# Hackathon to first revenue kit

Version: November 7, 2026.
Companion article: https://jwatte.com/blog/devpost-ai-projects-real-revenue-2026/

Use this worksheet to test a small paid service and keep evidence that another person can understand. The templates are original planning tools. They contain no executable code, make no changes to a system and require no installation. No code or configuration syntax checks apply.

A hackathon is a competition to build within a defined period. An AI agent is software that uses a model to perform a sequence of tasks. A payment processor records and handles customer payments. A paid pilot is a limited initial engagement that tests whether a customer values the service.

## One-page plan: from problem to second customer

Fill this section before building. Keep each answer to one or two sentences.

Problem: [Recurring task, current workaround, and consequence of the problem.]

First paying customer: [Customer type and budget-owning role. Keep personal contact details in your private customer system.]

Beneficiary: [Who benefits? Is this different from the user or payer?]

Deliverable: [Exactly what the buyer receives, by when, and what is excluded.]

Price test: [Currency, amount, one-time or recurring term, included work, applicable charges, cancellation and refund conditions. This is your proposed test, not a competitor's verified price.]

Payment processor: [Provider, permitted country, approved payment method, person responsible for receipts and refunds. Use the provider's documented checkout.]

Agent's work: [Inputs it may read, draft output, fixed limits, and the evidence it must cite.]

Human approval: [Who approves a filing, payment, commitment, publication, sensitive output or message before it happens?]

Failure rule: [What stops the work? Who investigates? When is a credit restored or payment refunded?]

Evidence to keep: [Agreed scope, invoice, processor receipt, delivered artifact, acceptance, expenses, consented feedback. Store private records securely; publish only an appropriate summary.]

Second customer test: [Who else has the same problem? What can be reused without exposing the first customer's information?]

Owner: [Role.] Review date: [Date.] Continue or stop condition: [Measurable condition.]

Done when: an independent customer has approved the scope, paid through the agreed route, received the service, and the owner can reconcile the evidence. A prize or a self-paid demonstration does not complete this test.

## Revenue evidence log

This follows the categories requested by Build with Gemini XPRIZE. That competition asked for monthly revenue, expenses, marketing spend even when zero, related-party revenue separately, real-user evidence and product-operation evidence. Its overview mentioned processor exports or bank statements and a simple profit and loss statement. Judges could request more documents. This worksheet is not an audit or a promise of eligibility.

Source: https://xprize.devpost.com/ and https://xprize.devpost.com/rules . Browser reads November 7, 2026, 18:55:53 to 18:56:33 UTC; rules time 18:56:04 UTC.

Reporting period: [Start and end, including time zone.]
Currency and conversion basis: [Currency, conversion source and date if relevant.]
Accounting basis: [Explain how recorded revenue differs from collected cash.]
Reviewer: [Role.] Reconciliation date: [Date.]

| Month | Independent customer revenue | Related-party revenue | Cash collected | Unpaid invoices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Month] | [Amount] | [Amount] | [Amount] | [Amount] |
| [Month] | [Amount] | [Amount] | [Amount] | [Amount] |

| Month | Total expenses | Marketing/acquisition included | Refunds and fees | Owner labor hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Month] | [Amount] | [Amount, including zero] | [Separate each] | [Hours] |
| [Month] | [Amount] | [Amount, including zero] | [Separate each] | [Hours] |

Do not add the marketing column to expenses if it is already included. Separate a campaign budget, committed spending and actual charges. Attribute campaign sales only using a stated method and period. Record unpaid founder labor even when it is not a cash expense.

Private receipt record:

```text
Transaction reference: [Private reference]
Period and currency: [Values]
Customer relationship: [Independent / family / team / related entity / existing customer]
Product or service delivered: [Scope]
Contract value: [Amount]
Invoice amount and date: [Values]
Cash collected and date: [Values]
Refunds, fees and taxes: [Separate values]
Revenue basis used: [Explain]
Evidence reconciled: [Invoice / processor export / bank record / delivery acceptance]
Discrepancy and resolution: [Explanation]
Reviewer and date: [Role, date]
```

For competition reporting, check how that competition defines related parties. XPRIZE included pre-existing customer relationships in its separate disclosure; do not silently replace that rule with your normal accounting definition.

