Vibe-a-thon submissions are open — bring us your business problems
You know the one. The workflow that eats your afternoon. The customer question your team answers fifty times a week. The translation, the scheduling, the spreadsheet that nobody wants to touch. The thing you’ve quietly thought, “there has to be a tool that could do this.”
There probably is — and we’re going to build it with you, live, in front of a room.
Submissions for the PS/NExT Vibe-a-thon are officially open. Any Coachella Valley business, nonprofit, public agency, school, or community organization can submit a real challenge. If yours is selected, we’ll match you with a team of builders, students, designers, and mentors who’ll use the latest AI tools to prototype a working solution during the Summit on June 22–23 at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
Bring the problem — not the solution
This is the part that trips people up: you don’t need to know what the fix looks like. You only need to understand the problem. Describe the workflow, the pain, the customer, the bottleneck — in plain English. The team brings the tools and the technical know-how. You bring the messy reality.
The best submissions so far have included repetitive customer-service questions, multilingual visitor communications, intake forms that should be automated, reporting that’s done by hand every month, scheduling chaos, inventory tracking, and dozens of other “we’ve always done it this way” moments. There’s no industry too small and no problem too unglamorous.
What you get if you’re selected
- A team matched to your challenge, working live during the Summit
- A working prototype by the end of Day 2 — you own it
- Optional showcase visibility (only if you’re comfortable demoing it)
- A direct connection to the local talent pipeline of builders, students, and mentors solving real problems in the Coachella Valley
The time commitment is small: roughly two hours of in-person attendance across the two days (the Day 1 kickoff and the Day 2 showcase), with another hour or two of optional Q&A so the team can converge on the right direction.
The deadline — and why earlier is better
Submissions close at 5:00 PM Pacific on Friday, June 19, 2026 — three days before the Summit opens. There’s no cost to submit. We review on a rolling basis, so the earlier yours lands, the more time we have to scope it carefully, gather supporting materials, and pair it with the right team.
This program is part of a bigger idea: a flywheel of economic growth for the Coachella Valley. Local businesses bring the problems. Builders, students, and entrepreneurs grow their skills solving them. Educators and mentors keep that knowledge here. The Vibe-a-thon is the spark.
Sponsored by
Takes about five minutes. We’ll be in touch.