Emergent Launches Builder Fest with Kevin O’Leary in the U.S. and Canada, Inviting Founders to Build 

Emergent, the fast-growing AI software creation platform that helps founders and business owners build full-stack, production-ready web and mobile applications, has opened Builder Fest applications. Builder Fest invites founders and small business owners across the United States and Canada to build software they intend to run businesses with for a shot at real investment. The program asks entrants to build software on Emergent, put it to work in a real business, and publicly demonstrate the results for a share of the $100,000 prize pool to run their newly built businesses. The proof point is durability, not speed. What matters is whether a founder’s business is built to last.

It’s no secret that apps and website businesses come and go quickly. And with the rise of AI coding, it’s never been easier to build something and then forget about it. Emergent is interested in businesses that are built to last. Not a fleeting creation built on a whim, but real software, addressing real market problems that will turn the app-builder into an entrepreneur running a business. More than 1,600 founders across the U.S. and Canada have leaped so far, with trending builds visible in real time on Emergent’s public showcase. The top 100 entries each win a prize, with the top three taking home $50,000, $20,000, and $10,000 to invest into their business.

Entrants do not need to code. The bar is being able to name the problem and solve it, not write and debug code. Anyone watching the same bottleneck repeat week after week with a desire to fix it qualifies. Entries so far include a mobile tool helping wholesalers track credit sales and collections, a financial app helping truckers capture receipts and mileage for tax season, and a marketplace connecting home cooks with customers for made-to-order meals.

“Building is in our DNA. We launched Builder Fest to encourage more entrepreneurs and builders to explore what’s possible with Emergent, taking an idea and turning it into working software which can power their business,” said Mukund Jha, co-founder and CEO of Emergent. “The goal is a product that keeps running, evolving and creating value long after launch. At Emergent, we’re not creating a platform for apps that disappear in a few months. We’re powering the next generation of entrepreneurs. If you’ve got a real idea and the drive to run a real business around it, Builder Fest is your moment to show it.”

Entries are judged in stages, using a set rubric created by the Emergent team. All submissions are ranked by upvotes, and the 200 most upvoted businesses will advance to judging. Those 200 are scored against a five-part rubric weighted toward real business impact: business impact and scale potential (30%), upvotes (20%), problem solving (20%), use of Emergent (15%), and UI/UX (15%). The 10 highest-scoring entries present at a virtual finale, where a panel of VCs and investors selects the top three winners.

To enter Builder Fest, submit your idea here and view current entries and upvote favorites; click here.

About Emergent

Emergent is an AI software creation platform that lets people build full-stack, production-ready web and mobile applications using autonomous AI agents. Founded in 2024 by Mukund Jha and Madhav Jha and publicly launched in 2025, the company is backed by Creaegis, Claypond, Khosla Ventures, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Lightspeed, Sentinel Global, Y Combinator, Prosus, Together and Google’s AI Futures Fund. More than 12 million applications have been built on the platform. Emergent is headquartered in San Francisco with its engineering team in Bangalore.

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