Hey Hackers!
Welcome to the second-ever edition of HackerNoon Projects of the Week, where we spotlight standout projects from the Proof of Usefulness Hackathon, HackerNoon’s competition designed to measure what actually matters: real utility over hype.
This week, we’re excited to share three amazing projects that have proven their necessity and usefulness: Agent Observatory, Formonger, and Olio AI.
Introducing the Projects of the Week!
Agent Observatory
https://hackernoon.com/agent-observatory-earns-a-56-proof-of-usefulness-score-by-making-ai-agents-observable-without-risk?embedable=true
If you’re a backend or platform engineer, then Agent Observatory is the exact type of project you’ve been looking for all along. It helps you structure tracing primitives so you can get a better understanding of your agent’s behavior without having to break the bank.
Based on Python and OpenTelemetry, the great thing about Agent Observatory is that you don’t have to learn an entirely new tool. It’s simple and ready-to-use for anyone, regardless of whether you’re an engineer with years of experience or someone with a few months under their belt.
Agent Observatory is intentionally not a platform, a SaaS, or a dashboard. It is a small infrastructure primitive designed to solve a specific, growing problem: making AI agent behavior observable without compromising production systems.
– Darshan Parmar
Proof of Usefulness: +56/100
:::tip
See Agent Observatory’s full Proof of Usefulness report
Read their story on HackerNoon
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Formonger
https://hackernoon.com/formonger-earns-a-41-proof-of-usefulness-score-for-building-an-api-first-form-backend-for-developers?embedable=true
Want to create a production-ready form without having to write repetitive code after repetitive code? You’re not alone. That’s why Formonger was created: to help you create and manage the many forms that your business will definitely need. But that’s not all Formonger can assist you with.
It can also help you filter all the spam that comes your way, so you know that the only people filling and submitting your forms are real human beings; no bots here.
When it comes to web development, a lot of the “small stuff” is often overlooked, but it shouldn’t be. If your customers have a hard time filling out a simple form, they won’t waste their time any further.
What excites me most is the potential to give developers back their most valuable, non-renewable resource: time. Every hour a developer saves by not having to fight spam or debug an email service is an hour they can invest in the unique, creative features that make their product special.
– Elvis Ndubuisi
Proof of Usefulness Score: +41/100
:::tip
See Formonger’s full Proof of Usefulness report
Read their story on HackerNoon
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Olio AI
https://hackernoon.com/olio-ai-earns-a-43-proof-of-usefulness-score-by-building-production-ready-product-visuals?embedable=true
Olio AI knows that it can be a struggle to hire a photographer and models, and to find the perfect place to take pictures to showcase your product. But it shouldn’t have to be all that difficult. That’s why they’re focused on building the #1 product photography AI.
Built using Next.js, Supabase, and custom AI workflows, Oli AI is perfect for e-commerce marketers who need images without any of the hassle and cost of hiring a real photography team.
Olio AI exists because brands need studio-quality output with software-speed iteration, and until now, that tradeoff didn’t exist.
– Mashraf Aiman
Proof of Usefulness Score: +43/100
:::tip
See Olio AI’s full Proof of Usefulness report
Read their story on HackerNoon
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Want to submit your project to the Proof of Usefulness hackathon?
What is Proof of Usefulness?
It’s our answer to a web drowning in vaporware and empty promises. We evaluate projects based on: n ▪️ Real user adoption n ▪️ Sustainable revenue n ▪️ Technical stability n ▪️ Genuine utility n n Projects score from -100 to +1000. Top scorers compete for $20K in cash and $130K+ in software credits.
You’ll be in good company. The hackathon is backed by teams who ship production software for a living – Bright Data, Neo4j, Storyblok, Algolia, and HackerNoon.
What happens when you submit:
1. Get your free Proof of Usefulness score instantly n 2. Your submission becomes a HackerNoon article (published within days) n 3. Compete for monthly prizes n 4. All participants get rewards
Complete guide on how to submit here.
:::tip
👉 Submit Your Project Now!
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That’s all for this week.
Until next time, hackers!
