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
MLT20 AI Buildathon
Anyone can AI.
A one-week onramp + weekend build sprint to mark MLT’s 20th anniversary. Three prompts that matter. Three finalists pitch live on the MLT20 stage.
Sign-ups open
Friday, May 1
Kickoff
Friday, May 8
Submissions
Tuesday, May 12
Live finals
Thursday, May 14
Hosted by MLT · Powered by WNCP AI
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, the Devpost link, and the Gather invite by email.
Prototypes over PowerPoints. The point of this week is to put a working thing in someone’s hands by Friday.
— House rule
Prizes
Cash, credits, and a slot on the MLT20 stage.
Cash + sponsor credits
Pool grows with confirmed sponsors. Vercel credits pending. More to come.
MLT20 conference pass + hotel
Covered for finalists who attend the live showcase in person.
Audience with John Rice
And MLT senior leadership. The room you don't get into otherwise.
Recognition + recap features
Featured in the MLT20 recap reel and on the showcase site.
Timeline
Two weeks. One ship.
One week of marketing and informational talks, one weekend to build, one Thursday to show what you made — live at MLT20.
- Fri, May 1Sign-ups open
Landing page goes live. Save your spot — prompt deep-dives go out by email next week.
- May 2 – 7Build week marketing
1–2 informational talks. Tool quickstarts and prompt deep-dives drop in your inbox.
- Fri, May 8 (eve)Virtual kickoff
Devpost opens. Live kickoff on Gather. Mentors paired. Prompt-pick Q&A.
- May 9 – 11Build weekend
Saturday through Monday. Async building, daily mentor office hours, tool clinics.
- Tue, May 12 · 1:00 AMSubmissions due
Devpost submission with GitHub repo, hosted prototype, demo video, and writeup.
- Tue, May 12 (day)Round 1 judging
Judges + volunteers score every submission. Two finalists + one Viewers' Choice.
- Thu, May 14 · 1:00 PMFinalist showcase at MLT20
Live finalist pitches at the MLT20 conference during the lunch block.
- Fri, May 22Recap + showcase site
Finalist gallery, winner recap, and WNCP AI case-study lead capture go live.
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 Gather + Devpost
Both go live May 8. Personal invites land in your inbox.
03
Attend kickoff
Friday, May 8 evening. Virtual on Gather. Pick your prompt and team.
04
Build
Saturday through Monday. Solo or in teams. Use any AI tool you like.
05
Submit
Submit on Devpost by Tuesday at 1 AM: repo, prototype, demo video, and writeup.
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 · Async · Tuesday, May 12
Score every submission
Judges and volunteer support score every Devpost submission against the rubric. Two finalists are picked, plus one Viewers' Choice from participant voting in Devpost.
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 — ~1,500 conference attendees, 250+ executive-level — plus the partner network. Any skill level. Solo or team. New ideas only — not for already-funded ventures.
Sign up
Save your spot.
Free for the MLT community. We’ll send the prompt deep-dives, the Devpost link, and a personal Gather invite before kickoff.
Questions
What we hear most.
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.
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, demo day) on Gather. Submissions are managed on Devpost.
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 at kickoff on Friday May 8. New ideas only — solo or team, any skill level.