Reflecting on Two Hackathons AgriLease & Nexpay – One Journey, Two Stories
Reflecting on Two Hackathons: AgriLease & Nexpay – One Journey, Two Stories
What a whirlwind the past few weeks have been. It still feels surreal that I led not just one—but two—hackathon teams back-to-back, juggling team coordination, pitching, live demos, bug fixes, and even some upcoming tests in between. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look into my journey as team lead for AgriLease and Nexpay, two very different projects that challenged me in unexpected ways.
One Form, Two Hackathons?
It all started when the hackathon registration forms came out around the same time. My team and I initially thought it was one hackathon with multiple themes. So, I quickly registered for the AgriHack Climate Hackathon and came up with an idea that had been on my mind for some time—an on-demand farm equipment rental platform.
We called it AgriLease. The goal was simple: to help smallholder farmers access machinery like tractors, plows, and harvesters without needing to own them. Farmers could book equipment via mobile app, USSD, or even WhatsApp. This would bring mechanization to their fingertips—especially in rural areas where it’s needed most.
I was just about to write a proposal to send to my friends and ask them to join the team when my friend Tapiwa asked me:
"Did you register for the Fintech Hackathon too?"
I blinked. Wait—there's another one?
Surprise Fintech Hackathon – Nexpay Was Born
Turns out there were two separate hackathons. I had missed the Fintech Hackathon’s deadline by a day, but by some stroke of luck, our late registration was accepted. That’s when Nexpay came to life.
The theme? Digital financial solutions.
The prize? Real money — $1000, $500, and $300 for the top 3.
Me, Tapiwa, and Tino formed the team. None of us had ever built a mobile app before. We were ReactJS folks—web development was our zone. But this time, we jumped headfirst into React Native, eager to learn and determined to deliver.
And let me tell you… it wasn’t smooth.
Sleepless Nights, Bugs & Breakthroughs
We coded for hours. Days blurred into nights, and our biggest enemy wasn’t just sleep—it was bugs.
One night, our QR code feature worked great… until we tried to encrypt it. Suddenly, the scanner just gave up. I remember Tapiwa waking me up the next morning, saying:
“Courtney, it’s not working anymore…”
Panic mode.
We were just about to pitch—at 9 AM—and everything was falling apart. We pleaded with the MC to let us go last so we could troubleshoot. Thanks to Git, we reverted the changes and restored the working version with NFC and QR functionality intact.
That live demo was everything to us. Our hands were shaking during the pitch. We had no clue whether we nailed it or not.
But then…
We were announced as the winners. 🥇
We literally screamed, laughed, celebrated, and then slept like babies.
📌 Tapiwa's LinkedIn post
📌Tino's LinkedIn Post
📌 The School's official post
Meanwhile, in AgriHack Land…
While Nexpay was all about code, AgriLease was more about the vision.
Because there was no prize money for AgriHack, we prioritized Nexpay first.
For AgriLease, we focused on a strong pitch deck. We built no MVP, no prototype—just a well-polished idea with realistic impact. My team for this one grew to five members: myself, Tapiwa, Tino, Leopold, and Tanaka.
Despite juggling both hackathons simultaneously, we still managed to bag 3rd place with AgriLease. That felt like a win in itself.
Lessons, Growth & Gratitude
Leading two teams back-to-back stretched every skill I had—from time management to communication, from design thinking to debugging under pressure.
There were moments I reached out to ChatGPT asking about how to make NFC work properly in React Native or how to set up the QR encryption. Those little bug-fixing sessions at 1 AM turned into moments of real growth.
What I’m most proud of, though, is not just the wins—but the journey itself. The people. The grind. The late-night laughter. The final-minute fixes. The way we showed up for each other.
To my teammates—Tino, Tapiwa, Leopold, and Tanaka—thank you for trusting me to lead. We did this together.
Final Thoughts
This hackathon experience was a reminder that with the right team, clear vision, and an eagerness to learn, you can build anything. Whether it's winning a Fintech competition or designing a platform for farmers, every line of code counted.
More than anything, this is only the beginning.
🧠 Stay curious. Build often. Reflect always.
Until next time,
Courtney Fradreck