01
Prompt 01
Careers & Future of Work
A tool or product that helps people navigate or improve their careers in the age of AI.
Example angles
- ▸Personalized career path agents
- ▸Interview prep that adapts to the role
- ▸Salary negotiation co-pilots
MLT 20
AI Buildathon
Two virtual days. Tech or not. Team up. Build an app with AI. Pitch live. Win prizes.
At a glance
- FormatVirtual + Live Pitches
- DatesMay 9-11, 14
- Team1 - 5
- LevelAll Levels Welcomed
- CostFree for MLT Conference Attendees
May9-11
Signups / team matching
Tue, May 5
begins
Kickoff
Fri, May 8
6 PM ET
Submissions
Tue, May 12
1 AM ET
Live finals
Thu, May 14
1 PM ET
Hosted by MLT · Powered by WNCP AI
The buildathon is over
Winners are announced. 14 teams shipped in one weekend.
See who won Viewers' Choice and People's Choice — the three finalists who pitched live at MLT20 and the showcase project the community voted for.
What you get
Worth your weekend.
Network with peers
Meet MLT other attendees and builders who are looking for key AI skills for their day jobs.
Ship something real
Working prototype hosted anywhere — Vercel, Lovable, your own server. Code optional, useful product mandatory.
Learn the modern toolchain
Hands-on with Google AI Studio, Lovable, Cursor, Claude Code, and v0 — the toolchain that flattened the build curve.
Be seen at MLT20
Top three teams pitch live at the MLT20 conference on Thursday May 14. Conference pass covered for in-person finalists.
Build weekend
A focused room, even when the work is async.
Kickoff, mentor hours, tool clinics, and the deadline give the week a shared rhythm. You bring the problem; the sprint keeps the work moving.
Editor’s Note
The build curve has flattened. The talent curve has not.
The modern AI toolchain — Google AI Studio, Lovable, Cursor, Claude Code, v0 — has collapsed the time between an idea and a working application. The MLT20 AI Buildathon brings together MLT alumni and the partner network for a week of focused building on three prompts that matter to our communities.
You don’t need to know how to code. You need to know what to build.
The three prompts
Pick one. Make it real.
Three problem spaces drawn from MLT’s twenty years of work. Each is a direction, not a spec — your job is to find the wedge that’s yours.
02
Prompt 02
Equity & Access to AI
A tool that brings the benefits of AI to broader audiences or expands access to opportunity.
Example angles
- ▸Plain-language access to public benefits
- ▸Local resource finders for underserved zip codes
- ▸AI translators for civic and legal documents
03
Prompt 03
Personal Security
A tool that protects individuals — their data, identity, finances, family, or wellbeing.
Example angles
- ▸Scam detectors for text and voice
- ▸Privacy audits for non-engineers
- ▸Estate and emergency-doc walkthroughs
Got a prompt?
Save your spot before kickoff.
Free for the MLT community. We send the prompt deep-dives and event details by email.
Prototypes over PowerPoints. The point of this week is to put a working thing in someone’s hands by Friday.
Timeline
One Weekend. Learn, Build, Ship.
Sign-ups through kickoff. One weekend to build. One Thursday to show what you made — live at MLT20.
- Tue, May 5Signups / team matching open
Save your spot and start finding teammates. Prompt deep-dives go out by email this week.
- Fri, May 8 · 6 PM ETVirtual kickoff
Learn the rules of the Buildathon, the prizes, and our first how to AI session
- May 9 – 11Virtual build weekend
Work with your team to vibe code and AI engineer your game changing app idea
- Tue, May 12 · 1 AM ETSubmissions due
Your team submits a demo video, a link to your code, and a link to your app for judging
- Tue, May 12 (day)Round 1 judging & voting opens
Judges will pick two finalists to pitch onstage. You pick the last finalist.
- Thu, May 14 · 1 PM ETFinalist Pitch Competition
Show off your teams skills in front of judges, VCs, and colleagues to win the top prize.
