Hackathons have a funny way of teaching you lessons that no tutorial, documentation page, or YouTube video ever could.
For the past few weeks, my team and I lived and breathed one project: DigiCow.
From day one, we had our eyes on the prize. But somewhere between the late nights, debugging sessions, architecture discussions, and countless cups of coffee, the goal quietly shifted. It stopped being just about winning—it became about building something we were genuinely proud of.
Together with Mercy Moraa, Taheera Mohamed, Nyaboke Grace, and Millicent Odhiambo, we started with nothing more than an idea and a challenge statement from the Kenya AI Challenge. Over the following weeks, that idea evolved into a fully functional AI-powered solution.
Like every software project, the journey was anything but smooth.
Every time we solved one problem, another one appeared waiting for us. APIs failed. Features had to be redesigned. We rewrote logic that we thought was already perfect. Some nights ended with more questions than answers.
But that's software engineering.
The Demo Day Lessons Nobody Talks About
One of the biggest lessons from the experience had nothing to do with AI or backend development.
It had everything to do with being prepared.
During the final presentations, two different teams encountered something that many student developers can relate to: their free-tier API credits ran out.
One team relied on a telephony API.
Another depended on ElevenLabs for voice generation.
Their applications had worked perfectly during development, but on presentation day, the services they depended on had exhausted their free credits. A feature that had been central to the demo suddenly wasn't available.
Watching that unfold reminded me that deploying software isn't only about writing code—it's also about managing the services your application depends on.
It sounds simple, but it's a lesson I'll never forget:
Always check your API quotas before an important presentation.
Whether you're using OpenAI, ElevenLabs, Twilio, Africa's Talking, Google Cloud, Firebase, or any other service with usage limits, make it part of your deployment checklist.
Because nothing is more painful than discovering you've run out of credits while standing in front of judges.
Teamwork Is Still the Greatest Technology
While we each had different strengths, nobody worked in isolation.
Ideas bounced around the room.
Problems became everyone's problems.
Victories became everyone's victories.
The best software isn't built by the smartest individual in the room. It's built by teams that communicate well, trust each other, and keep moving forward when things get difficult.
Looking back, that's what I'll remember most.
We Didn't Win—But We Didn't Lose Either
Like every team, we wanted to win.
We truly believed in our solution.
This time, another team came out on top, and they deserved every bit of it. Congratulations to all the winners.
But walking away without the trophy doesn't mean walking away empty-handed.
We left with something far more valuable:
- A real product we built from scratch.
- Experience working under pressure.
- Better technical skills.
- Stronger teamwork.
- New friendships.
- Lessons that will shape every project we build from here onward.
Those are things no certificate can measure.
My Biggest Takeaways
If I had to summarize the experience into a few lessons, they'd be these:
- Build for impact, not just for the judges.
- Test your application exactly as you'll demonstrate it.
- Check your API usage and free-tier limits before every presentation.
- Expect things to go wrong—and have a backup plan.
- Great software is built by great teams, not individuals.
- Winning is rewarding, but learning is priceless.
Final Thoughts
Standing on that stage and pitching DigiCow was one of the proudest moments of my journey as a developer.
Not because everything went perfectly.
But because I could look back and see just how far we'd come—from a blank page to a working product solving a real problem.
To my teammates—Mercy Moraa, Taheera Mohamed, Nyaboke Grace, and Millicent Odhiambo—thank you for believing in the vision and giving it everything you had.
To the organizers of the Kenya AI Challenge, thank you for creating an environment where young developers can build, learn, compete, and grow.
And to every developer preparing for their next hackathon:
Build boldly.
Test everything.
Check your API credits.
Then go tell your story.
Because sometimes, the most valuable thing you bring home isn't the trophy—it's the experience.
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