Day 8 - One step back, three steps forward

Hackathon Detour (Day 2)

Yesterday was Day 2 of the hackathon and our team won! This is the first time I’ve won a hackathon after having joined about 10 to 15 different Hackathon’s throughout the past year.

I usually work on my own ideas but this hackathon was different - we were put into a team and given an idea to work on. We each won ¥10,000 gift card and acceptance into an accelerated program. The accelerated program is online but you get exposed to different mentors and get access to some in-person events.

At the Hackathon I met one of the judges who was a nice guy that seemed to really care about the project that I’m working on. I was talking to him about the value of the Hackathon in relation to the business I am building. The experience is like one step back and (maybe) three steps forward. You build relationships that might help out in the long run. Winning the hackathon, getting exposure to new people, and getting accepted into an accelerator definitely feels like a ‘three steps forward' situation.

The experience solidified an idea that I had written about earlier - that I feel like being in Tokyo will be one of the best decisions I made for my future.

Back to building

Now that the hackathon is over, I can focus completely on my idea.

This morning I spent the time meeting with the colleague I had met at a python event last week. He however wants me to pay him for some project work and I’m just not in a position to be paying people, so I really have to prioritize what I can give him.

These situations make me question the value of meeting up people who show interest in wanting to work together. I loved the conversation I had with this person and I actually see him as someone who could replace me. He’s an all-rounder that sees the vision. But yeah, he wants some money and while I can pay for 1-2 projects, I cannot sustain him in the long term.

I will move forward with the project with him however, and pay him, but maybe if I had known before what he wanted, I am not sure if I would have spent the time with him this morning. My experience this morning feels again like a ‘one step back, three steps forward’ situation. We see how it plays out.

But maybe next time, before I agree to a meet up like today, I ask up front what their short term and long term incentives are.

But ok, now I am back home and will continue building my knowledge graph. I’ve fleshed out three different goal storylines but I think I actually need five of each domain so I can really test out a recommender system. I think it will take me a few days but I can taste the finish line with this knowledge graph and I am excited.