Track 01 · Idea stage

STARTALIZATOR STARTALIZATOR

From idea to MVP in 12 weeks.

AI-first programme for founders with an idea but no engineering team. Tools + senior mentors + cloud credits = a working MVP and first users in 12 weeks.

12 weeks July – September 2026 100% online + 2 offline meet-ups AI-first programme
Submit your idea See the voting
9:16 · Live
Cohort 02 · build vlog
From idea to first user in 12 weeks
The challenge

Can you ship a product in 12 weeks?

  • 01 12 weeks. Hard deadline. No extensions.
  • 02 No team. No senior devs. Just you and AI.
  • 03 Real users — not friends and family.
Profile

Who this is for

You don't have to know how to code. You have to know why someone would pay for what you're building.

01
01

Solo founder

You have the idea but no team. You need structure and tools to validate it.

02
02

Domain expert

Doctor, lawyer, mechanical engineer — you see a problem software can solve but you've never written code.

03
03

Co-founder duo

The two of you know the problem, you have the first 5 user calls, but you don't know how to ship an MVP.

04
04

Converter

You run a services business and you want to ship a product with recurring revenue.

Your homework

What you ship over 12 weeks

Without these, no spot in the delegation. With them — you get on stage.

20×
user interviews before code
1×
MVP in production
12×
weekly demos to the cohort
1×
60-second live pitch
Tech

AI tools we use

We don't teach you to code from scratch. We teach you to use AI tools as your team.

Claude
Main logic copilot
Cursor
Editor + AI pair-programmer
v0
UI from prompt
Lovable
Full-stack from prompt
Bolt
Fast prototypes
Replit
Hosting + share
Copilot
Inline code suggestions
Figma + AI
Wireframe → design
Inside

What the programme looks like first-hand

Clips from past cycles on the left, the actual questions answered on the right. Scroll — the videos stay, the content moves.

What is an AI MVP
01 / 06

A real product, not a clickable prototype.

Backend, frontend, auth, deployment. Real users pay or use it — friends and family don't count.

Mentor sessions
02 / 06

2 hours per week, 1:1, no fluff.

Senior engineers and product leads. Bring a concrete problem — you leave with a decision.

AI pair programming
03 / 06

Claude and Cursor are your team.

We give you the workflow, the prompt library and access to pro tools. You're the product owner, AI ships the code.

User research
04 / 06

20 conversations before the first line of code.

Our community puts you in front of 450+ founders and investors — real ICP, not mum and friends.

Weekly demo
05 / 06

12 demo days, every week in front of the cohort.

No slides. You say what you shipped, get feedback, and back into the code the same afternoon.

Pitch finale
06 / 06

60 seconds. 100+ investors.

Weeks 11–12 are pitch training. The best go live on stage — and don't go home the same.

Curriculum

12 weeks · 4 phases

Every week ships a deliverable. No filler meetings — we push you to finish.

  1. W1 – W2 Phase 1 / 4

    Discovery

    • Validate the idea with 20 users
    • Problem deep-dive
    • Competitors & market gap
    • Written hypothesis + success metric
    Deliverable
    Written hypothesis + 20 user interviews
  2. W3 – W4 Phase 2 / 4

    Design sprint

    • UX flow + wireframes (Figma + AI)
    • Architecture sketch
    • Tech-stack choice with a mentor
    • Clickable prototype from v0
    Deliverable
    Clickable prototype + architecture
  3. W5 – W8 Phase 3 / 4

    MVP build

    • Pair programming with AI
    • Backend + frontend + auth
    • Deployment on cloud credits
    • Weekly demo to the cohort
    Deliverable
    MVP in production, real users connected
  4. W9 – W12 Phase 4 / 4

    Launch + pitch prep

    • User testing with the community
    • Iteration on feedback
    • Pitch deck + demo video
    • Live pitch rehearsals
    Deliverable
    Shipped product + pitch ready for the stage
Community vote

Vote for your favourite.

Watch the video pitches of the current cohort and back the strongest idea. One vote per browser.

