After running and participating in dozens of hackathons and feeling the pain of organizing them firsthand, we dedicated ourselves to creating the platform we wish we had.
Built by organizers, for organizers.
To empower hackathon organizers to focus on impact by replacing fragmented systems with a purpose-built platform.
To make every hackathon inspiring to run and unforgettable to participate in, empowering organizers worldwide.
Founder
Alexandre is a software engineer with over a decade of experience who organized five hackathons, each requiring custom spreadsheets and late nights wrestling with logistics. The exhaustion of managing registrations, submissions, and voting through disconnected tools was stealing time from what really mattered: being present with people and making the event memorable.
The turning point came in early 2025 when judging at a university hackathon. Despite using paid software, organizers spent weeks fighting the system with workarounds at every turn. That's when it clicked. These 'solutions' weren't built for the people actually running events: they were built to check boxes, not solve real problems.
Having experienced every angle as organizer, participant in Google's 45,000-developer competition, and judge, Alexandre brings a unique perspective to HackHQ. He's building the platform he wished he had: one that lets organizers focus on innovation instead of drowning in spreadsheets. His mission is simple: give organizers their time back, because the best hackathon moments aren't found in formula cells but in watching teams bring ideas to life.
From hackathon organizer to building the future of hackathon management
Organized 5 company hackathons with 100+ projects, each one teaching me something new about event logistics. Built custom spreadsheets to link Google Forms submissions, track last-minute Slack changes, and keep everything running smoothly. The events were incredible, but the manual admin work was overwhelming.
Participated in Google's Gemini API Developer Competition with 45,500 developers and 3,100 projects. The massive scale revealed how even well-resourced workspaces struggle with hackathon logistics. Coordinating thousands of submissions and judges is genuinely hard, no matter your resources.
Served as a judge at a university hackathon using existing paid software. Watched organizers spend weeks wrestling with an inflexible system to manage 75+ projects and 20+ judges, dealing with workarounds and manual processes at every turn. Even dedicated hackathon tools weren't solving the real problems organizers face.
Started developing HackHQ based on years of firsthand experience. Not another generic event platform, but something purpose-built for the specific workflows hackathon organizers actually use: unified data management, flexible judge access, and real-time collaboration.
HackHQ is live, actively powering events with early organizers who can now focus on impact, not logistics. We're iterating rapidly based on real event feedback and expanding to new institutions. Our mission remains simple: let you lead innovation while we handle the complexity. Because the magic of hackathons isn't in the spreadsheets—it's in the moments when great ideas come to life.
We believe better tools create better hackathons.
HackHQ handles the complexity, so you can focus on impact.