AI

Challenge

  • Problem first
  • Build in public
  • Ship on Saturday

Open to high school students

Saturday, January 16, 2027

$5,000+ funding goal

Got a rough idea?
That is enough. Apply for the
next build sprint
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We give high school students the room, people, and deadline to turn an AI idea into something another person can actually use.

The summit

10 hours / all in

Frame the problem

Find your team

Build with AI

Test the impact

Demo day

Funding goal for the sprint
$5K+

Making the experience as affordable as possible.

Projected attendees
~400

For the January 2027 summit.

University support
University
of UP

Supporting the January summit.

Coming to speak
Industry
professionals

Real experience. Fresh perspectives.

What building looked like

July 2026 Five moments

A deadline becomes useful when everyone can hear the clock.

01 / 05

The room

A deadline becomes useful when everyone can hear the clock.

Teams begin with a person and a friction point, not a model.

02 / 05

The problem

Teams begin with a person and a friction point, not a model.

Mentors work at the table. Nobody disappears into a lecture hall.

03 / 05

The build

Mentors work at the table. Nobody disappears into a lecture hall.

Impact is interrogated while there is still time to change the prototype.

04 / 05

The review

Impact is interrogated while there is still time to change the prototype.

The prototype has to speak before the pitch can rescue it.

05 / 05

The demo

The prototype has to speak before the pitch can rescue it.

AIX / signature

Working object / live

Every team leaves with a signature object: a working prototype that catches feedback, exposes assumptions, and belongs to the people who built it.

The 10 hours

Four moves,
no theatre.

All on Saturday, January 16, 2027. One day to meet, build, and share something real.

01 / SAT / 10 AM

Opening ceremony

Meet the community, get oriented, and start the day together.

  • Welcome
  • Summit overview
  • Team formation

02 / SAT / 11 AM

Build session

Turn your idea into a working prototype with your team and mentors.

  • Build with AI
  • Mentor feedback
  • Test and iterate

03 / SAT / 4 PM

Judging

Show what you built and explain the problem, the impact, and the trade-offs.

  • Live demos
  • Project review
  • Judge feedback

04 / SAT / 6:20 PM

Awards ceremony

Celebrate the projects, the people, and everything you made in one day.

  • Awards
  • Team recognition
  • Community celebration

Beyond one day / what comes next

One room becomes
a network.

AIXelerate is growing into a format students can join online, bring to school, or host in their own community.

01Coming next

Online cohorts

We are building guided online cohorts for students who cannot make it to an in-person sprint. Small teams, live mentor sessions, shared build hours, and a real demo at the end.

Join the interest list
02At your school

Start a club

Bring AIXelerate to your campus as a student-led club. We will help shape the format, build rhythm, and connect your group to the wider community.

Start a school club
03In your city

Host a hackathon

Run a local build sprint under the AIXelerate name with our playbook, brand, and support—while your team makes it work for your community.

Host with AIXelerate

Have a different idea? Talk directly with the team ↗

First sprint / July 2026

One month to fill a room.

Our first cohort brought students together to turn ideas into working projects, with mentors and a room full of people ready to build.

Students building together around tables at the first AIXelerate live event.
Sign-ups
80+

first sprint, one month of planning

AI credit per student
$50

through vibes.diy at the first sprint

First live event
1

July 2026 build sprint

Next / applications open

Build it here.

Students start here.
Three minutes.
Apply as a student Mentor a team