Hackie

Hackathons are incredible spaces for innovation, but one thing we noticed is that many organizers struggle with funding and resource management. Whether it’s securing sponsorships, covering food costs, or providing prizes, funding can be a major barrier to creating a great experience.

We wanted to build something that makes it easier for hackathon organizers to raise money, track progress, and manage their events all in one place—similar to how platforms like GoFundMe simplify fundraising, but tailored specifically for hackathons.

What it does? Our platform allows hackathon organizers to create event posts and optionally enable a donation pool.

If enabled, users can: Donate using credit/debit cards or Apple Pay See a live funding progress bar Track how close the event is to reaching its goal For organizers, this means: Easier fundraising Real-time visibility into donations A centralized platform for managing their hackathon

How we built it? We built the application using: React + Vite for the frontend Next.js (App Router) for backend/API logic Stripe Checkout to handle secure payments (card + Apple Pay) In-memory data storage for fast prototyping during the hackathon Tailwind CSS for styling and UI components We used Stripe webhooks to confirm successful payments and update the donation totals in real time.

Challenges we ran into Setting up Stripe payments and webhooks correctly within a limited time Handling real-time updates to the donation progress without a full database Debugging frontend build issues (Tailwind, Vite, and module imports) Designing a system that balances simplicity for users with useful features for organizers

What we learned? How to integrate and manage real-world payment systems using Stripe How to design a product that solves a specific niche problem (hackathon funding) The importance of user experience, especially when dealing with payments How to quickly iterate and debug across both frontend and backend systems

What's next? Add user accounts and authentication for organizers Support multiple campaigns per hackathon Add donor recognition and leaderboards Integrate blockchain (Solana) for transparent donation tracking Deploy the app publicly for real hackathon use

Built With

• api
• javascript
• next.js
• react
• stripe
• tailwind
• typescript
• vite