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Brutally Honest RomeCount me in!
November 4, 2026 · Rome, Italy

A brutally honest day in Rome.

Build fast. Talk to customers. Learn what matters.

One day to pin down a specific customer and problem, bring your evidence, build with AI, speak with real customers, and improve your work based on what you learn.

Count me in! Explore the experience
A founder explaining an idea to people listening around a table
Participants working on laptops around a table in a bright workshop space
A small group discussing a prototype along a long desk

Organized by

AI Trailblazers
Moves The NeedleAI Founders
What it is

A startup event in Rome for building and testing with real customers.

Join founders, students and mentors at Talent Garden Ostiense in Rome on November 4, 2026. No pitch theatre: identify a specific customer problem, bring evidence, build with AI, speak with real customers and get practical go-to-market feedback.

Tools you'll use

Lovable
HeyGen
Gamma
Who should attend

Different people. Same curiosity.

Two people at a desk reviewing a laptop screen, one pointing at the display

Founders

Working on a product or idea and ready to test it against reality.

A seated person working on a laptop while a colleague leans in over the same screen

Students

Exploring a problem worth solving and keen to learn by doing.

A person wearing a name badge standing and guiding four people working on laptops at a long table

Mentors

Experienced builders who want to help participants sharpen their work.

The day

How the day works

  1. STEP 01

    Customer problem & evidence

    Arrive with a specific customer and problem, and the evidence you have so far.

  2. STEP 02

    Build with AI

    Turn what you know into something real customers can react to.

  3. STEP 03

    Real customer conversations

    Put your work in front of real customers and listen.

  4. STEP 04

    Learning & feedback

    Improve based on what you heard, not what you hoped.

Outcomes

What you leave with

Around fifty attendees and organizers posing together for a group photo at the venue, laptops open on the desks in front
  • A clearer understanding of your problem
  • Real customer evidence
  • A prototype
  • Practical next steps
Prizes

What you're playing for.

Compete solo or in teams of up to 4. Over $600 in Pro account subscriptions across the podium.

1st place

3 months Pro account

$75 value per person · Up to 4 team members

Total $300 value

2nd place

2 months Pro account

$50 value per person · Up to 4 team members

Total $200 value

3rd place

1 month Pro account

$25 value per person · Up to 4 team members

Total $100 value

$600total prize pool in Pro subscriptions

November 4, 2026

Organizers & hosts

Organized by AI Founders, Moves the Needle, AI Trailblazers, Startup Program Design and Brain Bridge.

Maria del Pilar Mascareno-Eden in a head-and-shoulders portrait

Maria del Pilar Mascareno-Eden

AI Trailblazers

LinkedIn
REGISTER

What are you building?

In order to participate in the event, please register here and we will send you a follow up with next steps.

Attendance is free. Applications are reviewed and approval is required to confirm your place.

The idea you want to work on, and what you hope to learn or prove.

We use your answers only to review your application for this event. Read the privacy policy.
Talent Garden
Venue

Talent Garden Ostiense

Via Ostiense 92, 00154 Rome, Italy

An innovation campus and coworking space in Rome's Ostiense district, easy to reach by metro (Piramide / Garbatella).

View on Google Maps
Questions

Talk to us.

Anything about the event, the selection process or the prework? Write to the AI Founders team and we'll get back to you.

aifounderscommunity@gmail.com