30 Kids Make $587 in 2 Days: Startup Hackathon Takeaways

FinanceYF5 · x · 2026-08-03

At a recent startup hackathon for kids aged 9-16, 30 participants made $587.85 in just two days by building products and selling them to strangers.

Billionaire and Stanford dropout Joe Liemandt mentored the kids, offering practical startup advice:

Ship early: Don't wait for perfection; plan around getting the product to the first willing tester.
Quantify value: When pitching or sending cold emails, prove your worth with hard numbers (e.g., "saves 10x the cost of hiring").
Build an audience first: If you lack customers, start by creating content in niche communities to build trust before pushing the product.
Time expectations: Time is the most underestimated factor in startups—be prepared for it to take years, not months.

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