AI Builder Hackathon

Two-day hands-on hackathon · 6 & 7 July 2026 · Hoeve Hestia · In partnership with The House of Coaching

You spot AI opportunities every day. But you're still not building with them.

You have ideas. For yourself. For your clients. For your business. For a tool, an app, a site, a workflow, an assistant.

You can feel it: there's something here.

But between inspiration and reality there's usually a frustrating gap. Too many tools. Too many options. Too little focus. Too little time. And above all: too few moments where you actually sit down and finish something.

Sound familiar?

You're an entrepreneur, founder or professional. You see AI opportunities everywhere, but you never quite get to a first working version.
You experiment with ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or other tools, but it tends to stay at scattered trial runs.
You want to build something useful for your own business or for a wider audience, but you don't know where to start.
You don't feel "technical enough" to just build an app or website yourself — but you're more than sharp enough to nail the idea behind it.
You're done with yet another AI talk or inspiration session. You want to make something you can actually use or launch.

And meanwhile, this is happening

Every week you put it off. Not because the idea is bad. But because it feels too big, stays too vague, or drowns in the flood of tools and possibilities.

So you stay stuck in:

ideas that never land;
prompts that never become a product;
workflows that are half-finished;
concepts you'll "get around to one day".

And that's a waste.

Because meanwhile others are building. Faster, simpler, more experimental. Not because they're inherently more technical — but because they make their idea small enough, sharp enough, and carve out real time for it. Accessible AI and no-code hackathons keep showing the same thing: people without a classic coding background absolutely can ship functional solutions in a short time when the format is approachable, guided and build-first.

That's why there's the AI Builder Hackathon

A two-day hands-on hackathon for freelancers, entrepreneurs, founders and AI enthusiasts who want to turn a real idea into a first working solution.

Not a classic tech hackathon. No developer jargon. No tool overload.

Instead:

start from your own reality;
first get clear on why this idea matters;
then scope what you're actually going to build;
and only then choose how to build it in a smart, doable way.

Over two days, with guidance, you work toward a tangible first version of something you can show, test, share and — if you want — publish, as:

a website,
a mini-app,
an AI tool,
a workflow,
an agent,
or a publicly usable prototype.

What you come here to do

You're not here to "learn more about AI". You're here to build something that's actually relevant.

That means:

picking a concrete business case or opportunity;
getting clear on the user and the value;
deciding what the smallest useful version looks like;
actually building that version;
and wrapping up with a demo and clear next steps.

The goal isn't technical perfection. The goal is a solution that works, makes sense and is useful. That mirrors what other no-code and non-coder hackathons consciously aim for: usability, creativity and speed — not complex engineering.

Who is this for?

This hackathon is for you if you:

are a freelancer wanting to handle repetitive work in a smarter way;
are an entrepreneur wanting to turn an idea into a first MVP;
are a founder wanting to test something quickly without a full development track;
are an AI enthusiast wanting to step out of the experimentation phase;
want to build something without having to be a classic developer.

You don't have to be a programmer. You do need to be curious, willing to make choices, and up for two focused build days. No-code hackathons exist exactly so participants can — regardless of technical background — quickly arrive at functional applications.

What to expect

Day 1 — WHY & WHAT (Monday 6 July 2026)
We don't start with tools. We start with your reality.
Together you'll work on:
- the problem you actually want to solve;
- the user or context this matters to;
- the value of your idea;
- the scope of the smallest meaningful solution;
- a clear plan for what you're going to build over the two days.
Day 2 — HOW & BUILD (Tuesday 7 July 2026)
Only then do you start building.
With hands-on guidance you'll work on:
- the first version of your solution;
- the right tool choices for your specific case;
- testing and iterating;
- a demo of what you've built;
- a clear next step so you can keep going after the hackathon.

What you take home

After two days you don't leave with inspiration alone. You leave with:

a sharply phrased use case;
a first working solution or prototype;
a demo of what you built;
a clearer view of which tools actually work for your project;
a result you can publish or keep developing.

Why this setting works

The AI Builder Hackathon takes place at Hoeve Hestia — Klaverstraat 20, 8900 Ieper, Belgium — a new place for rest, connection and growth in the Westhoek, set on a two-hectare estate with greenery, a pond and wide views. Hoeve Hestia welcomes groups of up to 20 people, has four guest rooms, and is explicitly designed for retreats, teams and multi-day programmes.

That's not a detail.

Because real building takes more than tools. It takes focus, calm and distance from everyday noise. That's exactly the experience Hoeve Hestia is built to enable: slow down, connect, grow.

This is your moment to move from idea to something real

If you've been feeling for a while that you want to do more with AI than just experiment, this is the moment to take that step.

Not later. Not "once things calm down". Not after testing five more tools.

But now. With guidance. With focus. With a concrete result.

Without overnight stay

OPTION A

Two days · all meals included

Book your spot

With overnight stay

OPTION B

Full immersion · private room · breakfast