For a marketplace, separate money passing to providers from the platform's own fee revenue. For a nonprofit, separate service fees, training sponsorships, donations and grants. Keep prize money in a separate category from customer sales. A transaction between your own wallets is a demonstration.

User evidence:

- Registered users: [Count and definition.]
- Active users: [Count, activity definition and time window.]
- Independent paying customers: [Count, deduplicated.]
- Related-party customers: [Count and relationship categories.]
- Trials and unpaid pilots: [Separate counts.]
- Repeat customers: [Count and repeat definition.]
- Testimonials: [Exact approved wording, permission date, approved audience and withdrawal contact.]
- Product evidence: [Dated demonstration, execution log summary, delivery records and failures.]

Keep customer documents and raw financial records private. Get consent for feedback and for any customer information a competition requests. Prepare a redacted summary for public sharing.

## Weekly metrics sheet

| Metric | This week | Previous week | Definition or source | Next decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualified customer conversations | [Count] | [Count] | [What qualifies] | [Action] |
| Paid pilots agreed | [Count] | [Count] | [Approved scopes] | [Action] |
| Independent customers who paid | [Count] | [Count] | [Processor records] | [Action] |
| Collected cash | [Amount] | [Amount] | [Reconciled receipts] | [Action] |
| Revenue on stated basis | [Amount] | [Amount] | [Basis above] | [Action] |
| Refunds | [Amount] | [Amount] | [Reasons] | [Action] |
| Expenses | [Amount] | [Amount] | [Include provider costs] | [Action] |
| Marketing spend | [Amount or zero] | [Amount] | [Already in expenses?] | [Action] |
| Repeat customers | [Count] | [Count] | [Definition] | [Action] |
| Failed deliveries | [Count] | [Count] | [Fixed failure rule] | [Action] |
| Human review and support | [Hours] | [Hours] | [Time record] | [Action] |
| Mission outcome, if relevant | [Measure] | [Measure] | [Consent and method] | [Action] |

Weekly owner note: [What did customers pay for? What failed? What changes next week? What will you stop?]

Done when: a reviewer can reconcile the figures, explain differences between periods and name the next decision. A visitor count alone cannot establish a paying customer.

## Hackathon rules checklist

- [ ] Save the official rules URL, read date, deadline and time zone.
- [ ] Check age, country, organization size and team eligibility.
- [ ] Separate permission to use an existing legal entity from permission to submit an existing project.
- [ ] Check the allowed development period and how pre-existing work must be disclosed.
- [ ] Record required platforms, models, APIs, working demonstrations and video limits.
- [ ] Check who owns the submission and what license or publicity permission the organizer receives.
- [ ] Check whether the code must be public, privately shared with judges, or open source. These are different requirements.
- [ ] Read actual licenses for every borrowed dependency, asset and dataset. Record the license identifier and required notices.
- [ ] Do not assume a public repository permits copying. Where permission is absent, ask before copying and keep research at the idea level.
- [ ] Record revenue evidence, expense disclosure and related-party rules.
- [ ] Confirm what customer consent is needed for testimonials or private judging evidence.
- [ ] Read prize verification, exclusions, conflicts, required paperwork and payment conditions.
- [ ] Check whether store publication, billing and support require a separate review.
- [ ] Assign a person to each requirement and obtain qualified advice where the terms need it.

XPRIZE example: organizations with fewer than 25 employees could enter, but projects had to be newly created during the submission period. An existing business could not assume its existing product qualified. Check the FAQ and rules together:
https://xprize.devpost.com/details/faq (browser recheck November 7, 2026, 19:04:00 UTC)
https://xprize.devpost.com/rules

Devpost's guidance for writing rules identifies eligibility, project requirements and other conditions that entrants should inspect: https://help.devpost.com/article/140-creating-hackathon-rules . Read November 7, 2026, 19:04:54 UTC.

