Collabathon

Format creator and program lead · Helios, 2024

The Collabathon brought a selected team together for ten days to solve one real product problem. By the end, they had launched a working product on two networks.

How to launch anything in 10 days

Helios operated on two blockchain networks but had no way to recognize a customer using its services on both. To reward those customers, it needed a way for them to link their wallets to one identity.

I proposed a collaborative hackathon: bring people from different technology communities together, give them the problem, and provide the time, place and support to work on it. The team would have ten days, a house, and access to partners who could help. There was a brief to answer, with room to improve on it.

Finding the people

Opening applications through our partner networks gave us a chance to find people we might otherwise have missed. Travel and accommodation were covered, and participants received a stipend.

More than thirty people applied. We interviewed sixteen for eight available places and ended up with a team of nine. Their backgrounds included software development, journalism, nonprofit entrepreneurship and the space industry.

The technical standard was high. In the final decisions, we looked for people who shared an interest in the problem and wanted to work with others on it. A surprising number of our selections became “personality hires.”

Living with the problem

The group came together on the Costa Brava in September 2024. Development, creative, content and social work happened alongside one another. Morning objectives and evening reflection gave the days a rhythm; the working hours in between were largely for the team to organize.

Eight partner organizations contributed across five technology ecosystems. Food, space and the working environment mattered too. This was ten days of living together, and the conversations continued when the laptops closed.

I created the format and led the program, working with Helios and the partners on the people, brief and delivery. The participating builders designed and implemented the product.

What shipped

The target was a working version on test networks by the end of the program. On day ten, the team launched Helios Connect on the live MultiversX and Injective networks. It let people establish a verified identity across both.

The program also offered a concentrated view of how people worked together: how they made decisions, contributed to each other’s work and responded when the plan changed. That made team fit an interesting second use for the format.