BUILDACADEMY
12-Week AI App Building Programme in Melbourne
Build a real product, not just a prototype. A 12-week programme for working professionals who want to build production-ready apps using AI.
4 In-Person Workshops
+ Async Slack Support
8-10 Participants
We teach non-technical founders to build real apps using AI.
12 weeks. One product. Production-ready.
Stop outsourcing your product vision. Build it yourself with the tools that actually work.
YOU'VE SEEN THE PROMISE. YOU'VE HIT THE WALL.
“Anyone can build an app with AI now.”
You've heard it everywhere. So you tried it. You followed a YouTube tutorial. You got something working... kind of. Then it broke. You didn't know why. You asked the AI to fix it, and it made things worse.
Or maybe you paid a developer $15,000 to build your idea, only to receive something you can't understand, can't maintain, and can't afford to keep fixing.
You're not stupid. You're not “not technical enough.” You just haven't been taught properly.
THE REAL PROBLEM
The weekend bootcamps and 2-week sprints flooding the market right now have a dirty secret: they're optimised for demo day, not for what happens after.
They teach you to build a prototype. They don't teach you to:
- ✗ Fix it when it breaks
- ✗ Deploy it so real users can actually access it
- ✗ Take payments without everything falling apart
- ✗ Understand what the AI actually built for you
This is why so many people end up in “Vibe Coding Hell” — they can start projects but never finish them. They have a graveyard of half-built apps and no idea how to move forward.
DESIGNED FOR WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DEMO DAY
buildAcademy teaches working professionals to build real products — not just demos. You'll learn to use AI tools like Cursor, v0, and Supabase to build a fully functional application.
But more importantly, you'll learn how to think about building software — so you can solve problems, fix bugs, and keep improving your product long after the programme ends.
WHAT YOU'LL HAVE BY THE END
- ✓ A live, production-ready application with a custom domain
- ✓ Real payment integration that actually works (Stripe)
- ✓ AI-powered features built into your product
- ✓ The debugging skills to fix problems yourself
- ✓ The confidence to keep building — whatever comes next
THIS ISN'T ANOTHER WEEKEND WORKSHOP
See how buildAcademy compares to other AI app building programmes.
| Feature | Other Programmes | buildAcademy |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 2-4 weeks, online only | 12 weeks with 4 in-person workshop days |
| What you build | A prototype | A production-ready product |
| Deployment | "Deploy to Vercel" and done | Dev + production environments with custom domain |
| Payments | Stripe mentioned briefly | Full payment integration with webhooks |
| AI integration | Use AI to build | Use AI to build AND build AI into your product |
| After the programme | Demo day, then you're on your own | Debugging framework you'll use forever |
| Learning style | Watch tutorials | Build your own product from week 1 |
| Support | Figure it out alone | Weekly calls, Slack support, cohort accountability |
EVERYTHING YOU NEED
From idea to live product — everything included in a single programme.
4 Full-Day In-Person Workshops
Intensive, hands-on sessions where you'll make the biggest leaps. Not lectures — real building, with expert guidance in the room.
- → Workshop 1: Environment setup, product scoping, your first build
- → Workshop 2: Database, authentication, core features, Git workflow
- → Workshop 3: Payments, AI features, polish
- → Workshop 4: Final prep and Demo Day
12 Weekly Group Q&A Calls
One hour each week. Submit your questions in advance. Get answers live. Learn from what others are struggling with too.
- → Live problem-solving sessions
- → Submit questions in advance
- → Learn from cohort challenges
- → Screen sharing and debugging
Slack Support & Curriculum
Stuck between calls? Post in Slack and get help from instructors and peers. Clear milestones each week so you always know what to do next.
- → Structured homework and milestones
- → Async instructor support
- → Peer collaboration channel
- → No more YouTube rabbit holes
Production Deployment & Demo Day
Your app won't just run on your laptop. You'll deploy to a real production environment with a custom domain — ready for actual users.
- → Custom domain setup
- → Production environment
- → Demo Day presentation
- → Alumni community access
THE COMPLETE TECH STACK
Master the tools that let non-technical people build real products.
Stripe
Payment processing with checkout flows, webhooks, and subscription logic.
OpenAI / Claude APIs
Build AI-powered features directly into your product.
12 WEEKS. 4 WORKSHOPS. ONE REAL PRODUCT.
A structured curriculum that takes you from idea to deployed, revenue-ready product.
Foundation
Scope your product. Set up your environment. Build your first UI. Learn Git basics. Workshop 1 (Week 1): full day in-person — program kickoff, product scoping, environment setup, your first build with v0 and Cursor. Leave with a running app on your laptop.
