Micro Biz Launchpad nonprofit event will guide participants through building real products and automation tools in just two days
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries and spark both excitement and uncertainty across the workforce, a new community-driven initiative is aiming to help local innovators turn disruption into opportunity.
A group of technology professionals and educators who connected at tech-focused events in Folsom have launched a nonprofit called Micro Biz Launchpad, designed to help people harness emerging AI tools to build new businesses and income streams. The organization will host its next “Launchpad Weekend” March 14–15 in Historic Folsom, bringing participants together for an intensive two-day program focused on building real products using AI-powered tools.
The event will also take place simultaneously in Orange, California, but the Folsom gathering is expected to draw local professionals, entrepreneurs and curious beginners interested in exploring how artificial intelligence can accelerate business development.
Organizers describe the weekend as a hands-on experience where participants—ranging from seasoned technology experts to people with no coding experience—use modern AI-driven no-code and low-code tools to build working software, automated workflows or startup prototypes in just two days.
The concept behind the event grew from conversations among technology workers and educators who saw both the challenges and possibilities emerging from the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence tools in the workplace.
“In an era where AI tools bring the power of software creation to anyone, we want to remove the barriers that keep great ideas from becoming reality,” said Brett Hoffstadt, co-founder of Micro Biz Launchpad. “We’ve seen people with zero software building skills deploy fully functional apps within hours. More experienced people have gained jobs, investor dollars, and new customers thanks to what they built in a weekend. Entrepreneurship is now accessible to anyone willing to build.”
Participants work through a guided process during the weekend that takes an idea from concept to a functional prototype or automation system. The event also emphasizes collaboration and networking, allowing attendees to meet potential partners, mentors or future collaborators while working alongside others building projects of their own.
Ryan McNeely, the organization’s other co-founder, said the nonprofit was created partly in response to what he and others were seeing across the job market.
“We created MBL in response to seeing many successful, motivated friends struggling for months or longer to find well-paying jobs in this economy,” McNeely said. “In some cases, it seems they are already being replaced by AI. MBL is the solution. Many of us who spent decades working as employees will have to adapt to the fractional hiring model companies are adopting. It’s important we build multiple streams of income so we can navigate through the next several years. The good news is it has never been easier for a single person to accomplish this.”
Organizers say the program focuses heavily on practical results rather than theory. Each cohort is limited to 20 participants so organizers can provide individualized technical guidance throughout the weekend as attendees develop their projects.
According to Micro Biz Launchpad leaders, past events have produced several notable outcomes for participants who used the weekend to turn ideas into working tools or startup concepts.
One participant built a prototype during the event and later secured investor funding to develop a full production version of the idea. Another attendee with no prior technical background created a business idea with Fitbit integration, built a prototype, submitted for a patent and was accepted into three accelerator programs.
In another example, a participant created a stock options trading calculator during the event that later began generating subscription revenue. Others have found technical co-founders during Launchpad weekends or landed full-time jobs within weeks by demonstrating the AI skills they developed during the program.
A local startup founder who had spent seven years developing hardware sensors for sanitation departments was also able to build the software mapping system needed to support the hardware during a single Launchpad weekend, organizers said.
Beyond the projects themselves, the program aims to build an ongoing network of participants who continue collaborating after the event through social media groups and virtual meetups.
“We provide personalized, in-person technical guidance to all participants,” McNeely said. “This requires us to limit each cohort to 20 people. Fortunately, this has led to success for every single participant.”
Micro Biz Launchpad describes itself as a nonprofit initiative focused on helping community members launch micro businesses using artificial intelligence and automation tools. The organization was founded by Hoffstadt and McNeely and hosts in-person events in communities including Folsom and Orange County. The upcoming Folsom event will take place at Granite City Workspaces in Folsom’s Historic District. For full details about the organization and to sign up for the upcoming Launchpad Weekend, visit microbizlaunchpad.org.
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