BETA DASH 2.0: Turning Early Ideas into Working Prototypes in Just Three Hours

The second edition of BETA DASH brought together sixty builders for an event designed around a simple premise: stop discussing ideas and start turning them into something real. After a first edition with twenty participants, this new gathering—triple in size and spread across twenty-six teams—confirmed that there is a genuine appetite for spaces where founders and creatives can build without friction.

Over the course of three hours, participants worked to transform very early concepts—some no more than a headline—into functional prototypes. Solid (https://app.trysolid.com/web-projects), the zero-to-app platform, made it possible for non-technical participants to ship a working MVP in a single afternoon. From Nomu Labs (https://nomulabs.com/), Javier and Juanma supported teams throughout the process, helping them navigate decisions and maintain momentum.

The event was organized in collaboration with Pitchless – networking, minus the nonsense (https://pitchless.club/) and the IE Entrepreneurship Club (https://www.ie.edu/university/entrepreneurship/), with contributions from Sharad Sriram, Alessandro Natale and Inès Delamaire. The session also featured experienced mentors: Patrick Juarez Pennant, strategy executive and investor, and Zagros Ardalan, founder of Lexia (https://lexia.tech/) and CTO at Seitech (https://seitech.io/). They were joined by Eduardo Ortiz de Lanzagorta González, who provided hands-on support throughout the buildathon.

Standout projects of the edition

Among the twenty-six prototypes built, one project took the top spot:

CASE_SIM, by Rishi KashyapA platform that reimagines traditional MBA case studies as interactive simulations.

Several other projects were highlighted for the clarity of their approach and the quality of their execution:

• Zentir, by Eduardo Podoswa and Eduardo Muñoz GallardoA wellbeing concept combining experiences, community and personal development.https://www.zentir.app/

• Norita, by Maria Jose Lizcano GomezA tool designed to give families peace of mind when supporting ageing relatives.

• ARIA Lab, by Jakub IżewskiA project focused on strengthening human capabilities in an environment increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

• Playlyy, by Ebin SantyA platform connecting players with municipal sports facilities, improving bookings and optimizing usage across cities.https://playlyy.com/

Winners received 1:1 sessions with Juan Camilo Gutiérrez Díaz (VC analyst), a business angel, and a set of tailored coaching sessions to help move their projects forward.

Beyond the selected finalists, the event produced a wide range of projects, including:

• Tanaw AI, by Patricia (Ella) Garcia — an AI-powered recruitment platform for blue-collar roles.

• VAV, by Emma Johnston, Manuela María Ricaurte Sánchez and Rebeca Goded — a project focused on creating digital spaces that connect talent with opportunities.

• Weaves and Stitches LLC, by Sharad Sriram — a digital embroidery studio enabling customers to design custom Indian garments.

• MBA_Masters, also by Rishi Kashyap — a simulator designed for MBA students.

In total, eighteen functional platforms were built from scratch—each in three hours or less.

A format that works because it forces decisions

What makes BETA DASH effective is its structure: no theory, no presentations and no time for overthinking. The format pushes teams to make quick decisions and convert ideas into tangible outputs, which mirrors the philosophy behind Iterate & Iterate, Nomu Labs’ approach to launching MVPs quickly and shaping them through real-world feedback.

Looking ahead

With participation jumping from twenty to sixty builders, planning for the third edition is already underway. The goal is clear: gather more than one hundred participants and strengthen BETA DASH as a recurring space where early-stage founders can test ideas in hours, not weeks.

BETA DASH is becoming a consistent meeting point for builders who want to progress through execution rather than theory. The second edition demonstrates that when the right environment is in place, building becomes the natural next step.