The State of Developer Education What Make a Hackathon Successful with Brandon Kessler, CEO and Founder of Devpost
Oct 19, 2023
Brandon Kessler, CEO and Founder of Devpost, shares his journey from music to tech entrepreneurship, driven by a passion for community building. He highlights the elements that make hackathons successful, including fostering competition, collaboration, and ongoing engagement. The conversation dives into how AI is transforming the hackathon landscape, streamlining coding processes and enhancing participant experiences. Kessler also discusses the importance of adaptability in Developer Relations in the wake of economic shifts, emphasizing long-term developer relationships.
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Episode notes
Brandon's Origin Story
- Brandon Kessler transitioned from running a record label to founding DevPost inspired by grassroots software competitions.
- He created DevPost to support developer competitions with a platform and community after business school inspiration.
Community Grows From Value
- Successful communities form around valuable content or activities rather than community itself.
- Hackathons must deliver value first; community then naturally builds around them.
NYC Big Apps Hackathon Impact
- The NYC Big Apps hackathon used open data to inspire local projects that still impact the city today.
- The involvement of government agencies and community events made it especially memorable.
