​🚀 Mission Control: Pitch, Explore & Collaborate

​Bring your curiosity. Share your ideas. Find your crew. ☄️

​Welcome to Mission Control, the official kickoff of The Next Frontier 2026, a community-driven space innovation hackathon hosted by AI Collective Hampton Roads!

​This is where ideas begin to take shape.

​Have an idea for an app, scientific research tool, AI project, or creative solution? Maybe you've identified a problem but aren't sure how to solve it. Or perhaps you're simply curious about science and technology and want to explore what's possible.

​You don't need a polished pitch, a finished concept, or even a team to participate!

​During this interactive kickoff, we'll:

• ​🚀 Pitch Our Rough Ideas: Share early concepts, scientific questions, or problems you'd love to solve.

• ​💡 Brainstorm Together: Bounce ideas off fellow innovators, exchange perspectives, and discover possibilities you might not have considered.

• ​🤝 Find Your Crew: Meet potential collaborators with complementary skills, interests, and expertise.

• ​🔭 Explore the Challenge: Learn about The Next Frontier's mission, project expectations, resources, and opportunities.

• ​🛠️ Prepare to Build: Refine your concept, identify next steps, and leave with a clearer direction for your project.

​Whether you're a student, scientist, developer, designer, entrepreneur, or someone who simply loves asking questions, there's a place for you at Mission Control.

​The goal isn't to arrive with the perfect idea. It's to discover what your idea could become through collaboration.

​📅 Event Details

​Saturday, November 14, 2026

​🕚 11:00 AM–2:00 PM EST

​📍 ECPI University | Virginia Beach, VA

​🌐 Event Website: https://aichr-nextfrontier.lovable.app/

​✨ No coding experience required. Beginners and curious minds welcome!

​Pitch your idea. Find your crew. Build your mission. 🚀

​​​Bronze partners

​​​​Our parent org

​The AI Collective is a global non-profit community uniting 150,000+ pioneers – founders, researchers, operators, and investors – exploring the frontier of AI in major tech hubs worldwide. Through events, workshops, and community-led research, we empower the AI ecosystem to collaboratively steer AI’s future toward trust, openness, and human flourishing.

​All attendees and organizers at events affiliated with The AI Collective agree to our privacy policy and are subject to our code of conduct. Additionally, by registering for this event, you agree to The AI Collective Hampton Roads chapter photo & video policy.