## Devpost project-scouting worksheet

Start at https://devpost.com/software and https://devpost.com/hackathons . Browse winners by sponsor and theme. Open and upcoming status with the Machine Learning/AI theme narrows the events. The structured listing at https://devpost.com/api/hackathons supported those filters in the November 7 browser review at 18:50:39 UTC. Check current event rules rather than treating that snapshot as a schedule.

```text
Project and public URL: [Values]
Competition, sponsor and rules URL: [Values]
Read date and UTC time: [Values]
Customer problem: [One sentence]
User, beneficiary and payer: [Separate roles]
Offer and payment route: [What is sold and how payment is recorded]
Evidence tier: [A / B / C / D]
Exact revenue basis and period: [Amount, currency, gross/net, cash/invoice]
Related-party revenue: [Separate amount or unknown]
Expenses and marketing: [Amounts or unknown]
What the agent does: [Bounded tasks]
What a person approves: [Specific decisions]
Fixed checks and failure behavior: [Evidence]
Current product page checked: [URL, time, result]
Current purchase availability: [Confirmed / paused / not verified]
Code license: [Actual license URL and identifier, or not reviewed]
One idea to adapt: [Independent design, not copied implementation]
Unknowns: [What the source does not establish]
Next action and owner: [Values]
```

## Featured evidence table

A = team-reported revenue or paying customers in an XPRIZE write-up requiring financial evidence. B = current paid offer or sales page confirmed, without audited receipts. C = commercial model or product-use account without adequate payment evidence in this review. D = explicit absence of outside customer revenue. Historical tier A does not establish current availability. All times below are UTC on November 7, 2026.

| Project | Tier | Financial evidence and limitation | Public product read |
|---|---|---|---|
| ActinGym | A | Team reports $8,149 independent revenue and 133 paying customers; browser recheck 19:01:04 | App Store, 18:59:52 |
| Spoken Letter | A | $252.23 revenue, $305.38 expenses; $600 campaign has no reconciled spend breakdown here | Product page, 18:59:52 |
| NoBanks Nearby | A | $259.13 after fees from four strangers; another $100 sale separate; related-party zero | Repository, 18:59:52; checkout not checked |
| Ten Minutes Wiser | A, historical | $42 total, including $5 related-party; $37 from 29 independent customers | Rendered page, 19:01:01; purchases, registrations and new content paused |
| Pantry Insight | A | $2,500 contract; $1,500 collected; balance invoiced | Sales page, 18:59:52 |
| TRAMA AI | A | Paying textile customer reported; amount undisclosed | Product page, 18:59:52 |
| Enamel | C | Founder-clinic use, customers mentioned, no subscription; no financial total verified | Sample-data demo rendered, 19:01:05 |
| LaunchBridge | B | Live sales offer; no financial total verified | Sales page, 18:59:52 |
| Ability Bazaar | A | Nine transactions, $7,596: $2,296 services and $5,300 training sponsorship; related-party zero; rechecked 19:01:04 | Sales page, 18:59:52; assistant demo uses test money |
| Polyfork | A | First sale August 1 and weekly revenue since in write-up; no amount given | Catalog, 18:59:53; plans, 19:01:02 |
| C2x | A | Paying customer reported; MOU separately described; amount undisclosed | Product page, 19:00:26 |
| MyFixam | B | Live commercial service; real-money-operation claim does not establish platform revenue | App page 18:59:53; homepage 19:17:05 |
| MergeGate | D | Team says no customers or third-party revenue; settlements shown are on a demonstration task | Demo page, 19:00:26 |

The original competition accounts were read in the 18:55:53 to 18:56:33 browser window. Financial evidence submitted to judges is private and was not reviewed. No transactions were tested. MyFixam's current site (read 19:17:05) releases payment on confirmation or automatically after five days and makes artisan verification optional; do not generalize the competition's simplified hold-until-completion description.

