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Programs

Eight programs. One growth curve.

Two GaGro builders prototyping together on a laptop during a working session 01 · Design & Build

Creative Lab

Where raw ideas become tangible prototypes.

A hands-on studio sprint for students who want to move past the whiteboard — combining design thinking, rapid prototyping, and peer critique to turn a rough concept into something you can actually show someone.

  • A tested, presentable prototype in under 2 weeks
  • Structured design-thinking & user-research toolkit
  • Direct feedback from working designers and PMs
  • 2025 cohort shipped 34 prototypes across 12 campuses
  • 3 Lab projects went on to join the AI Startup Accelerator
  • Featured critique panel with designers from Figma & Notion
GaGro builders group photo at Build with TRAE.ai & MiniMax, NYC Hackathon 02 · Build Fast

AI Hackathon

36 hours. One idea. A working demo.

Our signature 36-hour build sprint where cross-disciplinary teams race to ship a working AI product from scratch — with mentors, compute credits, and a live judged finale on the line.

  • A functioning AI prototype and pitch deck
  • Free API & compute credits from partner labs
  • Live judging from founders and engineers
  • 600+ builders across 40 countries in the 2026 edition
  • Winning team's tool now used by 8,000+ students
  • $50,000 in prizes and compute credits awarded
A GaGro founder speaking on stage with a microphone during a Voice of Venture session 03 · Storytelling

Voice of Venture

A speaker & podcast series for founders learning to tell their story.

Part live speaker series, part recorded podcast — Voice of Venture coaches founders on narrative, pitch delivery, and public speaking, then puts them on stage (or on mic) in front of a real audience.

  • 1:1 coaching on narrative and pitch delivery
  • A recorded episode for your founder portfolio
  • Exposure to GaGro's investor & media network
  • 60+ episodes published, 300K+ combined listens
  • Guests have gone on to raise a combined $40M+
  • Live season finale recorded at the Global Summit
Founders and mentors gathered in conversation during an evening GaGro session 04 · Community

Founders Night

Monthly, low-key, high-signal — the room every founder wants an invite to.

An intimate monthly mixer that brings founders, operators, and the occasional investor together in a relaxed setting — no pitches, no name tags, just genuinely useful conversation.

  • Curated introductions based on what you're building
  • Access to a private founders-only chat community
  • A recurring monthly touchpoint in your city
  • Now running monthly in 14 city chapters
  • Origin point for 9 documented co-founder matches
  • Average of 60 founders per session
GaGro Zhejiang Innovation Tour delegation group photo at the official conference stage 05 · Global Immersion

Zhejiang Innovation Tour

A week inside one of the world's fastest-moving tech ecosystems.

An immersive study tour through Zhejiang's manufacturing, e-commerce, and AI hubs — visiting startups, factories, and research labs alongside a small cohort of global peers.

  • On-site visits to 8+ startups, factories & labs
  • Direct meetings with founders building at scale
  • A cross-cultural cohort of 20–30 global peers
  • 4 cohorts run since 2023 across Hangzhou & Ningbo
  • Hosted stops at Alibaba's DAMO Academy campus
  • 90% of alumni say it reshaped their startup thesis
Students collaborating around laptops during an AI campus workshop session 06 · Skills

AI Campus Workshop

Hands-on AI literacy, brought directly to your university.

A traveling one-day workshop series that brings practical AI-building skills onto campus — model basics, prompt engineering, and shipping your first AI-powered mini-project in an afternoon.

  • A working mini AI project built in one session
  • Certificate of completion & starter resource kit
  • Fast-track invite to the AI Hackathon
  • Delivered on 25+ campuses across 3 continents
  • 4,200+ students trained since launch
  • Co-taught with engineers from partner AI labs
A founder presenting his project to a panel of judges at a GaGro Demo Day 07 · Fundraising

Demo Day

Ten minutes on stage. A room full of active investors.

The culmination of the Fellowship and Accelerator cohorts — a quarterly stage where founders pitch live to a curated room of VCs, angels, and corporate scouts actively looking to write checks.

  • A polished 10-minute investor pitch
  • Guaranteed 1:1 time with 3+ Investor Circle members
  • Press coverage via GaGro's News channel
  • 90+ startups have pitched since the first cohort
  • $18M+ raised by presenting teams within 6 months
  • NeuralPath AI's Series A began with a Demo Day intro
Founders celebrating on stage behind a Build with TRAE & MiniMax Los Angeles awards banner 08 · Visibility

Startup Showcase

An open expo floor for the whole ecosystem to discover what's being built.

A public, expo-style showcase where GaGro startups staff booths and demo their products to press, partners, students, and the broader public — built for visibility, not just fundraising.

  • A dedicated booth and product demo slot
  • Direct exposure to press, partners & early users
  • Feature placement in the GaGro newsletter
  • Over 2,000 attendees at the 2026 showcase floor
  • 45 startups exhibited across 6 industry tracks
  • Multiple exhibitors signed pilot customers on-site

Find the program that fits your stage.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis — most applicants hear back within two weeks.