The Peterman Pod 21x Hackathon Winner Turned College Dropout | Jia Chen Interview
Apr 14, 2025
Jia Chen, a 21-year-old hackathon prodigy who has won 21 competitions and co-founded Sprint.dev, shares her inspiring journey. She discusses her transformation from a finance student to a tech entrepreneur, revealing winning strategies for hackathons and the importance of collaboration. Jia reflects on her decision to drop out of college, the challenges of standing out from a non-target school, and the power of personal branding. She also offers valuable advice for students contemplating bold career moves and emphasizes the benefits of networking in the tech world.
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Secret Road Trip for First Win
- Jia Chen won her first hackathon by secretly driving to Ohio without telling her parents.
- Her project was a hardware device extending the range of a cane for visually impaired people.
Pitch Hackathons with a Demo
- When pitching projects at hackathons, keep it simple and focus on a demo that works.
- Engage judges by letting them interact with the product rather than bombarding them with technical details.
Integrate Frontend and Backend Early
- Connect front end and back end early in hackathon projects, even if basic, and iterate from there.
- Avoid teams working separately on front end and back end without integration until the end.