Additional routes:

| Project | Tier or status | Evidence | Read time |
|---|---|---|---|
| SalesShortcut | B; separate interview claim | Founder reports 7 subscriptions and $1,600 monthly recurring revenue in a Devpost interview, outside XPRIZE; current paid plans | Interview 19:16:41; own site 19:01:02 |
| Class Diagrams for Bitbucket | C for current evidence | Historical integration address now redirects to Lucid's general marketplace; no separate sales total | Browser recheck 19:03:50; current support unverified |
| MixPose | C | Launch in historical account; current instructor page; paid plan unverified | 19:00:07 |
| Smart Voicenotes | C for current evidence | Historical first-prize entry planned as an add-on to EveryWord's product; domain shows disconnected-site placeholder | Historical account 18:55:25; domain browser recheck 19:03:56 |
| STEPN | B, sales page only; historical press claim separate | Site links to marketplace; inventory untested; historical company-reported Q2 2022 profit, not current revenue | Own site 19:00:07; Decrypt 19:01:22 |
| Genopets | B | Current App Store in-app purchases; company revenue unknown | Game and App Store 19:01:22 |

Crypto and token prices, liquidity and custody introduce risks different from ordinary service billing. Likes, funding, transaction volume and prize money are different measures from customer revenue.

## Sources and public product links

Competition and financial narratives, browser read November 7, 2026, 18:55:53 to 18:56:33 UTC unless noted above:

- https://xprize.devpost.com/
- https://xprize.devpost.com/rules
- https://xprize.devpost.com/project-gallery
- https://devpost.com/software/actingym
- https://devpost.com/software/spoken-letter
- https://devpost.com/software/nobanks-nearby-art-by-a-human-business-by-ai
- https://devpost.com/software/ten-minutes-wiser
- https://devpost.com/software/pantry-insight
- https://devpost.com/software/trama-ai-corp
- https://devpost.com/software/enamel
- https://devpost.com/software/launchbridge
- https://devpost.com/software/abilitybazaar-talent-with-disabilities-apps-without-barriers
- https://devpost.com/software/polyfork
- https://devpost.com/software/c2x
- https://devpost.com/software/fixam
- https://devpost.com/software/mergegate

Product links, with individual read times in the featured table:

- https://apps.apple.com/il/app/actingym-nail-the-audition/id6765903390
- https://spokenletter.com/
- https://github.com/NoBanks/nobanks-ai-listing-engine
- https://tenminuteswiser.com/
- https://pantryinsight.com/
- https://www.tramai.io/
- https://enamel-demo.onrender.com/
- https://launchbridge.ai/
- https://www.abilitybazaar.com/
- https://polyfork.dev/try
- https://polyfork.dev/pricing
- https://www.c2x.studio/
- https://myfixam.com/get
- https://myfixam.com/
- https://mergegate.dev/

Follow-up businesses and earlier projects, read times in the additional-routes table:

- https://info.devpost.com/blog/hackathon-winning-project-salesshortcut
- https://salesshortcut.ai/
- https://devpost.com/software/class-diagrams-for-bitbucket-u7fsp0
- https://www.lucidchart.com/pages/bitbucket-integration
- https://mixpose.com/
- https://devpost.com/software/mixpose-for-yoga-fitness-smb
- https://devpost.com/software/everyword-voicenote-analysis
- https://geteveryword.com/
- https://www.stepn.com/
- https://decrypt.co/104955/move-to-earn-game-stepn-renews-token-burn-amid-ethereum-expansion
- https://www.genopets.me/game
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/genopets-move-play-create/id1603131221

Platform selling documentation, all directly read November 7, 2026, 19:00:07 UTC. App type determines available billing options. No vendor prices or platform fee figures are reproduced.

- https://developer.atlassian.com/platform/marketplace/pricing-payment-and-billing/
- https://developers.meta.com/vr/resources/subscriptions/
- https://developer.amazon.com/apps-and-games/services-and-apis/monetization

License-safe borrowing companion: https://jwatte.com/blog/claude-code-codex-projects-2026-what-to-borrow/

This kit does not grant reuse rights for featured projects. It is informational planning material, not legal or accounting advice. Mentions of third parties imply no affiliation or endorsement.