentals of why a hackathon exists and what it aims to achieve: taking action, doing rather than just thinking, and becoming a maker at any stage of life to enhance one’s experience and unlock one’s full entrepreneurial potential—first and foremost for oneself, and subsequently for the company.

Definition: What is a hackathon, and why is it more than just a buzzword?

As I write this article in 2024, it’s almost old-fashioned to still talk about “hackathons,” given how much the term has been used, repurposed, adapted (Ideathon, Innovathon, etc.), and even overused. Yet that doesn’t do it justice, and it continues to enjoy growing popularity. Of course, the frenzy of the early days has passed. But what matters is that the essence remains; the core is timeless, immortal.

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Hackathons originated in the 1990s in the U.S., particularly in Silicon Valley, as a way for software "hackers" to compete in a 24- to 48-hour tournament ("Hack" + "Marathon"). They were organized in teams of 2 to 5 people, no more, and during the allotted time, they had to break through all the digital barriers of a program, with the ultimate goal of destroying it.

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In other words: we were dealing with people who were highly talented in their respective fields, with a wide range of experience and expertise, who had come together to work toward a common goal and achieve something tangible.

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These hackers have learned—mostly on the job—using various methods, tools, and mentors, how to breach different computer systems, from simple Flash games (R.I.P.) to the security barriers of multinational corporations, all while drawing on their own life experiences to fuel their creativity and adaptability.

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That's the essence of a hackathon!

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A collaborative event, often of short duration, where participants come together to work intensively on the development and selection of innovative projects.

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To go back to my analogy of the (very) amateur skier: after two days, I managed to feel pretty comfortable on skis, not because I was naturally gifted, but because when I was younger, I had spent five years rollerblading (street style), which allowed me to grasp the movements easily since I had developed muscle memory. I learned the hard way that muscle memory is awakened through pain—it’s not innate!

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We’ve all got five years of rollerblading under our belts, giving us the confidence to take the plunge.

What is a hackathon these days?

Hackathons have evolved significantly in their key stages: from events focused solely on hackers and software developers, we have moved toward a more comprehensive model that incorporates other disciplines, transforming them from simple hacks into fully structured projects:

• A design element was added to turn a hacking mission into a creative process.
• Then there are business-focused events like TechStars' Startup Weekends, which are designed to help participants launch a company over the same period of time.
• And finally, using this type of event to foster a culture of collaboration and an entrepreneurial mindset within companies, while working to break down silos and enhance the employee experience.

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It is no longer limited to developers and is now used to foster internal innovation and to create new services or products by applying ingenuity under time constraints.

Hackathon: Who Really Benefits, and How? (SPOILER: It’s Not All Happening in Paris!)

Many hackathons take place in a variety of settings: at nonprofit organizations, in cities or metropolitan areas, at schools, and finally at companies. In this article, I will focus on the latter.

Who can participate in a hackathon?

Anyone who wants to can join the company. Really. This isn’t just empty rhetoric at any point. However, one thing must be kept in mind: just because anyone can join doesn’t mean everyone will succeed. This is a crucial point for both the company and the participants to understand: playing doesn’t guarantee a win, but unlike the lottery, the more you play, the better your chances of winning.

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However, there are certain requirements for anyone wishing to participate:

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1. Be well prepared

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The sooner we learn about cutting-edge design and business creativity methods, and the sooner we start creating or experiencing new things, the more we maximize our chances of success during a hackathon: it’s a misconception to think that the moment itself is enough to make the most of our abilities.

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2. Be open to others

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A hackathon is a team effort, not a solo challenge: curiosity, observation, and inspiration are key to understanding how to make the most of what you want to do, combined with what already exists, while tapping into collective intelligence.

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3. Move past the idea

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Most hackathons require participants to come up with new ideas. That’s fine, but it’s not the most important thing: what matters is the end result. The best starting point is to identify a problem to solve that is broad enough to align with the company’s strategy and customer needs, yet specific enough that it’s easy to come up with a rough solution within 48 hours.

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On my very first afternoon of skiing, I had a revelation: I know it sounds silly for an experienced skier, but I had a sudden realization while watching one of the dozens of YouTube videos I’d been watching: shifting my weight onto the correct supporting leg! The video came back to me in a flash, and I was able to get the hang of the movement, with help from one of my fellow skiers in my group who explained how he initiated his turn. If I hadn’t prepared myself and listened, I’d still be stuck there.