- Thu May 14 · EveningWinners Announced
Join us in closing out the event with the presentation to the winners at the MLT20 Conference
How it works
Five steps from sign-up to MLT20 stage.
01
Sign up
Drop your name on the landing page. We send the prompt deep-dives.
02
Join the kickoff event
Platform links go live May 8. Personal invites land in your inbox.
03
Attend kickoff
Friday, May 8 evening. Virtual. Pick your prompt and team.
04
Build
Saturday through Monday. Solo or in teams. Use any AI tool you like.
05
Submit
Submit by 1 AM Tuesday Eastern: repo, hosted prototype, demo video, and writeup.
Toolchain
You stay in charge. The tools do more of the lift.
Use AI Studio, Lovable, Cursor, Claude Code, v0, or whatever gets the prototype into someone’s hands by Tuesday.
Submission requirements
The bar by 1 AM Tuesday.
Public GitHub repo
Code visible to judges. All API keys hidden.
Working prototype
Hosted anywhere — Vercel, Lovable, your own server.
Demo video
Two minutes or less. Show the working product.
Brief writeup
Problem · who it's for · tools used · what's next.
One of the three prompts
Pick one. Tell us which in your submission.
A path to sustainability
Funding, paying users, or measurable impact.
Judging
Two rounds.
Round 1 · Virtual · Tuesday, May 12
Three Finalist | 2 for Us, 1 for You
Judges will review all submissions based on the published criteria.
Round 2 · Live · Thursday, May 14
Finalists pitch live at MLT20
Three finalists pitch on stage during the MLT20 lunch block. Judges deliberate. Winner announced Thursday evening.
Who it’s for
Built for the MLT community.
Any skill level. Solo or team. Plus the partner network.
~1,500
Conference attendees
250+
Senior Leaders Attending
Critical Skill
Gained
One constraint
New ideas only — not for existing ventures
Sign up
Save your spot.
Free for the MLT community. We’ll send the prompt deep-dives and event details before kickoff.
Takes 30 seconds · No spam · Unsubscribe anytime
Partners
Our sponsors.
Key Sponsors
Who can join?+
Open to MLT alumni, the MLT20 conference community, and partner-network builders. Any background. Any skill level. If you can write a sentence describing what you want to build, you can participate.
Do I need to know how to code?+
No. The whole point is that the modern AI toolchain has flattened the build curve. Lovable, Google AI Studio, and v0 let non-technical participants ship full applications. Engineers can go deeper with Cursor and Claude Code. Both win.
Solo or team?+
Either. Solo is fine. Teams up to four people. We'll help you find teammates in Gather during build week if you'd like a team.
Virtual or in person?+
Virtual all week. The live finalist showcase on May 14 is in person at the MLT20 conference (NYC Hilton Midtown). Finalists who travel to attend get a conference pass and hotel covered.
How much does it cost?+
Free for the MLT community. Sponsor seats are available — see the Sponsors section.
Where does the building actually happen?+
Async on your own machine, with live touchpoints — kickoff, mentor hours, and demo day. Submission details go out by email at kickoff.
Who owns what I build?+
You do. MLT and WNCP AI claim no IP rights to your project. We ask only for permission to feature winners and finalists in the recap and case study. You keep the code, the trademark, and the company.
What gets judged?+
Did it ship? Does it work for a real person? Does it answer one of the three prompts? Is there a plausible path to sustainability — funding, paying users, or measurable impact? Full rubric publishes at kickoff.
Can I submit an existing project?+
No. New ideas only — not for already-funded ventures. Build something new during the build weekend.
What do finalists get?+
Top 3 pitch live at MLT20 on May 14. Finalists who attend in person get a conference pass + hotel covered. Winner gets cash + credits + an audience with MLT senior leadership.
Last call
Pen down your spot.
Sign-ups close Fri, May 8. New ideas only — solo or team, any skill level.