A brutally honest day in Rome
Build it in under a day. Then go talk to real customers.
Watch the 30-second event preview on YouTube.
This is the second year of this founder day in Rome, hosted by AI Trailblazers with Moves the Needle and Startup Program Design. Wednesday, November 4, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
You name a specific customer and a specific problem, and you bring whatever evidence you have. You pass a stage gate, and your build credits unlock. Then you build with AI teammates.
Partway through the day you stop building. You go find real customers, shut up, and listen. Then you come back and show us what you heard and what you changed, and you get honest feedback on it.
Prework is required. You set up before the day, so the day itself goes to building and coaching instead of installing software. The registration form asks who your customer is and what problem they have. Answer it honestly, since that answer is where your day starts.
We ran this format in San Diego on August 1 and 2, 2026, at the Social Impact Hack-AI-Thon. 53 people on 10 teams logged 302 verified milestones in two days. Rome fits it into one. Read the recap at aitrailblazers.org/hackathon-sd.
Tickets are 99 euros and include food for the day. We also hold 3 free tickets for students. Build credits are included. We approve every registration and have about 40 seats. Approved guests get the venue address.
You leave with
A validated problem
Evidence from real customer conversations
Something you built
A clear next move
Founders you actually met before you walked out the door