PAYDAY 2026 Hackathon: Build → Sell → Get Paid (in 48 hours)
About Event
PAYDAY is a 48-hour, revenue-first hackathon where the only win condition is simple: someone paid you.
No judges. No demo day theater. No prize pool. The market is the judge.
Your goal is to ship something real, charge for it, and earn your own prize. It's the first of its kind.
Over 48 hours, you will:
Find a real problem and a real buyer
Build the smallest version someone will actually pay for
Ship, charge, onboard, and iterate based on real usage
PAYDAY is for:
Builders and indie hackers who are tired of pitch contests
People who want their first dollar more than a shiny certificate
Teams who want to practice using AI as leverage, not as the product
You’ll leave with:
A shipped product (however small)
Real customers or a hard lesson from the market
Sharper instincts about what people actually pay for
If you’re looking for hand-holding, resume lines, or demo-only projects, this is not for you. If you want a forcing function to finally build, sell, and get paid, welcome to PAYDAY.