I entered my first buildathon last week with no expectations. Here’s what I took away from it.
Asking for support on X genuinely works when you’ve built real connections. Spending time getting to know people matters, not just turning up when you need their support.
My submission didn’t need to be finished, polished and perfect. Being able to demo the concept clearly and get people interested mattered more than having every feature built.
It didn’t need to be the most technically advanced either. Sometimes I think that can actually put people off. I’ve looked through product directories and had absolutely no idea what some of the tools do, so I doubt I’m the only one. People need to understand what you’re building and why they’d use it.
Having a mascot, sharing progress and keeping the X community involved helped too. It gave people something to connect with and follow along with, rather than just a submission link at the end.
My biggest practical lesson: plan the build before touching the code, then stick with the idea. When you’ve only got five days, there isn’t enough time to change direction halfway through.
