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Free Lesson

How I Won First Places in the YC and OpenAI Hackathons?

30 min
Oct 17, 2025 7:00 PM
Virtual (Zoom)

In this video

What you'll learn

Strong idea = useful + unexpected solution

To win a world class hackathon, you need good ideas that came from real problems. Pre-hackathon preparation is crucial

Small teams outperform large ones

Don't waste time on communication or coding conflicts. Ideal structor is one coder, one generalist, and one support.

Demo-frist development approach

Avoid slides. Focus on live demo. Design for "wow effect" and clear user experience. Present impact clearly.

More practical tips

AI tool integration. How to manage expectations and randomness. And more!

Why this topic matters

Winning a top hackathon is a powerful way to gain visibility and kickstart your ideas. Riley has done this time and again, and her projects are thriving: Shoya.ai, Oreo.dev, and Overeasy.dev. It’s not often you get someone with this kind of experience to share so openly. Don’t miss this insight-packed session!

You'll learn from

Riley Shu

Riley Shu

YC/OpenAI Hackathon Winner | PM @ Fortnite

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