Reality Check: Pitch Your Idea to 10 Real People
Building something? Before you write more code, talk to real users who don’t owe you politeness.
Reality Check is a weekly AI Garage validation lab where founders bring an idea, landing page, prototype, Figma, WhatsApp demo, or MVP and pitch it directly to real people.
You’ll leave with what users actually understood, what confused them, who they think it’s for, and whether they would use it.
Most founders know they should talk to users.
But they avoid it because it feels awkward, unstructured, or hard to arrange.
Reality Check by AI Garage is a live founder-led validation lab where you bring your idea, landing page, prototype, Figma, WhatsApp demo, or MVP - and pitch it directly to real people.
This is not a demo day.
This is not a networking event.
This is not generic feedback from other founders.
You will sit across from potential users, pitch for 2 minutes, ask sharper questions, and observe what they actually understood.
AI Garage will help structure the session, capture responses, and synthesize patterns after the event.
Format: In-person
Duration: 2.5 hours
Capacity: 5-7 founders + 18–20 reality checkers
Founder/Reality Checker ticket: Free
Who this is for
This is best for founders/builders working on:
Consumer apps
AI tools
Productivity products
Learning/career products
Creator tools
Community/event products
Local commerce ideas
Student or working professional products
Early landing pages, prototypes, or MVPs
You don’t need a finished product.
You do need something you can explain or show in 2 minutes.
What you’ll do
Each founder will test their idea with multiple real people in short validation rounds.
For every round:
You pitch or demo your product for 2 minutes
The user explains what they understood
You ask follow-up questions
The user shares whether they would use/pay/share
Responses are captured for synthesis
The goal is not applause.
The goal is to find:
What people think your product does
Who they think it is for
What confuses them
Which lines create interest
Which assumptions are wrong
Whether anyone would actually use it
What you’ll leave with
You’ll leave with:
8–10 real user reactions
Clarity on what people understood
Repeated confusion points
Objections and interest signals
Exact words users used to describe your product
A sharper version of your pitch
Clear next steps for your landing page, product, or ICP
Who can attend
There are two types of attendees:
Founder / Builder
Apply with an idea, landing page, prototype, or MVP that you want to test.
Reality Checker / Test User
Attend as a curious user. Try new ideas, give honest reactions, and help builders improve.
Important note
This event is founder-led.
AI Garage will not validate your idea for you.
You will personally pitch, ask questions, and face real user reactions. That is the point.
Come ready to listen more than you explain.
Agenda (2.5–3 hrs)
0:00–0:15 - Founder briefing
0:15–0:25 - User briefing
0:25–1:45 - Validation rounds
1:45–2:10 - Pattern synthesis
2:10–2:30 - Founder debrief + next steps
Prerequisites / What to Bring (Important)
For founders/builders: bring an idea, landing page, prototype, Figma, WhatsApp demo, or MVP that you can explain in 2 minutes. Come with a target user in mind and 2–3 things you want to validate.
For reality checkers: no prep needed. Just show up, try new ideas, and give honest reactions.
Please bring a laptop or phone if you’re presenting something. No coding, tools, or API keys required.
About the Host
This workshop is hosted by AI Garage, a community helping non-technical professionals build real AI solutions for work and life.
We’ve hosted 20+ hands-on AI workshops, and several participant projects have gone on to become internal tools or live products.