Maximally SaaS Sprint is a 7-day, execution-first build sprint designed for serious builders.
This is not a beginner-friendly hackathon.
This is not an ideathon.
This is not a place for half-finished demos or slideware.
This is where builders prove they can ship under pressure.
From April 1 to April 7, participants will receive judge-led problem statements and be challenged to build, deploy, and demonstrate a real SaaS product within a strict timeline. Every team is expected to ship something usable, live, and grounded in a real-world use case.
The sprint is builder-first and open to those who can execute -- students, indie hackers, early founders, and working professionals. Titles do not matter. Output does.
By the end of the sprint, teams should walk away with a SaaS product they are genuinely proud of -- one that can realistically be continued and evolved beyond the sprint.
Maximally SaaS Sprint is intentionally intense. There are no mentors, no hand-holding, and no room for excuses. The focus is execution, decision-making, and shipping under real constraints.
This sprint is supported by Open Source Connect, our Open Source Ecosystem Partner. Open Source Connect is a global developer community fostering collaboration among builders, contributors, and technology leaders. Through its distributed network and community initiatives, OSC strengthens open-source participation and supports high-quality, project-driven innovation across ecosystems.
If you are ready to build with urgency, clarity, and accountability, this sprint is for you.
Requirements
All submissions must meet the following requirements. Failure to meet any of these may result in disqualification.
Mandatory Requirements- A deployed, live SaaS product that can be accessed by judges
- A clear real-world use case and target user
- A working end-to-end flow that demonstrates core functionality
- A demo video explaining the product and showing it in action
- Demo video is mandatory for all teams
- Length should be concise and focused
- The video must clearly show:
- What problem is being solved
- How the product works
- The deployed product in action
- No-code and low-code tools are fully allowed
- AI usage is fully allowed
- Judging is based on outcomes and execution quality, not on tool purity
- Projects must be built during the hackathon window
For finalists:
- Top 10 teams will be invited to the live finals
- Finalists must deliver:
- A live product demo
- A founder-style verbal pitch
- A light pitch deck to support the discussion
Prizes
Grand Prize -- Best Shipped SaaS
₹10,000 cash + 2 year Code Crafters VIP membership(worth $720) + Featherless Scale plan (worth $300) + Interview Cake access (worth $50) + $25 AoPS credits,
Runner Up -- Strongest Product Thinking
₹5000 cash + 1-year Code Crafters VIP membership (worth $360) + Featherless Scale plan(worth $150)+ Interview cake access(access worth $50) + $25 in AoPS credits
Third Place -- Exceptional Execution Under Constraints
₹3000 in cash + 6 months Code Crafters VIP membership(worth $240) + featherless scale plan (worth $75) + Interview cake access(access worth $50) + $25 in AoPS credits
Best Solo Builder
Awarded to the strongest submission built by a solo participant. This prize recognizes end-to-end ownership, independent execution, and the ability to design, build, deploy, and demonstrate a complete SaaS product without team support.
Best Technical Execution
Awarded to the project that demonstrates exceptional technical execution. This includes system reliability, clean architecture, sensible tooling choices, and a product that works consistently under real usage scenarios.
Best Problem–Solution Fit
Awarded to the team that best identified a real problem and delivered a focused, practical SaaS solution. This prize recognizes clarity of problem definition, relevance of the solution, and how directly the product addresses user needs.
AoPS access
Top 4 winners will receive credits from AoPS(Art of Problem Solving), $25 each
Interview Cake Access
Top 50 projects will receive access to Interview Cake worth $50
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Looking for Judges!
want to be a judge? email judges@maximally.in
Chetan Dalal
Co-Founder @ Weekday (YC W21)
Sriharsha Makineni
Senior Business Engineer @ Meta
Mihai Berbec
Senior Software Engineer at Zopa Bank
Eeshan Agarwal
Staff Software Engineer at Vanta
Yuelin Ou
Data Engineer @ INTO University Partnerships
Judging Criteria
-
Execution and Completeness
Evaluates whether a real SaaS was shipped end-to-end within the sprint. The product must be deployed, accessible, and functional. Incomplete, theoretical, or non-deployed projects will score poorly regardless of effort or intent. -
Problem–Solution Fit
Assesses how clearly the problem is defined and how effectively the product solves it. Judges look for relevance, focus, and usefulness for a real target user rather than broad or abstract ideas. -
Product Thinking and Scope Decisions
Evaluates how well the team scoped the product under pressure. Judges assess prioritization, tradeoffs, and decision-making quality, including what the team intentionally chose not to build. -
Technical Soundness
Assesses the reliability and robustness of the technical implementation. Judges consider system stability, architecture, and sensible tooling choices. Tools and AI are judged on outcomes, not ideology. -
Clarity of Demo and Communication
Evaluates how clearly the product and its value are communicated. Judges assess the demo video and submission for structure, clarity, and effectiveness, with emphasis on showing the product in action. -
Founder-Level Depth and Continuation Potential
Assesses whether the team demonstrates strong ownership, depth of understanding, and realistic potential to continue the product post-hackathon. Focus is on clarity of thinking, not polished pitching.
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
Invite others to compete
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