AINative StartUp Camp
Don't build an AI feature. Build an AI-Native Institution.
6,000+
Local businesses
272K
Population
20,000
UCSC students
#35
US startup rank
$80K
Median income
600+
Tech companies
Toby Morning
Founder & CEO, AINative Studio
Karsten Wade
Community Lead, AINative
Ayori Selassie
Entrepreneur & Advisor
3-Day Schedule
Pitch + Form Teams
- 6:00 PM — Doors open, check in, meet your fellow campers 🏕️
- 7:00 PM — Welcome + 15 AI-native idea presentations
- 7:45 PM — Open mic pitches (your own ideas welcome!)
- 8:30 PM — Team formation + idea voting
- 9:30 PM — Bonfire 🔥 + campout setup (BYO tent & sleeping bag)
Validate + Build
- 8:00 AM — Coffee on + team workspace setup (BYO breakfast/snacks)
- 9:00 AM — Build sprint begins (vibe code with Cody CLI + ZeroDB)
- 12:00 PM — BBQ grill available — BYO food & cook together 🍔
- 1:00 PM — Validation workshop: customer discovery with AI agents
- 3:00 PM — Mid-day check-in + pivot window
- 6:00 PM — Evening BBQ + lightning talks (BYO dinner)
- 7:00 PM — Evening build session (optional, 1 Gig fiber all night)
Demo + Launch
- 9:00 AM — Final build sprint (BYO breakfast)
- 11:00 AM — Pitch prep + dry runs with mentors
- 1:00 PM — Demo Day: present to founders, operators, investors
- 3:00 PM — Awards, networking, next steps
- 4:00 PM — Closing + community celebration 🎉
Can't make it in person? Watch the entire event live.
Pitches, demos, build sessions — streaming live on AINative Live
Camp Essentials 🏕️
This is a bring-your-own-everything campout. Here's what to pack.
🍔 Food & Drinks (BYO)
- • Bring your own meals, snacks & drinks for the weekend
- • BBQ grill available — bring meat, veggies, whatever you want to cook
- • Bring a cooler to keep your food fresh
- • Coffee & water provided ☕
- • Great restaurants within walking distance in downtown SC
⛺ Camping Gear (Optional)
- • Tent + sleeping bag (SC nights ~50°F)
- • Pillow, warm layers, hoodie
- • Extension cord / power strip
- • Headlamp or flashlight
- • Not camping? Day attendance is totally fine!
💻 Tech & The Venue
- • Laptop + charger (required)
- • 1 Gig fiber internet — wireless everywhere on the property
- • Plenty of power outlets & workspace
- • Outdoor spaces, bonfire pit, historic Victorian estate
- • Walking distance to downtown Santa Cruz
Your Vibe Coding Toolkit 🛠️
Every camper gets 30-day Pro access to the full AINative stack. Here's what you'll build with.
AI coding assistant — describe what you want, Cody builds it. Perfect for vibe coders and non-technical founders.
Persistent database with vectors, memory, NoSQL, and file storage. Your AI remembers everything.
Deploy AI agents that work 24/7 — customer research, outreach, data analysis, and more.
Pre-built React/Next.js components — streaming chat UIs, agent dashboards, video players.
Connect AI agents to databases, APIs, and services via Model Context Protocol. Works with Claude, Cursor, Windsurf.
Context graphs that connect people, companies, and data points. Build relationship intelligence.
Who Should Attend
Whether you code, design, sell, or just have a big idea — there's a seat for you. No experience required.
Vibe Coders 🎵
Describe what you want, AI builds it — ship a product this weekend with Cody CLI
Non-Technical Founders
Never written code? No problem. Vibe coding means you tell AI what to build. 34% of new micro-SaaS built by non-devs.
Developers
Build with ZeroDB, Agent Cloud, GraphRAG, AI Kit, and 69 MCP tools — the full AINative stack
Designers / UX
Shape AI-native interfaces with AI Kit components — streaming chat, agent UIs, dashboards
Growth / Marketing
Launch and validate with AI-powered GTM — agents handle outreach while you focus on strategy
Operators
Build the systems that scale AI-native companies with Agent Swarm orchestration
Mentors
Guide teams and share your expertise (free entry — email developer@ainative.studio)
Investors
See the next wave of AI-native companies being born — 15 validated ideas, live demos
Why Santa Cruz
Data from the AINative Lakehouse — 6 public datasets, 100K+ rows of Santa Cruz County economic intelligence.
Business Landscape
- 1,200+ professional/technical services firms (NAICS 54)
- 900+ food/accommodation establishments (NAICS 72)
- 700+ healthcare organizations (NAICS 62)
- 200+ tech/information companies (NAICS 51)
- 150+ finance/insurance firms (NAICS 52)
Ecosystem
- Santa Cruz Works: 600+ tech businesses, $30B+ combined value
- UCSC: 20,000 students, strong CS/engineering pipeline
- Startup rank: #109 globally, #35 in US (StartupBlink)
- Notable exits: Netflix, Looker (Google), Joby Aviation
- 500+ federal awards to county recipients since 2015
Demographics
- Population: 272,596 (2023 Census ACS5)
- Median household income: ~$80,000
- Labor force: ~140,000
- Per capita personal income: ~$62,000 (FRED)
The Venue
- Historic Victorian estate on the Westside
- ⚡ 1 Gig fiber — wireless everywhere on the property
- BBQ grill + outdoor cooking area (BYO food)
- Outdoor spaces for camping + bonfire 🔥
- Walking distance to downtown Santa Cruz
Source: AINative Lakehouse — Census CBP, ACS5, FRED, USAspending, IRS SOI, EDD QCEW
15 AI-Native Companies That Could Only Exist in 2026
Validated with market data, community signals, and Santa Cruz County lakehouse analytics. Click any card to see the full research. These are ideas you could build this weekend.
AI-Native Acquisition Entrepreneur
$10T in business assets transferring
Infinite Memory Venture Capital
85% of VC dealmakers using AI
AI-Native Executive Search
$64B market, 90% sourcing automated
Corporate Memory Insurance
$31.5B/yr lost to knowledge gaps
AI-Native City
$64.71B smart city AI market
Autonomous SPV Manager
$14.81B SPV services market
Personal Family Office for Everyone
110M robo-advisory users globally
AI-Native Franchise Operator
$920B industry, 150% annual turnover
Company Brain as a Service
YC Summer 2026 RFS explicitly calls for this
Agent Cost Optimization Platform
Mercor: tokens now exceed payroll
AI-Native Holding Company
GC allocated $1.5B for AI rollups
Agent Reputation Network
IETF trust scoring draft published
Autonomous Nonprofit
82% using AI, only 9% ready
Agent Marketplace for SMBs
$10.91B market, 43% YoY growth
AI-Native University
92% of students using AI tools
30-Day Pro Trial Included
$49/month after trial. Your card is NOT charged for 30 days. Auto-cancels unless you opt in.
Register for StartUp Camp
Create your AINative account and start your 30-day Pro trial.
June 12-14 | 233 Van Ness Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to build something real?
Join founders, engineers, and AI builders for a weekend of building AI-native institutions in Santa Cruz.
Register Now — 30-Day Free TrialWant to mentor or sponsor? Email developer@ainative.studio