30 Hackathon Business Business Ideas You Can Start Today [2024]

Updated: July 23rd, 2023

Interested in starting a hackathon business business in 2024?

We put together 30 of the best hackathon business businesses you can start in today.

For each business idea, we’ll show you real-world examples of other hackathon business businesses to help you see what it really takes.

Here's the full list:

1. Start an automated web browser business

Browser automation is performing web browser operations automatically to achieve speed and efficiency levels that would not be possible through human intervention. With websites getting more complex, developers are turning to web automation tools to speed up operations.

As demand for web automation continues growing, starting a web automation tool can be a profitable venture.

How much you can make: $50,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $50 (?)

How I Built An Automation Tool For Developers And Grew It To $28K/Month

One-person SaaS business browserless allows users to automate tasks with a web browser, generating about $28,000 in sales for the month of September, and gained traction through blogging and supporting customers one-on-one.

About
Joel started Browserless over 6 years ago
Revenue
Joel grew the business to $50K/month
Costs
It cost Joel $500 to start the business
Read by 7,708 founders

2. Start a career coaching business

A career coaching business involves providing personalized guidance, support, and strategy services to help clients navigate professional transitions and growth opportunities.

As a career coach, you design custom sessions to assist with resume building, interview prep, and workplace advancement goals tailored to each client’s aspirations.

With flexibility for in-person or virtual meetings, building a client base lets you empower breakthroughs through specialized advice and accountability.

Launching a coaching practice can be a great opportunity for those with speaking talents and human resources expertise to monetize their natural motivational abilities while setting their own schedule.

How much you can make: $1,000 — $500,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $750 (?)

How long does it take to build: 75 days (?)

From Getting Fired At 24 To Growing A $140K/Month Online Community

Wall Street Oasis, the largest online community focused on careers in finance, has over 100 million visitors during its 14-year history and is currently receiving over 2 million visits per month, offering interview courses and mentorship services, in addition to building and investing in a thriving online community.

About
Patrick started Wall Street Oasis almost 18 years ago
Revenue
Patrick grew the business to $200K/month
Read by 21,106 founders

3. Start a learning experience app business

How much you can make: $40,000 — $475,000/month

How We Developed A $40K/Month Game-Based Learning Platform

Games for Business created a game-based learning platform for multinational organizations that doubled its revenue in the first three years and was recently acquired after landing deals on three continents.

About
Balázs started Games for Business over 8 years ago
Revenue
Balázs grew the business to $40K/month
Costs
It cost Balázs $150000 to start the business
Read by 3,888 founders

4. Start a truly predictive keyboard business

5. Start an assignment organizing app business

6. Start a vehicle maintenance business

7. Start a medical & emergency communication system business

8. Start a health technology system business in rural areas

Examples of a successful health technology system business in rural areas:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a health technology system business in rural areas:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a health technology system business in rural areas ➜

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Check also our other tech startup business ideas.

9. Start a digital shopping performance business

How much you can make: $3,000,000/month

How I Started A $3M/Month Custom Printed Apparel Company

National custom printing apparel and promotional products provider, Underground Printing, shares their start-up success story which has led them to be ranked amongst Inc. Magazine’s 5000 fastest-growing companies for three years running, with a customer-centric business model driving strong word-of-mouth promotion.

About
Rishi started Underground Printing over 23 years ago
Revenue
Rishi grew the business to $3M/month
Read by 8,662 founders

10. Start a pedestrian safety prototype business

11. Start a credit score calculation business

12. Start a remote patient examination business

13. Start a GPS monitoring business

How much you can make: $25,000 — $500,000/month

How We Grew Our Time Tracking App To 10,000 Paying Customers

Hubstaff grew its time tracking app to 10,000 paying customers and $6 million in annual recurring revenue by solving a real problem in the market without any big incumbents, using SEO tactics and a differentiated product with proof of work features that answered the need for owners and managers to know how long development tasks should take, manage back-office tasks, and track remote team or freelancers' work.

About
Jared started Hubstaff over 10 years ago
Revenue
Jared grew the business to $500K/month
Read by 6,401 founders

14. Start an university finder app business

16. Start a drone mapping and industrial business

A drone mapping and industrial business involve using drones to gather data and create maps for various industrial purposes. This can include surveying construction sites, inspecting pipelines, mapping the land for development, and more.

To run a successful business in this field, it is essential to understand the latest drone technology and software thoroughly. Being well-versed in the relevant regulations and laws related to drone usage in your area is also crucial.

Additionally, it is important to build a strong network of clients and partners in the industrial sector. This could include construction companies, oil and gas firms, and government agencies. Marketing your services and building a strong online presence can also help attract new clients.

Finally, it is essential to prioritize safety and professionalism in all of your operations. This includes having proper insurance and ensuring that your drones are well-maintained and operated by trained professionals.

Overall, drone mapping and industrial business can be lucrative opportunities for entrepreneurs using cutting-edge technology to solve real-world problems. With a focus on staying up-to-date with the latest technology, building strong relationships with clients, and prioritizing safety and professionalism, this can be a rewarding and successful business to pursue.