60-second pitch · vote opens live

Serbia's startup showdown, one minute at a time.

Every qualified startup pitches the world in 60 seconds. You watch, you vote, the winners take the stage at Web Summit Lisbon.

Pun prikazHighscore
12 weeks from idea to first user · AI is your team · The code stays yours · No slides — just build · Mentors who actually built · A pitch worth listening to · 12 weeks from idea to first user · AI is your team · The code stays yours · No slides — just build · Mentors who actually built · A pitch worth listening to · 12 weeks from idea to first user · AI is your team · The code stays yours · No slides — just build · Mentors who actually built · A pitch worth listening to ·
From past cohorts

See what the previous cycle looked like

Short founder vlogs, build sessions, demo days and the live pitch finale.

9:16
Cohort 02

Demo Day · July 2025

Click to play
9:16
WPT Energy

Build vlog: first user

Click to play
9:16
Curious Sparrow

AI pair programming

Click to play
9:16
Slotify

Mentor session: GTM

Click to play
9:16
Cohort 01 winners

Pitch finale

Click to play
9:16
12 months later

After-summit alumni

Click to play
Outcome

What you walk out with

  • 01
    MVP in production with first users
  • 02
    Investor-ready pitch deck
  • 03
    Profile with a 1:1 calendar
  • 04
    Smart card with NFC + QR for on-site networking
  • 05
    Spot in the Serbian delegation to Web Summit Lisbon (subject to selection)
  • 06
    Lifetime access to the community and alumni network
Mentors

Mentors (partial list)

Senior engineers, product leads and founders who've done the path — from zero to exit.

?
TBA
AI / ML lead
?
TBA
Product · B2B SaaS
?
TBA
Frontend · React/Next
?
TBA
DevOps · cloud
?
TBA
Legal · IP & contracts
?
TBA
Pitch & storytelling
San Francisco — Transamerica Pyramid
Y Combinator prep
San Francisco · Bay Area
Y

We prep you for Y Combinator — while you stay in Serbia.

Every selected team gets an extra module: how to apply to Y Combinator, how to prep the pitch and Demo Day, and — most importantly — how to open a US legal entity (Delaware C-Corp) tightly linked to your Serbian D.O.O.

01 YC application
Writing the YC apply form

Word by word. Honest read on your odds, past examples that got in, mock interview in front of a founder jury.

02 Dual entity
Delaware C-Corp ↔ Serbian D.O.O.

The standard structure: US entity holds IP and takes investment, the Serbian D.O.O. is a service provider. Operations, payroll and dev all stay in Serbia.

03 Tax & legal
Lawyers on both sides

US legal partner for incorporation, SAFEs, cap table. Serbian counsel for the inter-company agreement and tax compliance.

04 Investor ready
Ready for US capital

With this structure you can take a SAFE and equity round from US funds with no rework — exactly where 90% of Serbian teams stall on their first term sheet.

WE STAY IN SERBIA Team, code, payroll, infrastructure — all stays here. The US entity is purely a legal tool for raising capital. No packing your bags.

LET'S LAND THE FIRST SERBIAN Y COMBINATOR STARTUP!

Frequently asked

What does it cost?

Free for selected teams. Tools, mentorship and cloud credits are all included. Selection runs through the open call.

Do I have to code?

No. We teach you how AI tools write code for you — you're the product owner, AI is the team.

How many hours per week?

Plan for 15–20h per week. Two mentor-hours are fixed, the rest is build + user research.

What if I drop out?

No penalty. Your code stays yours. You just take a spot from someone else — so think before applying.

Does everyone go to Lisbon?

No. Delegation selection runs through a second round in front of the jury. But everyone gets a demo day and pitch training.

End of programme = start

The stage is waiting.

12 weeks later, you walk on stage in front of 100+ investors. Nobody who shows up leaves the same.

Submit your idea See the voting

Ready?

Applications open May 1, 2026. Rolling selection, limited seats.

Submit your idea See the voting