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Who should throw it?

All companies are beginning to segment their functions and bring a diverse range of profiles into their ranks. These same companies are also asking themselves the following questions:

• Where is their traditional market headed?
• What other markets might be accessible?
• Given what we have and what we know how to do, could we apply this to another industry?
• How can we identify a promising growth driver in today’s challenging economic climate?

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And there are countless companies like this, no matter where they’re located—it’s not limited to big cities or corporate headquarters!

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So, 90% of companies, right?

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But again, this isn’t something you should just dive into haphazardly: if you’re using a hackathon simply to please your employees, or if you want to run it in a way that’s completely at odds with the company’s standard operations, you’re making a mistake in both cases.

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A company must also meet certain requirements:

1. Set a course

Why are we holding this hackathon? What do we plan to do with the results? Which topics and issues should we address first? How can we involve management (at the top, middle, and front-line levels), and how can we ensure that the various departments or business units will be able to take ownership of the results? Which entity or department has been designated as the internal organizer?

2. Open as wide as possible

A hackathon isn't just for "champions" or those so-called "high-potential" employees. It's the mix of people that drives success—from frontline staff to support roles, managers, and technical experts.

3. There is no magic formula

Just because you put Yassine from HR, Julie from Dev, Guillaume from Accounting, and Yves from Marketing together to work on a well-prepared idea from a strategic business unit or the IT department doesn’t mean you’ll end up with the company’s next “moonshot” project! You have to envision the key steps to the overall success of the event and trust in serendipity.

Why hold a hackathon, and what benefits can a company expect from it even after 2023 in France?

There are many reasons, and yes, it’s still worth the effort—perhaps more than ever!

1. Stop talking, just DO IT!

There are countless corporate innovation challenges and calls for ideas, yet top management is often left disappointed, feeling that these initiatives have fallen flat. Why? Most of the time, these challenges are looking for *THE* perfect idea on paper—one that best fits a written proposal focused on what needs to be done and how to do it, without asking why.

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In other words: a paper or digital proposal doesn’t provide the opportunity to create something tangible in response to a key business challenge, or to engage with the market and users. The Hackathon enables action through the use of methods and tools to engage with people, develop a genuine value proposition, build a viable prototype that allows for future planning (regardless of the non-developer participants’ technical skills), and gather constructive feedback to derive a future business model and deployment plan!

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A hackathon helps us move from thinking filled with hidden assumptions to taking action that forces us to clearly articulate and test those assumptions.

2. Let the hidden gems reveal themselves by stopping your search

A hackathon is a great way to identify talent in several areas:

• In terms of innovation, through the methods the teams will use to carry out their project,
• In management, thanks to the emergence of team leaders who embody the company's values,
• In the assessment, we look at the ability of certain individuals to perform effectively—a quality that becomes apparent during this type of event—even though they may be underutilizing it in their day-to-day work without realizing it.

3. Foster true cross-functional collaboration, whether online or in person

By bringing teams together around a shared mission and vision, unbreakable bonds are formed. A community is born, regardless of the projects’ outcomes. A connection that can only be felt during an intense 48-hour event helps create positive openings in the company’s notorious silos, fostering powerful, trust-based cross-functional collaboration in the future. And this cross-functional nature transcends departmental boundaries; it is also generational, gender-inclusive, and encompasses diverse life stories. This holds true whether the Hackathon is in-person (with a stronger impact, let’s be honest) or online, thanks to today’s facilitation tools.

4. Addressing genuine needs through customer-centric design

The goal of a hackathon is to get as close to the front lines as possible, quickly show the client a prototype, get rapid feedback, and start over. Of course, a hackathon is just the beginning, but the best way to create a new product or service that people want is still to follow the hackathon methodology, which is specifically designed for that purpose.

5. Establish a training program in innovation

Beyond the projects themselves, this is a true live training session for all participants: learning these new methods and tools through hands-on projects allows us to apply them directly to more traditional product or service lines. It’s rare to successfully apply what instructors teach us in standard training courses; the Hackathon makes this possible right away.

