• 15–17 May 2026 · 3 days · by application only
APEX.build

3 Day Pre-Event AI Startup Incubator

A three-day pre-burn incubator for founders, builders, and operators who want to pressure-test their next idea in a room full of people who've actually shipped. Refine your pitch. Stress-test your model. Walk into the burn with momentum.

speakers workshops pitch_sessions investor_access work_access_pass: included
Overview

your idea deserves a cap table,
not a sharing circle.

Stop giving away your best ideas for free. That thing you've been explaining over a campfire to someone in a kimono who keeps nodding but has no idea what a TAM is? It deserves better. It deserves a room full of people who understand unit economics, cap tables, and what it actually takes to get from napkin sketch to term sheet.

The burn is full of brilliant people having brilliant conversations that go absolutely nowhere.

APEX .build exists to change that.

Fireside chats done like the tech community does best: no fires or spangled hippies — real content for real entrepreneurs. Three days of structured mentorship, pitch refinement, and direct access to the kind of feedback that actually moves a business forward.

Your idea deserves better than a campfire conversation. Bring it here. Our Camp Apex founders are a cohort of VCs, Business Angels and Serial Entrepreneurs — with successful exits. They will be coaching participants on pitch structure, investor psychology, and what actually makes a funding committee say yes. This isn't theoretical. These are real investors ready to sign term sheets.

3 days
conference_duration
12
max_participants
1:4
mentor_to_founder_ratio
caffeine_supply

three days. one trajectory.

Each day is designed to take your idea further than the last. Arrive with a concept. Leave with a pitch deck, a validated model, and the attention of people who fund things.

// day_01 · fri 15 may

Ideation & Validation

Tear your idea apart before anyone else does. Structured frameworks for testing assumptions, identifying your wedge, and articulating the problem you're actually solving.

  • Opening keynote: "The Idea Is Not the Business"
  • Workshop: Problem-solution fit in 90 minutes
  • 1-on-1 founder-mentor matching sessions
  • Evening: fireside on "Ideas I Killed (And Why)"
// day_02 · sat 16 may

Pitch & Investor Day

Refine your pitch with coaching from our founding VC partner. Then deliver it — for real — to a panel of invited investors who are here specifically to hear what you've built.

  • Morning: pitch structure masterclass with VC partner
  • Workshop: financial modelling for the funding conversation
  • Afternoon: live pitch sessions to invited investor panel
  • Evening: investor-founder dinner (curated seating)
// day_03 · sun 17 may

Refine & Launch

Incorporate feedback. Polish the deck. Finalise your go-to-market. Walk into the burn week with a plan, a network, and — if Saturday went well — a follow-up meeting in the diary.

  • Morning: feedback integration + deck workshop
  • Go-to-market strategy session
  • Peer review: founders pressure-test each other
  • Closing: transition into Camp Apex main programme
⚡ Saturday 16 May · Investor Day

Investors in the room.
Not on a Zoom call.

On Saturday, we're bringing in a curated group of angel investors and VCs specifically to hear .build participants pitch. This isn't a networking drinks where you might corner someone between canapés. This is structured, scheduled, and serious.

Our founding VC partner will coach you through the morning. By the afternoon, you'll be pitching a live panel. By dinner, you'll know where you stand — and so will they.

  • Curated investor panel attending Saturday afternoon
  • Structured 10-minute pitch slots + 5-minute Q&A
  • VC-led pitch coaching throughout the morning
  • Investor-founder dinner with curated introductions
  • Follow-up facilitated by Camp Apex concierge post-event
  • NDAs available on request (we're not naive)

Every .build attendee receives a work access pass.

Your .build registration includes full work access to Camp Apex for the main event week (18–25 May). No additional ticket required. Show up for .build on Friday, and you're in for the whole thing. One application, one payment, full access.

WORK ACCESS
PASS INCLUDED

Build something that matters.

16 places remaining. Founder-grade feedback. Real investors. No fluff.

Apply for .build →