⚽🤖 From Zero to First Dollar $ in 30 Days Challenge 🚀💵
There's a big difference between watching football and playing football.
You can watch every match, know every player and every stat, and still never touch the ball. AI is the same. Since March, we've spent 7 months learning AI together every week. Now it's time to get on the field.
On Nov 6 (Fri), we kick off a new series: the ⚽🤖 From Zero to First Dollar $ in 30 Days Challenge 🚀💵. Build something with AI and earn your first dollar from a real customer within 30 days. One dollar. Not a million. Just proof that a real person paid for something you made.
🚀🔥 BUILDERS: APPLY HERE 🔥🚀
👉 Apply to build in public 👈
Got an idea or a prototype? Apply before Friday to present at the kickoff.
🙋 No revenue yet? Perfect, that's who this is for. 5 minutes, no slides, rough ideas welcome.
😌 Nervous about building in public? Share as much or as little as you like, and you don't have to reveal your secret sauce. Not ready to pitch yet? Come as a Supporter first.
⏳ Timing is everything. Six months ago, we were chatting with AI. Today, AI agents do the work for us. Wait another six months, and your idea might already be outdated. Build it now.
Why this format?
❌ Hackathons match you by luck. You dive deep with a team you just met, and by Sunday you find out the personalities don't fit.
❌ Networking events are random. You can get stuck for 30 minutes in the wrong conversation.
✅ Build in Public gives you a place to test working with someone first, before you commit.
Pick your role
🛠️ BUILDERS
Do: pitch your work in progress in 5 minutes. Say what you're building, where you're stuck, and what help you need.
💪 How the CAD$50 deposit works
✅ Commit: Put down a CAD$50 deposit once, by Interac e-Transfer to hello@aistartuphub.ca before the event. Only Builders who pitch put one down.
⏳ Deadline: You have 30 days from the Friday you first present. If you start Nov 6, your deadline is Dec 6. If you start Nov 13, it's Dec 13.
💵 Get it back: Show a receipt from a real customer (not a friend or family member) and get your full CAD$50 back.
🤝 Miss it: Your deposit goes to the community pool.
🎯 Why a deposit? A deadline with something on the line pushes you to launch instead of dabbling in AI.
📩 Missed a Friday? No problem. Only the receipt counts, and you can email it to hello@aistartuphub.ca.
👉 Apply here
🙋 SUPPORTERS
Do: Pick Builders you can help and line up for a 10 minute 1:1 conversation.
Get: missed Builder deposits go to food and drinks at future Labs.
👀 AUDIENCE
Do: come and watch.
Get: learn how AI startups get built. When you're ready, step up as a Supporter or Builder.
🧪 Every conversation is a Lab experiment. Low stakes, real practice, no pressure.
Your 30 Days Challenge:
✅ Pick one small problem and one AI platform
✅ Days 1 to 7: build a Minimum Viable Product with payment features
✅ Days 8 to 14: show it to real people
✅ Days 15 to 30: ask for your first dollar
✅ Check in at Friday AI Lab each week to share progress and get help
What to bring:
💻 Your laptop
💡 One idea, even a rough one, or a problem you'd love solved
📱 The AI tool you already use most
Agenda:
4:00pm Welcome
4:05pm Open Showcase: An example of Build in Public
4:30pm Challenge kickoff talk
4:45pm Builders Share (5mins each)
5:05pm Supporters Pair Up 1:1 with Builders (10mins each)
5:50pm Wrap Up
6:00pm End
📅 Date: Nov 6 (Fri)
⏰ Time: 4pm to 6pm
📍 Venue: AIC, Alexander College, 570 Dunsmuir St, Vancouver
Come to watch if you like. Leave ready to play. ⚽
#FridayAILab #BuildInPublic #ZeroToFirstDollar #VancouverAI #AIStartups #VancouverTech