6. Drastically improve public speaking skills

This is a challenge in any company, whether small, medium, or large. Most employees, with the exception of salespeople, are never trained in public speaking, pitching, or storytelling. Yet, in a Hackathon, once the allotted time is up, participants are required to give a pitch to the jury. It’s a crash course in how to present to a client—but not just that: also to senior management, team members, and partners. Everything you learn about this in a Hackathon is key to mastering this skill and enhancing your leadership to inspire those around you.

7. Foster a culture of initiative

This is surely the most important point. It implies that this first hackathon is the first building block toward something bigger—or at least something that will be repeated—but this momentum can only benefit the company. Innovation in general—of which the Hackathon is one tool—is a long-term endeavor: the more the exercise is repeated, the more participants will absorb the energy, the methods, and the Test & Learn approach, and the more the company will benefit, particularly in terms of collaboration across different departments. It’s an investment with compounding returns: perhaps the first event won’t lead to a profound transformation, but the more these events are held, the greater the chance of creating a huge success.

How to Host a Successful Hackathon and Achieve Tangible Results: Sample Agendas

Before asking yourself, "How much does a hackathon cost?", it’s essential to know how to organize one.

At Dynergie, we have several key steps to achieve this, which go far beyond the event itself:

1. Vision - Engage and inspire the Executive Committee members to embrace your organization’s long-term innovation strategy through this challenge and existing data

We need to identify themes, customer pain points, and key areas of focus based on data collected within the company that could serve as starting points for the Hackathon. Next, specific objectives must be defined that are understandable to everyone. Then, potential future sponsors should be selected in advance based on the most relevant projects that emerge. It is also important to thoroughly inventory the innovative solutions already under development within the company to avoid duplication.

2. Inspiration - Inspire your employees regarding innovation, the themes, and the organization of the hackathon

Thematic presentations, workshops on methods and tools, and testimonials from other organizations or past participants: spark interest while providing valuable insights even before the event begins, so that the full impact of the 48 hours is felt from the very first hour.

3. Hackathon - Generate innovative ideas during the hackathon and foster a spirit of competition around the challenge

Provide a clear roadmap, and involve expert resources from within the company as well as internal and external training coaches who can introduce creativity techniques. Assemble a relevant panel of judges; here too, a mix of external and internal members can be beneficial. And above all, vary the level of support: it should be a subtle blend of coaching and autonomy to allow teams to take ownership of the topic and make decisions, while facilitating their collaboration.

4. Acceleration - Turning winning ideas into concrete projects:

The hackathon is just the beginning, not the end result. It’s the first stone in the cathedral. The projects that are most valuable to the company and the participants must be supported, guided, evaluated, and developed in an agile manner. All of this takes place within a process that allows us to regularly assess whether to proceed or not based on the milestones achieved. This is one of the keys to successfully replicating this type of event.

And what about skiing in all this...

I've been through all of those stages.

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I asked myself why I wanted to learn to ski: to spend time in nature, get some exercise, go on trips with friends or family, and enjoy the unique tranquility that the mountains offer in winter.

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I drew inspiration from videos, stories from friends, and clear tutorials so that I would be well-prepared on the first day and make the most of my training there.

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During the training, I alternated between receiving coaching from my instructor and my group members, and practicing on my own to master the sport.

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Next, I began my acceleration—a process that will likely take several months or even years—by setting measurable, specific, and short-term goals, much like that famous blue/red trail.

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My experience with rollerblading helped me learn to ski. Being "old" when I started learning actually motivated me to keep trying and stay determined.

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All in all, nothing out of the ordinary—what I’m writing here will resonate with anyone who’s ever learned to ski; it’s just common sense!

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That’s why a hackathon—regardless of its trendy name—stands the test of time and trends: its principles are based on common sense, as they involve a logical learning process and collaboration—something we tend to overlook as our organizations grow more complex, from small and medium-sized businesses to large corporations.

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It may seem counterintuitive, but innovation often comes from a simple, logical process... or from the tip of a spatula.

In summary

Hackathons offer a wide range of benefits for businesses:

1. Fostering innovation and creativity
2. Strengthen your corporate culture
3. Identify and develop talent
4. Accelerate the development of new products or services
5. Promote learning and professional development
6. Increase employee engagement
7. Improving decision-making and problem-solving
8. Develop a competitive advantage

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If you'd like to learn more about how to organize a hackathon for your company, you can contact me on LinkedIn or through our contact page.