Core Build
Database design. User authentication. Core features. The debugging framework. Workshop 2 (Week 4): full day in-person — how databases work, Supabase setup, authentication, CRUD operations, Git workflow. Leave with working auth and core features connected to your database.
Monetisation & AI
Stripe integration. Webhooks. AI-powered features. UI polish. Workshop 3 (Week 7): full day in-person — how payments work, Stripe checkout flows, subscription logic, AI APIs, prompt engineering. Leave with working payments and an AI-powered feature.
Launch Prep
Production deployment. Custom domain. Security checklist. User testing. Deploy to production, configure your custom domain, run security checks, test with real users, and prepare your demo day presentation.
Demo Day
Workshop 4 (Week 12): full day in-person — final polish and prep, Demo Day presentations, celebration and certificates, alumni community onboarding, and planning what comes next for your product.
BUILT FOR PEOPLE WITH JOBS AND IDEAS
The programme is designed for working professionals. No coding experience required.
Founders with Ideas
Tired of waiting for (or paying for) developers to build your vision. Take control and build it yourself.
- → Build your own MVP
- → Iterate without developer dependency
- → Save $15,000-50,000+ on outsourcing
- → Validate ideas faster
Operators & Business Leaders
Build internal tools without IT bottlenecks or procurement nightmares. Ship solutions on your own schedule.
- → Build internal tools
- → No IT procurement delays
- → Automate workflows
- → Increase team efficiency
Product Managers & Marketers
Prototype and validate ideas without depending on engineering sprints. Speak the language of your dev team.
- → Build working prototypes
- → Validate ideas independently
- → Better technical conversations
- → Ship without waiting for sprints
Career Pivoters
Explore technical skills without committing to a CS degree or quitting your job. Build real things, not just theory.
- → No CS degree required
- → Learn alongside your day job
- → Build a real portfolio piece
- → Practical, not theoretical
DESIGNED FOR PEOPLE WITH FULL-TIME JOBS
You don't need:
- ✗ Any coding experience
- ✗ A technical background
- ✗ To quit your job
You do need:
- ✓ A product idea (or willingness to develop one in Week 1)
- ✓ 5-10 hours per week to dedicate to the programme
- ✓ The commitment to actually build something
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Callum Holt
Callum is the founder of 13Labs and has spent over a decade building software for startups and enterprises. After discovering AI-powered development tools, he started teaching non-technical founders how to build their own applications.
buildAcademy was created after helping dozens of aspiring builders through buildDay workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions. After seeing hundreds of people get stuck in tutorial hell and “vibe coding” dead ends, he designed a programme that addresses what others miss: the skills to not just launch, but to keep building.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes. buildAcademy is designed specifically for non-technical people. You won't learn to "code" in the traditional sense — you'll learn to direct AI tools to build for you, and to understand enough to maintain what you create. Our curriculum assumes zero programming background. If you can write a clear email, you can learn to prompt an AI to build software.
The programme is built for working professionals. The in-person workshops are on weekends (4 days total across 12 weeks). Weekly calls are 1 hour in the evening. Homework is 5-10 hours per week on your own schedule. If you can carve out the equivalent of a part-time commitment, you can do this.
Most courses teach you to follow along with a tutorial project. buildAcademy is different — you're building your own product from day one, not copying someone else's. The in-person workshops create accountability that online-only programmes can't match. And our debugging framework gives you skills that transfer beyond any single project. When you get stuck, you'll know how to get unstuck.
You can learn individual pieces, yes. But you'll spend months piecing together fragmented tutorials, hitting walls with no one to help, and probably giving up before you ship anything real. buildAcademy gives you a structured path, expert guidance, and a cohort that keeps you accountable. The question isn't whether the information exists — it's whether you'll actually finish.
We'll help you refine it. Part of the first workshop is scoping — making sure you're building something achievable in 12 weeks that solves a real problem. You don't need a perfect idea to start. You need the willingness to build. Some of the best products come from ideas that seemed "too simple" at first.
The weekly Q&A calls are designed to help you catch up. Slack support means you can get unstuck between calls. And the cohort structure means you're not alone — others will be working through similar challenges. That said, you do need to put in the work. We can't build your product for you, but we can make sure you're never stuck for long.
The workshops are the core of the programme — they're where the biggest breakthroughs happen. We strongly encourage attendance at all four. If you have a genuine conflict, let us know before enrolling and we can discuss options. But this isn't a programme you can do passively.
READY TO BUILD SOMETHING REAL?
Cohorts are small — 8-10 people — to ensure everyone gets hands-on support. If you're serious about building, we want to hear from you.
Questions? Email callum@13labs.au