Fuelled by curiosity, coding know-how, copious amount of caffeine and 8-hour old pizza, 'hackathons' have traditionally been a pastime for tech geeks seeking to engineer digital solutions through the means of collaborative brainstorms. In the age of entrepreneurial enterprise, however, hackathons are no longer limited to the domain of digital do-gooders; capturing the imagination of companies from a host of different industries, both large and small.
NO PONG, Australia's most affordable and effective natural deodorant start-up, was founded by husband and wife duo, Chris Caley and Melanie McVean, in May 2015, and has grown, on average, 76% per quarter since launch; resulting in a business valued at over $2M (FY 16-17).
This success, which translates to over 150,000 units of deodorant sold globally and over 200 online/offline retailers, is accredited to NO PONG's 24-hour hackathon business plan; whereby a fully functional and publicly launchable business was developed in just a single day.
Aware that 60% of start-ups over capitalise during infancy and cease operation in the first three years of business, the hackathon model allowed Chris and Melanie to develop NO PONG with minimal expenditure; identifying and establishing clear strategies regarding the brand's visual identity, packaging, product manufacturing, marketing, customer profiling & retention, distribution and administration.
Inspiring other 'everyday Australians' to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams, the team behind NO PONG are sharing their hackathon insights and learnings so others can build profitable empires in their respective fields and minimise potential losses.
Foregoing traditional 'green beauty' price tags and positioning the product as the most affordable and effective, NO PONG pioneers social change on a global level, providing customers with a 'no frills' eco-friendly alternative to supermarket deodorants. Made from the finest food grade, natural and organic ingredients, NO PONG deodorant paste provides 12-hour protection against unappealing odours by creating a water-resistant environment smelly armpit bacteria can't survive in. Merging science and nature, NO PONG doesn't block pores or use synthetic anti-microbial chemicals, aluminium, parabens or plastics.
