1
Form a team.
Teams form at the event — around ideas people bring, or ideas that emerge in the room. No pre-existing team or idea required. Joining an existing team works too.
Business Builder
No idea? No team? That's the point.
Business Builder is our 2–3 day startup competition. Show up with nothing but the willingness to build — form a team on the spot, validate a concept with real market research, and pitch it before you leave.
How it works
Zero to pitch in one weekend.
2
Validate the concept.
Market research, customer conversations, and honest feedback — with mentors and workshop coordinators guiding your team the whole way.
3
Pitch it.
By the end you'll have a pitch deck, real research, and a fleshed-out concept — presented to the room, built with a team that didn't exist three days earlier.
Why it matters
The doorway to the incubator.
Workshop participation — specifically Business Builder — is a requirement for incubator funding. It's where we see how you explore, validate, and work with a team. Participation isn't a guarantee of acceptance or funding, but it's a process every company we back goes through, and a great one to experience regardless of where it leads.
Didn't click the first time?
Come back and run it again.
Every Business Builder brings new people and new ideas. Maybe next time you'll have a better idea to validate — or a better sense of what makes an ideal founding team. Coming more than once is common, and it's a strength, not a setback.
Before you come
One piece of homework.
Take a personality assessment before the event and bring your results — it makes team formation faster and helps pair complementary strengths from day one. Any established test works: 16Personalities, DISC, or CliftonStrengths are all good options.