HackerNoon Spotlights Practical Projects: Pantry Pilot, RecomendeMe and Charmpay Demonstrate Real Utility

HackerNoon's new Proof of Usefulness initiative shifts focus from technological hype to measurable impact, spotlighting projects that solve tangible problems with working solutions. The platform's inaugural Projects of the Week feature three ventures that scored highest in practical utility assessments: Pantry Pilot for restaurant management, RecomendeMe for human-centered recommendations, and Charmpay for secure transactions. These selections emerged from rigorous evaluation of real-world adoption, technical execution, and problem-solving effectiveness.

Pantry Pilot: Streamlining Restaurant Economics Food costing remains a persistent challenge in restaurant operations, where manual spreadsheets and guesswork often lead to profit erosion. Pantry Pilot addresses this through an AI-powered Enterprise Resource Planning system designed specifically for commercial kitchens. By automating recipe costing, inventory tracking, and supplier price monitoring, the platform provides real-time visibility into food expenses. This enables operators to reduce waste by up to 30% while maintaining tighter profit margins. The solution scored 56/1000 in HackerNoon's utility assessment, with restaurateurs reporting faster decision-making and reduced administrative overhead.

RecomendeMe: Human-Curated Discovery As algorithmic fatigue grows among consumers overwhelmed by opaque recommendation engines, RecomendeMe offers an alternative model. The platform centers human curation for discovering films, books, and music, prioritizing authentic suggestions over engagement-driven algorithms. By establishing transparent connections between recommenders and users, it creates accountability missing from mainstream platforms. The approach scored equally at 56/1000, demonstrating viability for rebuilding trust in digital discovery while avoiding the manipulative patterns common in content recommendation systems.

Charmpay: Reducing Transaction Risk In Nigeria's growing digital marketplace, Charmpay tackles online payment fraud through escrow services tailored for peer-to-peer transactions. The platform holds funds until both parties confirm transaction terms, significantly reducing disputes in sectors like freelance services and small business commerce. With a score of 53/1000, Charmpay enables transactions that might otherwise seem too risky, particularly valuable in regions where traditional payment protections are limited. Early adoption shows 40% reduction in payment-related conflicts among student and small business users.

Measuring Real Impact The Proof of Usefulness framework evaluates projects across four dimensions: real user adoption patterns, revenue sustainability, technical robustness, and problem-solving effectiveness. Unlike vanity metrics common in tech, scores range from -100 to +1000 based on verifiable implementation data. Top performers compete for $20,000 in funding and over $130,000 in software credits from partners including Neo4j, Algolia, and Bright Data. The program runs through June 2026, with monthly project spotlights and detailed scoring reports publicly available.

Developers and startups can submit projects for assessment, receiving instant scoring and publication on HackerNoon. The initiative aims to redirect attention toward technologies delivering measurable utility amid an industry often distracted by speculative innovation.