How much does it cost to start: $200 (?)

How long does it take to build: 59 days (?)

17. Start a real estate AR/VR app business

18. Start a vr hardware repairs business

19. Start a themed content business

How much you can make: $40,000/month

How I Started A $30K/Month Personal Branding Content Service For B2B CEOs

Influence Podium CEO Marti Sanchez started his content service for B2B CEOs three years ago, which now helps get CEOs of companies on podcasts and repurposes those episodes. They have crossed $30k MRR and their next goal is to hit seven figures by the end of the year, while completely self-funded.

About
Marti started Influence Podium over 4 years ago
Revenue
Marti grew the business to $40K/month
Costs
It cost Marti $100 to start the business
Read by 4,488 founders

20. Start a subscription management business

How much you can make: $83,000/month

Josh Pigford, Founder of Baremetrics

Baremetrics, a subscription analysis platform, started as a side project by founder Josh Pigford, generating over $1 million in revenue annually, with close to $27,000 in recurring monthly revenue and 280-300 users within one year of operating, and was sold for $4 million in November 2020.

Revenue
Josh grew the business to $83K/month
Read by 545 founders

21. Start a data processing business

How much you can make: $2,000 — $1,000,000/month

How I Bootstrapped A $264K/Year Data Scrapping API [From India]

Scrapingdog, a web scraping API founded in India by Manthan Koolwal, is making $22k per month and has increased its paid customer base by 15-18% every month, focusing on SEO and quality backlinks to attract customers and achieve a 99% success rate in web scraping.

About
Manthan started Scrapingdog about 4 years ago
Revenue
Manthan grew the business to $22K/month
Costs
It cost Manthan $300 to start the business
Read by 3,568 founders

22. Start a home automation devices business

As digital technology continues to evolve, we are entering an era of "smart homes." What if you could offer innovative solutions to transform ordinary homes into automated systems? Introducing a business engrained in the home automation devices industry.

The concept is straightforward. This business involves selling and installing devices that can control various aspects of a home remotely or through AI. This could include anything from smart lighting and security systems to automated heating and cooling devices.

With constant advancements in technology, the prospect for growth in this sector is high. Not only does this business idea benefit from current market trends, but it also offers immense scalability and diversification potential. Imagine a future where you broaden your horizons to provide personalized, integrated systems for transforming ordinary homes into smart homes.

Delving into a home automation devices business positions you as more than a proprietor - you become a facilitator of ensuring comfort, convenience, and security, one smart home at a time.

23. Start a cash flow management business

24. Sell luxury smartphones and tablets

Luxury smartphones and tablets feature a highly unique array of capabilities and services. The luxurious brands are beyond the distinctive features and futuristic technology, with some running on kinetic energy and made from expensive metals.

25. Start an advertising insights app business

How much you can make: $10,000/month

How These Former Resellers Built A $120K/Year Tool To Combat Bots

Yofi co-founders Jordan Shamir and Alex helped some of the largest brands in the world fight against resale bots, leading to the development of their customer identity platform that has stopped 51 million bot checkouts and acquired hundreds of new customers per month.

About
Jordan started Yofi about 2 years ago
Revenue
Jordan grew the business to $10K/month
Read by 2,005 founders

26. Start a smart tutoring app business

27. Start a referral app business

How much you can make: $100,000/month

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

How We Developed A $25K/Month Referral Software For Tech Startups

Co-founders of B2B SaaS startup GrowSurf, Derek and Kevin, developed a referral software for tech startups that has brought in around $25k MRR with a 6% monthly growth rate, overcoming generic messaging and a compromised product that wasn't a good fit for anyone.

About
Kevin started GrowSurf over 6 years ago
Revenue
Kevin grew the business to $100K/month
Read by 7,139 founders

28. Start a parking space finder app business

How much you can make: $100,000/month

How I Started A $1.2M/Year Business With Tools Like Typeform & Zapier

Learn how the Co-Founder and CEO of NOSON grew their business to $1.2M in revenue in 27 markets using tools like Typeform, Zapier and Google for only $300 a month, and their advice for entrepreneurs just starting out.

About
Patrick started On Air Parking about 8 years ago
Revenue
Patrick grew the business to $100K/month
Read by 6,212 founders

29. Start a qr code business

How much you can make: $110 — $300,000/month

How I Launched A Side Project & Got Paying Customers In Just One Month

Hovercode is a dynamic QR code generator for brands that focuses on round QR codes as its differentiator and is generating around $150 MRR with 5k unique visits per day.

About
Ramy started Hovercode over 2 years ago
Revenue
Ramy grew the business to $110/month
Costs
It cost Ramy $100 to start the business
Read by 2,538 founders

30. Start a course finder app business

How much you can make: $5,000 — $3,735,000/month

Graduating and Raising $15,000 for a New Clothing Brand

This case study highlights how a men's apparel company founded by Paul in California successfully raised $15,000 through Kickstarter.

Revenue
They grew the business to $5K/month
Read by 1,091 founders

meet the author
Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.