What we do
A hackathon is a developer acquisition campaign with a deadline. The point is not the weekend itself, it is how many teams are still building on your protocol three months later. We plan the event around that outcome, which changes most of the decisions: the prize split, the judging criteria, the documentation you need ready beforehand and what happens the week after submissions close. KOL.solutions is run by Bussler & Co, a New York marketing company founded in 2016 that has worked with more than 150 clients since 2016, and we are an official member of Anthropic's Claude Partner Network.
We run both formats. Online hackathons reach more developers and cost less per participant. In-person events produce fewer but better teams because people talk to each other and to your engineers. Many protocols do an online event with an in-person finals day, which is usually the best use of a mid-size budget.
How a hackathon runs, step by step
- Goal and tracks. We agree what you want built. Tracks should name problems, not technologies, because a track called "payments for small merchants" gets better submissions than one called "use our SDK".
- Prize structure. We design the pool and the split, and we push for more mid-size prizes rather than one huge first prize, since a single large prize makes most teams decide they cannot win.
- Rules and judging criteria. Published before registration opens: eligibility, what counts as new code, submission requirements, judging weights and the deadline in a stated timezone.
- Judges and mentors. We recruit and schedule a panel and a mentor rota, and brief them on the criteria so scores are consistent.
- Developer recruitment. We reach developers through university blockchain clubs, developer Discords and Telegram groups, hackathon listing sites, developer-focused creators and your own existing builders.
- Documentation check. We go through your docs, SDK and testnet faucet as a new developer would, and list what breaks. This is the step most events skip and it is the one that decides whether teams finish.
- The event. Kickoff call, office hours, a mid-event checkpoint, submission deadline, judging window and a demo day.
- Promotion. Announcement, registration push, a reminder wave in the last 72 hours before submissions close, and a winners announcement with demo clips.
- Follow-up. We contact every team that submitted, not just the winners, with grant information and introductions to your developer relations team.
What you get
- A full event plan with dates, tracks, rules and judging criteria.
- A prize structure with the split written out and the payout process agreed.
- A recruited judging panel and mentor rota.
- Developer outreach across clubs, Discords, listing sites and technical creators.
- A documentation review listing what a new developer hits in the first hour.
- Run of show for the kickoff, checkpoints and demo day.
- A promotion plan, including creator posts and a press release if the prize pool justifies one.
- A post-event report with registrations, submissions, completion rate and which teams are still active 30 and 90 days later.
Typical timelines and budgets
Six to ten weeks of preparation before registration opens is the minimum for an online event. In-person events need three to four months because of venue and travel. Registration should be open for three to five weeks, and the build window is usually two to six weeks. These are typical ranges.
| Format | Typical total cost | Typical prize pool | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online only | $25,000 to $75,000 | $15,000 to $50,000 | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Online with in-person finals | $75,000 to $200,000 | $50,000 to $150,000 | 3 months |
| In-person event | $150,000 to $500,000 | $100,000 and up | 3 to 4 months |
Prizes are usually the largest line, followed by venue and travel for in-person events. Promotion is normally 10 to 20 percent of the total.
Who this is for
This fits layer 1 and layer 2 chains, infrastructure providers, oracle and data projects, wallets and anyone with an SDK that needs third-party applications. It is a poor fit if your documentation is not ready, because a hackathon puts hundreds of developers through your onboarding at once and they will all hit the same broken step. The planning detail is in the crypto hackathon launch guide, and event-week promotion is covered in event marketing.
How to start
Book a call with your target date and we will come back with tracks, a prize structure and a schedule.
Questions
How big should the prize pool be?
For an online hackathon, $15,000 to $50,000 is usually enough to get serious teams. Past a point, more prize money buys more registrations but not more finished projects.
How many registrations turn into submissions?
Completion rates are low at most events, so plan on a small fraction of registrants submitting. Good documentation, mentor office hours and a mid-event checkpoint are what raise it.
Online or in person?
Online if you want reach and lower cost per developer. In person if you want fewer, stronger teams and direct time between your engineers and builders.
What happens after the hackathon?
We contact every team that submitted with grant details and introductions, then report which teams are still building at 30 and 90 days. That number is the real result of the event.
