What if the idea sitting in your notes finally got its moment?

On May 14, Startup Grind Rotterdam is hosting a hackathon built around exactly that challenge.

How it works

You register individually. If you already have a team in mind, you'll connect on the night, we'll make sure there's time and space for that during check-in. If you come solo, we'll help you find yours too. Teams are made up of 2 to 4 people.

From there, your team has three hours to go from raw idea to working product, something you can actually put in front of a user.

The tool making this possible is Lovable. You describe what you want to build. Lovable builds it. Your job is to focus on the idea, the clarity, and the execution.

The people in the room

Elena Avramenko and Dmitrii Abramov, both Lovable ambassadors, will be in the room as mentors and judges throughout the evening. Elena is co-founder of Modaal; Dmitrii is Product Lead at Foundever. They've both been in the room where products get built, and they'll bring that perspective to every team they talk to.

Marijn Markus, AI Lead and Data Scientist at Capgemini Netherlands, will open the evening with a keynote on innovation, technology, and how the best ideas often come from the most unexpected places.

Bogdan Constantinescu, he has run operations, sales and product at IBM and Siemens. At Amber Studio, a scale-up, he built Amber Labs from zero into a functioning business. He now works directly with CEOs and CxOs at B2B tech companies across Europe, part thinking partner, part execution, and is called in when it matters, out when it's done.

The top three teams will each win three private coaching sessions with Javier Mateache Calderon, CEO of NomuLabs, a product and technology studio that helps founders validate and scale their ideas.

Who this is for

Founders, students, creatives, and professionals who have been sitting on an idea and never got around to testing it. No technical skills required, just curiosity and the willingness to try.

Event details

📅 Thursday, May 14 📍 Microlab Rotterdam 🕐 16:00 – 21:30 🆓 Free — 50 spots

Schedule

16:00 — Doors open ↳ Check-in, team setup, and first introductions

16:15 — Welcome & briefing ↳ Opening remarks, event goals, and mentor intro by Elena and Dmitrii

16:30 — Keynote ↳ Marijn Markus on innovation, AI, and thinking beyond your own field

17:15 — Build time begins ↳ 2 hours to go from idea to working product ↳ Elena and Dmitrii available throughout for guidance and feedback

19:15 — Peer feedback round ↳ Teams explore each other's products while judges deliberate

20:15 — Awards & closing ↳ Top 3 teams announced and coaching sessions awarded by Javier

Onwards — Networking & drinks ↳ Celebrate, connect, and keep the conversation going

If you have been thinking about an idea but never got around to building it, this is your evening.

👉 Register now: spots are limited to 50.