At the Next Level Challenge hackathon, this exact approach scored 80/100 and got singled out by judges for design and product thinking, a 4-person team using Claude to write most of the app, while we focused entirely on scoping, testing, and the pitch.This guide breaks that method into six practical chapters: Scoping a Winnable Idea - cutting a big idea down to the one mechanic that proves it in 24 hours AI as Your Team's Force Multiplier - what to hand off to AI, what to keep for yourself The Skeleton-First Method - a build order that keeps you demo-ready at every hour, not just the last one Know Your Room - reading technical vs. business judges and adjusting your pitch accordingly The Pitch - structure, and the mistakes that cost the most points Bonus: Hackathon Toolkit - pre-event checklist, team roles, post-event follow-up No generic advice, every chapter is built from real hackathon case studies, including what actually went wrong along the way.Format: PDF, instant download.