Reality Check: Pitch Your Idea to 10 Real People
Building something? Before you write more code, talk to real users who don’t owe you politeness. Reality Check is a weekly AI Garage validation lab where founders bring an idea, landing page, prototype, Figma, WhatsApp demo, or MVP and pitch it directly to real people. You’ll leave with what users actually understood, what confused them, who they think it’s for, and whether they would use it. Most founders know they should talk to users. But they avoid it because it feels awkward, unstructured, or hard to arrange. Reality Check by AI Garage is a live founder-led validation lab where you bring your idea, landing page, prototype, Figma, WhatsApp demo, or MVP - and pitch it directly to real people. This is not a demo day.This is not a networking event.This is not generic feedback from other founders. You will sit across from potential users, pitch for 2 minutes, ask sharper questions, and observe what they actually understood. AI Garage will help structure the session, capture responses, and synthesize patterns after the event. Format: In-personDuration: 2.5 hoursCapacity: 5-7 founders + 18–20 reality checkersFounder/Reality Checker ticket: Free Who this is for This is best for founders/builders working on: Consumer apps AI tools Productivity products Learning/career products Creator tools Community/event products Local commerce ideas Student or working professional products Early landing pages, prototypes, or MVPs You don’t need a finished product.You do need something you can explain or show in 2 minutes. What you’ll do Each founder will test their idea with multiple real people in short validation rounds. For every round: You pitch or demo your product for 2 minutes The user explains what they understood You ask follow-up questions The user shares whether they would use/pay/share Responses are captured for synthesis The goal is not applause. The goal is to find: What people think your product does Who they think it is for What confuses them Which lines create interest Which assumptions are wrong Whether anyone would actually use it What you’ll leave with You’ll leave with: 8–10 real user reactions Clarity on what people understood Repeated confusion points Objections and interest signals Exact words users used to describe your product A sharper version of your pitch Clear next steps for your landing page, product, or ICP Who can attend There are two types of attendees: Founder / BuilderApply with an idea, landing page, prototype, or MVP that you want to test. Reality Checker / Test UserAttend as a curious user. Try new ideas, give honest reactions, and help builders improve. Important note This event is founder-led. AI Garage will not validate your idea for you. You will personally pitch, ask questions, and face real user reactions. That is the point. Come ready to listen more than you explain. Agenda (2.5–3 hrs) 0:00–0:15 - Founder briefing0:15–0:25 - User briefing0:25–1:45 - Validation rounds1:45–2:10 - Pattern synthesis2:10–2:30 - Founder debrief + next steps Prerequisites / What to Bring (Important) For founders/builders: bring an idea, landing page, prototype, Figma, WhatsApp demo, or MVP that you can explain in 2 minutes. Come with a target user in mind and 2–3 things you want to validate. For reality checkers: no prep needed. Just show up, try new ideas, and give honest reactions. Please bring a laptop or phone if you’re presenting something. No coding, tools, or API keys required. About the Host This workshop is hosted by AI Garage, a community helping non-technical professionals build real AI solutions for work and life. We’ve hosted 20+ hands-on AI workshops, and several participant projects have gone on to become internal tools or live products.
