01 · Dates
Three days, one weekend
FoundersLab runs Friday evening through Sunday afternoon at Downtown Pizza in downtown Lake Wales. Attendance is free — each of the twenty participants is backed by a local business, and four meals are provided inside the restaurant's normal hours.
- Dates
- Friday, February 26 to Sunday, February 28, 2027
- Hours
- Fri 5:30–9pm · Sat 9am–8pm · Sun 11am–5pm
- Place
- Downtown Pizza, Lake Wales, Florida
- Cost
- Free to attend, by application
- Size
- 20 participants, each backed by a local business
- Meals
- Four: Fri dinner, Sat lunch and dinner, Sun lunch
- People
- About 20 mentors, four judges, one MC, five organizers
02 · Agenda
What happens, hour by hour
The shape holds every year: pitch and form teams Friday, validate and build Saturday, present and get judged Sunday.
Pitch & form teams
- Dinner together at Downtown Pizza.
- Everyone gives a 60-second pitch — no slides.
- Three votes each; the top ideas draw the room.
- Four teams of five form and write a team charter.
- Judging criteria and ground rules handed out.
Validate, build, get mentored
- Customer interviews around downtown from 9am — leave the building.
- 11am briefing: what the morning taught you.
- Lunch, then rotating 20-minute mentor sessions (6–8 per team).
- Build sessions through the afternoon.
- Every team logs at least 10 customer conversations by 4pm.
- Dinner, then a status checkpoint: your top three insights.
Finish, present, get judged
- Final build time in the morning.
- Lunch, then rehearsal.
- Presentations at 2pm — 4 minutes plus 3 minutes of questions.
- Four judges score each team out of 100.
- Awards (in-kind only) and the sponsor mingle.
Ground rules
- 60-second pitches, no slides.
- Three votes each; teams of five.
- No CEO — flat teams only.
- No contracts; ideas stay with their creators.
- In-kind prizes only, no cash awards.
- Code of conduct published; quiet room open all weekend.
03 · How to apply
Three questions, twenty spots
Open to all ages (18+, or with guardian consent). Selection looks for commitment, curiosity and complementary skills — builders, sellers, designers, operators — not polish, pedigree or a finished idea. Not sure you qualify? Apply anyway.
- 01.
Apply
Your name, your age, a short pitch. Applications close February 12, 2027.
- 02.
Hear back
Applications are reviewed as they arrive; every applicant is notified by email before the weekend.
- 03.
Commit to all three days
Twenty spots. No partial attendance — teams depend on every member.
- 04.
Work the weekend
Validate with real customers, build with mentors, present what you learned.
- 05.
Stay in the loop
30-, 60- and 90-day check-ins with mentor office hours.
04 · Sponsors
Twenty businesses, $100 each
Every participant is backed by one local business for $100, and every sponsor takes part in the weekend — mentoring, speaking, helping or judging. Sponsors get website and signage recognition, a public thank-you, a named seat at Sunday's showcase, a one-page brief on the founder they back, and a 30-day check-in. Each sponsor may offer a small in-kind prize to their participant.
Before you apply
01.Read the founder's guide firstStart a Business in Lake Wales, Florida covers validation, legal structure, licensing, county and city business tax steps, and your first 30 days — the same ground the Lab works through in a weekend.