Ever wonder why your teams struggle to innovate beyond their roadmap? They’re likely too busy keeping the lights on to step back and rethink what’s possible.
I get it — I’ve spent 20 years in software, constantly balancing the pull of delivering known outcomes against the need to explore what’s next. It’s a tough tradeoff, but one I’ve wrestled with long enough to know this: if you don’t create space for innovation, it won’t happen.
At G2, we’ve evolved our approach over time, starting with something simple — giving people the breathing room to tackle ideas they wished they had time for. That small shift grew into something much bigger: a two-week hackathon experiment that has continuously evolved.
In this article, I’ll walk you through that journey — not as a prescriptive playbook, but as an invitation to experiment in your own way. Because innovation isn’t about having the perfect strategy — it’s about making space for what’s possible.
Every experiment starts with a hypothesis. But in software delivery, there’s another critical factor: the appetite for that experiment. How much time are we willing to invest in exploring the unknown?
The answer to that is usually dictated by the company’s stage and culture. Some organizations have never seen innovation done well, making the idea of teams spending a week or more in unstructured work a hard no.
And honestly, I get it. Betting on an undefined outcome can feel risky. But does that mean innovation is out of reach? Not at all. Start smaller. Can you carve out a day? An afternoon? Prove the value in increments, and over time, that appetite will grow.
At G2, I was fortunate to work with founders who already saw the value of innovation, which meant we started with a larger appetite. But that didn’t mean we always got it right. Our journey, from chore week to the final hackathon, has been full of lessons, iterations, and unexpected turns, each shaping how we foster innovation today.
In the early days, our approach to innovation wasn’t about building the next big thing — it was about catching our breath. Our teams were pushing hard to ship features, but in that relentless drive, we weren’t always leaving the codebase in a state that encouraged long-term innovation. So, we carved out time to go back, refactor, and clean up patterns: a chore week. We basically implemented a reset button for the code.
However, this effort revealed that one of the biggest barriers to innovation isn’t just a lack of time — it’s the technical debt that makes future innovation harder. When you move fast but don’t continuously shape the code into something maintainable and extensible, you create friction for every future idea.
While this approach helped us improve our code quality, it didn’t spark much inspiration. Nothing groundbreaking came out of it, just small quality-of-life improvements that made development a little easier. In some ways, it even sent the wrong message: it was okay to ship subpar code as long as we had a “chore week” to clean it up later. It was a necessary first step, but we quickly realized that if we wanted to push real innovation forward, we needed a different approach. Dev week was created to fill that role.
As G2 grew, so did the need for alignment. Scaling a company introduces more processes, and while structure is necessary, it can also mess with the creative energy that drives real innovation. We started hearing a consistent theme from our teams: they wanted space to explore ideas outside the roadmap.
At the same time, we didn’t want to fully abandon the benefits of our original “chore week” mentality — some engineers still valued time to improve the codebase. So, we evolved.
The result was what we first called “Dev Week”, which eventually became the “Innovation Summit.” It was an unstructured, two-week event where self-selected teams could explore new ideas, experiment with emerging technologies, and build something real.
At the end of the two weeks, teams showcased their work, and right away, we saw wins. One of the biggest early successes? An integration that brought G2 actions directly into Slack. This was something that wasn’t on the roadmap but delivered immediate value.
But while this approach unlocked creativity, it had its own challenges. Many great ideas never saw the light of day. Even when we loved what teams built, we struggled to close the loop and bring those innovations into production. As soon as the Innovation Summit ended, we went back to “regular” work, and many projects simply faded into the background.
The inspiration was there. The learning was there. But we weren’t realizing the full impact of these innovations. We needed to find a way to bridge the gap between creative exploration and real, lasting outcomes. That’s when we introduced hackathons to bring these ideas to life.
As energy and appetite for innovation grew, so did our ambition. We had seen the spark that unstructured exploration could generate, but we wanted to take it a step further — to not only inspire our teams but also drive real business impact. This led us to our next evolution: the G2 hackathon.
Hackathons aren’t new; the tech industry has long used them to drive breakthrough ideas. However, at G2, we wanted to refine the formula to reconcile open-ended creativity with a focus on results. The key shift? C-level buy-in. We brought our executives in as judges, ensuring alignment between the boldest ideas and the outcomes that would drive the business forward. We found major success in the way we chose to run our hackathons, and as always, sharing is caring.
At G2, our hackathons are designed to strike the perfect balance between creative freedom and business impact. Here’s how we structure them to maximize both engagement and outcomes:
Each hackathon kicks off with a guiding theme — broad enough to spark creativity but focused enough to drive meaningful results. For example, our “Inspire Customer Love” theme encouraged teams to explore ways to enhance the customer experience while keeping the outcome aligned with business goals.
Once we gather participants, both in-person and remote, we focus on forming teams that mix perspectives and experience levels. This isn’t just about getting people together; it’s about fostering new collaborations and ensuring each team has the right blend of skills to bring an idea to life.
As the hackathon begins, teams quickly register their ideas to commit to a direction. From there, they have two weeks to experiment, build, and refine their concepts. The goal isn’t just to brainstorm; it’s to ship something tangible by the end.
At the end of the hackathon, teams present their projects to a panel of cross-functional executives. The winning ideas aren’t just about technical ingenuity; they’re judged heavily on how confidently they can impact business goals.
The top three teams win monetary prizes and ongoing support to turn their ideas into reality. But it doesn’t stop there. We amplify their work across the company and on social media, making it clear that these innovations matter and have the potential to shape the future of G2.
This structure ensures that hackathons aren’t just fun side projects but a core driver of innovation at G2. By combining inspiration, execution, and recognition, we make space for groundbreaking ideas to take root and thrive.
This approach worked. By striking the right balance between excitement and focus, we started seeing real, tangible product improvements emerge from our hackathons.
Some of the biggest successes include:
But, as always, there were challenges. Not every great idea made it to customers. Competing priorities meant that some highly promising projects stalled out, and we had to rethink how to sustain momentum beyond the hackathon. We also learned that while structured themes helped align innovation with business goals, they sometimes constrained the kind of far-out, moonshot ideas that could redefine our future.
To balance this, we split time between the hackathon and Innovation Summit. Hackathons remain focused on delivering tangible outcomes, while Innovation Summit gives space for open-ended exploration.
And that’s where we are today — a constantly evolving culture of innovation. We now know that real impact doesn’t come from a single event or process but from continually making space for bold thinking. And as we move forward, we’ll keep learning, iterating, and finding new ways to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
G2’s journey shows that innovation isn’t a one-time initiative; it’s a mindset. It requires constant experimentation, not just in dedicated events but in how teams approach their work every day. We’ve seen this shift firsthand, with teams naturally carving out moments of innovation within their regular cycles. The result is more engaged teams and a more sustainable path to consistently high-impact outcomes.
Not sure where to start with launching your own hackathon? Start where you can. Identify the investment you have control over and launch an innovation event — no matter how small. Give teams the freedom to explore, but set a clear goal for measuring impact. Celebrate the wins to build momentum and grow that investment over time. And most importantly, never stop experimenting.
Ready to dive into more G2 tech knowledge? Learn more about The Grand Delusion and why cybersecurity keeps failing.
Edited by Supanna Das
Danial Knox is a VP of Engineering at G2, managing the teams responsible for the G2 software marketplace. He has been working in software for 20+ years, building products with incredible people all throughout. As of late, he is a sponsor of the employee resource group, Asian & Pacific Islanders. You might want to read Dan's articles if you are interested in technology, building & leading high-performing teams, or you love riding your bicycle.
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