Women in AI Accelerator: 6 Weeks, 600+ Builders, and 50 Projects

<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><img height="822" width="1456" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!52Qu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F85e68c4c-e639-4f69-8ef8-570f637ec969_1788x1010.png"></figure></div><p>Six weeks. Over 600 members. 50 projects shipped.</p><p>That’s what went down in the Build Club Women in AI Accelerator, and we’re still buzzing from it.</p><p>Across six weeks, we brought together a community of builders to go from idea to working AI product - backed by 25+ partners offering perks, three dedicated workshop sessions, and a cohort that showed up with the kind of energy that reminds you why these programmes exist: to build, to learn, and to back ideas that might just stick.</p><div><hr></div><h3>🥇 Winner: Larette</h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><img height="648" width="1232" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B6WN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e5df38f-b821-43bb-bb54-ca4a57905491_1232x648.png"></figure></div><p><strong>Builder:</strong> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sruthipillai/">Sruthi Pillai</a></p><p><strong>Project Demo:</strong> <a href="https://www.loom.com/share/42ebc54de4fe4e3c9c69c2453cee2e6b">Larette</a></p><p>If animal rescue had a sidekick built for the people actually doing the work, this would be it.</p><p>Larette replaces 4–5 disconnected tools and a 100+ step manual process with one system designed around how volunteer coordinators actually work - structured data extraction from carer updates, integrated matching logic, and a full adoption pipeline. Built alongside a real pilot organisation in Australia from day one.</p><blockquote><p>“We have been building alongside our pilot organisation from the start of the accelerator - there was no room for shortcuts.”</p></blockquote><p>The hardest part of the build wasn’t visible in the demo. Getting security right for real organisational data - row-level security, multi-org data isolation, auth hardening - meant learning cybersecurity fundamentals alongside the build itself.</p><blockquote><p>“Builders have to choose [the problems with the most social impact] - and that choice is available to more people now than it has ever been.”</p></blockquote><p>Sruthi’s clarity of purpose and the depth of execution stood out from day one, and a real pilot partner already on board made the win feel earned rather than theoretical.</p><p>Read more about Larette <a href="https://buildclub.substack.com/p/larette-took-first-place-and-rewrote?r=7pcjxn">here</a></p><div><hr></div><h3>🥈Second Place: Island Tales</h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><img height="665" width="1054" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!V_5D!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67f43277-4db4-4fd2-87ea-e33ec0749c7a_1054x665.png"></figure></div><p><strong>Builder:</strong> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/venettajsmithen/">Venetta Smithen</a></p><p><strong>Project:</strong> <a href="https://islandtales-oatbsxnq.manus.space/">Island Tales</a></p><p>Island Tales is an interactive, AI-powered storytelling project built to preserve and celebrate Caribbean cultural heritage - using generative AI and agentic workflows to turn regional narratives into living, dynamic content.</p><p>Building entirely solo, Venetta took on both the technical and cultural challenge at once: teaching the model to respect the nuance and depth of Caribbean storytelling rather than defaulting to generic output.</p><blockquote><p>“Trust your vision and your execution. When building independently without a safety net or dedicated mentors, your resourcefulness is your greatest asset. Fall in love with the problem, iterate fast, and build exactly what you know needs to exist.”</p></blockquote><p>Her second-place finish validated more than the build - it validated the idea that culturally specific storytelling has a real place in the AI space.</p><p>Read more about Island Tales <a href="https://buildclub.substack.com/p/island-tales-takes-2nd-place-at-the?r=7pcjxn">here</a></p><div><hr></div><h3>🥉Third Place: Inkognito AI</h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><img height="796" width="1064" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w27L!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbb343442-74f2-4e32-8c9a-c2a6b9fbce87_1064x796.png"></figure></div><p><strong>Builders:</strong> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/netochukwu-onuoha/">Neto Onuoha</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepali-garg-3b9160141/">Deepali Mittal</a></p><p><strong>Project Demo:</strong> <a href="https://inkreach-i3sl2aez.manus.space/">Inkognito AI</a></p><p>Every founder has a story worth telling - Neto and Deepali built Inkognito AI for the ones tired of sending generic outreach and hearing nothing back. The platform automates hyper-personalised pitches, tuned to the tone, purpose, and context of each outreach.</p><p>The steepest learning curve wasn’t the AI - it was the plumbing. Integrating with LinkedIn, Gmail, Outlook, and Apollo as a first-time build challenged the team early.</p><blockquote><p>“We believe AI gives a better outcome when there’s the existence of the human touch. That was the thought behind making PR outreach hyper-personalised instead of generic.”</p></blockquote><p>Third place was the milestone. Fifteen real pilot users already on the platform is the number that matters most.</p><p>Read more about Inkognito.ai <a href="https://buildclub.substack.com/p/inkognitoai-the-pitch-platform-that?r=7pcjxn">here</a></p><div><hr></div><h3>The Real Win: The Community</h3><p>Accelerators are never just about the prizes. They’re about the process - the messy middle where people push limits, swap ideas, and discover what they’re actually capable of building.</p><p>Over six weeks, that builder mindset showed up everywhere. Fifty projects came out of this cohort, built by people balancing the accelerator alongside day jobs, study, and everything else life throws at you.</p><p>We’re endlessly grateful to the 25+ partners who backed this cohort with real perks and real support - including <strong>Notion</strong>, <strong>ElevenLabs</strong>, <strong>mem0</strong>, and <strong>Vapi</strong>, who gave builders tools to actually ship with. And to <strong>Composio</strong>, <strong>Anything AI</strong>, <strong>Hyperspell</strong>, and <strong>Manus</strong>, who ran hands-on workshop sessions that sharpened what this cohort was capable of building.</p><div><hr></div><h3>Why We Build</h3><p>For us at Build Club, six weeks like this is a reminder of why we do what we do.</p><p>Accelerators aren’t just about shipping fast. They’re about learning faster - testing ideas, finding the real problem underneath the one you thought you were solving, and remembering that building well is rarely a solo act, even when you’re doing it alone.</p><p>Here’s to the builders who kept showing up, week after week, staying curious and shipping anyway. We’re proud to build with you, and we can’t wait to do it again soon. 🚀</p><div><hr></div><p>If you were there, you know the feeling - the late nights, the breakthroughs, the showcase nerves. If you missed it, don’t worry. This is just the beginning.</p><p><strong>– Team Build Club 💙</strong></p><div><hr></div><p><em>Want to follow along with what our community is building next? <a href="https://buildclub.substack.com/">Subscribe to Build Club Wrapped.</a></em></p>