Hey there! Let me tell you a wild story about how I went from team player to solo coder—and ended up with a shiny 4th-place win ($500 USD) at HackWestern 11 last month. Spoiler: it involved a lot of coffee, zero sleep, and a blockchain called Starknet. Ready? Let’s dive in!
The Big Idea
Picture this: I’m at HackWestern, surrounded by brilliant coders, and my team is buzzing with project ideas. We’re all hyped up, but I get this itch to try something on my own. Just for kicks, I set up Starknet—a super cool Layer 2 blockchain—on my laptop and start messing around with building a decentralized app (dApp). I had no clue this little side adventure was about to take over my life.
The plan? Build a crowdfunding platform from scratch using Starknet and Cairo smart contracts. Simple, right? Ha! More on that later.
Team? What Team?
Here’s the twist: my awesome teammates decided to pivot to a different project (which they totally crushed, by the way—congrats again, guys!). Meanwhile, I’m over here, glued to my screen, thinking, “You know what? I’m sticking with this.” So, I waved goodbye to teamwork and went full solo mode.
By the next day, I was in deep. I’d finished the frontend (the part users see) and was halfway through the backend smart contracts (the brain of the app). It was like I’d accidentally signed up for a coding marathon—and I was loving it.
The Cairo Challenge
Now, let’s talk about Cairo. It’s this new programming language for Starknet, and learning it was no walk in the park. Imagine trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube while riding a rollercoaster—that’s about how it felt. But I didn’t back down. I powered through tutorials, trial-and-error, and a whole lot of “Why isn’t this working?!” moments.
30 Hours, No Sleep, One Big Win
Fast forward 30 sleepless hours—yep, you read that right—I had a fully working crowdfunding platform. You could log in, fund projects, and watch it all happen on the blockchain. Boom! I submitted it to the “Best Use of Starknet” track, crossed my fingers, and… 4th place, baby! Not too shabby for a solo gig, huh?
Check out the project here if you’re curious: Crowdfunding Platform.
Shoutouts and Lessons
I couldn’t have done it without some amazing people. Big thanks to David Barreto for seeing my potential and even creating a new prize category—talk about a confidence boost! Huge props to John Edgar for cheering me on through every high and low. And of course, the HackWestern organizers deserve a round of applause for making the whole event so epic.
Here’s the fun takeaway: sometimes going solo shows you what you’re really capable of. I learned a ton about blockchain, pushed my limits, and walked away with a win—and some serious bragging rights.
So, next time you’re curious about something new, give it a shot. You might just surprise yourself!
What do you think—ever tried going solo on a big project? Let me know!