"
We raised $40k in our first event. Zero experience with outreach — they walked us through every single step.
Alex Chen
HackMIT Organizer
+
We help student
hackathons thrive
— at zero cost.
A student-founded non-profit that has helped hackathons raise over $2.7 million in sponsorships. Free branding, funding, and planning support.
Sponsors we've secured for students
Why us
Why HowToHackathon?
We've done this before — and we do it better than anyone.
OriginBerkeley-Founded
Berkeley-Founded
Success Story
Founded by a Berkeley student, HowToHackathon has grown into one of the largest student hackathon agencies in the world — with a proven track record of partnerships and events at scale.
Est. Berkeley, CA
Community
25,000+
Students worldwide building a network of tech innovators.
Impact
$2.7M+
In sponsorships secured for student-run events.
Our promise
$0
Thanks to generous donors, every service we offer is completely free. No catch. No hidden fees. No limits.
Free. Always.Testimonials
Our students' wins speak
louder than our claims.
"
Our hackathon looked completely world-class. Participants kept commenting on how polished everything was.
Priya Sharma
HackUCI Co-founder
"
Went from 50 participants to 400 in one year. Their event planning guidance was the difference-maker.
Marcus Williams
HackNC Director
"
They connected us with 12 sponsors we'd never have found ourselves. The packages they helped us build were genuinely impressive.
Sarah Kim
HackDuke Organizer
"
First-time organizers — completely overwhelmed. They held our hand through it and we pulled off a 300-person event.
Jordan Park
HackTech Lead
"
Actually free. We were skeptical. The support was better than paid consultants I've worked with professionally.
Divya Nair
HackPurdue Founder
"
Our sponsor deck conversion rate tripled after their rewrite. We landed companies we only dreamed of.
Tyler Reed
HackBrown Lead
"
What an incredible team. They genuinely care about student success — and it shows in every interaction.
Mei Zhang
HackGT Co-lead
"
We raised more in 6 weeks than in the entire previous year. The network they have access to is extraordinary.
Carlos Mendez
HackUtah Director
What we offerHow we'll
How we'll
help you.
Every service is completely free. We exist to remove the barriers that stop great hackathons from happening.
01
Sponsorship Acquisition
We connect your hackathon with our curated network of corporate sponsors and coach organizers on crafting packages that actually convert. Most teams see results within 3–4 weeks.
Outreach · Package design · Negotiation coaching
02
Branding & Marketing
From visual identity to social campaigns, our team builds brand systems that make your event look world-class — and ensures maximum participant turnout.
Identity systems · Copywriting · Social strategy
03
Event Planning Support
Logistics, scheduling, judging formats, participant experience — we've done it all before and share everything we know, so you can focus on building community.
Logistics · Programming · Participant experience
Free for every student organizer
Your next hackathon
starts here.
$2.7Mraised for students
25,000+student organizers
100%free, forever