About us
The AI Collective is a non-profit, grassroots community uniting more than a million founders, researchers, operators, and investors exploring the frontier of AI in tech hubs worldwide. Through events, workshops, and community-led research, we help the AI ecosystem steer where this goes: toward trust, openness, and human flourishing.
In Hampton Roads, our chapter brings that to life across Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and the Peninsula, connecting technologists, creatives, students, and entrepreneurs through meetups, hands-on workshops, and real collaborations in healthcare, defense, education, tourism, and the local economy.
We run two things, and there is something on most weeks.
Build and Demo Night. Thursdays, every two weeks, in Virginia Beach. Come with an idea, a half-finished project, or just curiosity. Build for the night, then demo what you made. Working demos beat perfect slides.
Peninsula Builders Study Group. Tuesdays, every two weeks, at Christopher Newport University, Luter 170, 6:00 to 7:30 PM. Bring a laptop and whatever is blocking you. Hands-on, not a lecture.
Both are free, always. No ticket, no tier, no upsell at the door.
Between events the chapter lives online. Paste the error you are stuck on and someone local answers, put what you built in the Build Log, and work through the library at your own pace.
Join here: https://www.chuhching.com/c/aic-hampton-roads
Not sure where to start? This two minute check tells you where you actually are and what to do first: https://www.chuhching.com/l/aichrGroup
Everything else: https://linktr.ee/aicollectivehr
Upcoming events
14
🧜♀️ AICHR | Build and Demo Night (with prizes)
Wegmans Cafe, 4721 Virginia Beach Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA, US🚀 Build & Demo Night — Where Hampton Roads Ships Real AI
Something's building here. Every Month, the AI Collective turns into a working garage: laptops open, ideas flying, and real projects taking shape in the room. This isn't a lecture or a watch-along. It's a build night.
Here's how it works
Come with an idea, a half-finished project, or just curiosity. Spend the night building — solo or on a team. Then we demo. Show what you made, get real feedback, and see what everyone else is shipping. Working demos beat perfect slides, every time.
Andrew and a crew of experienced devs will be in the room the whole night — to pair up, debug with you, talk architecture, or help you scope something you can actually finish by the end of the session. Stuck? We'll get you unstuck. Just want to talk through an idea? That's what we're here for.👇 But here's the bigger picture
These nights aren't the finish line — they're the on-ramp.- 🔧 Build & Demo Night → sharpen your skills, form teams, and get a project off the ground.
- ⚡ Hackathons → take those teams and projects into focused sprint competitions and ship something real in 24–48 hours.
- 🏆 Regional & National Stages → the strongest projects go on to compete at events like the Startup World Cup (global pitch competition, $1M grand prize) and SCSP's AI hackathons ($50K+ prize pools, frontier-AI & national-competitiveness focus) — and whatever comes next.
Local reps → competitive teams → a shot at the biggest stages in tech. The people who show up to build on a random weeknight are the same people who'll be repping Hampton Roads at a national final. That path starts here.
Who should come
- Developers who want to build more, and build faster
- Founders & entrepreneurs with an idea to prototype
- Designers, PMs, and "non-technical" folks who want to team up with builders
- Anyone AI-curious who learns best by doing
You don't need to be an expert. You don't need a team. You don't even need an idea — plenty of projects need hands, and plenty of builders are looking for teammates.
Bring: a laptop, a charger, and something you want to make real.Come build. Demo something. Then let's take it to the world stage. 🌎
ℹ️ Other bits of info & FAQs
- This is a free community event
- Drinks or food are available for purchase depending on the venue
- Photos or videos may be taken for community and marketing purposes
- Come solo or bring a friend
- Is there free parking in the area? Yes. They’ve got lots of spots available in their parking lot.
- Is this free? Yes, but space is limited. Make sure to RSVP.
Between meetups
The chapter is online. Paste the error you are stuck on in the Stuck channel and someone local who has hit it will answer. Put what you built in the Build Log, screenshots and half-working demos welcome. Work through the library at your own pace. All free.
New here, or not sure where to start? This two minute check tells you where you actually are and what is worth doing first: https://www.chuhching.com/l/aichrEventJoin the chapter online: https://www.chuhching.com/c/aic-hampton-roads
🤝 Organizers & partners
Organizers
The AI Collective Hampton RoadsPlatinum partners
TechArk
Regent University
ECPI University
Hampton Roads Chamber Foundation
Retail Alliance & Retail Alliance Foundation
The HIVE + City of Virginia BeachBronze partners
Assembly
757 Collab🌍 Our parent org
The AI Collective is a global non-profit community uniting 1 million+ pioneers – founders, researchers, operators, and investors – exploring the frontier of AI in major tech hubs worldwide. Through events, workshops, and community-led research, we empower the AI ecosystem to collaboratively steer AI’s future toward trust, openness, and human flourishing.All attendees and organizers at events affiliated with The AI Collective agree to our privacy policy and are subject to our code of conduct. Additionally, by registering for this event, you agree to The AI Collective Hampton Roads chapter photo & video policy.
17 attendees
RESONATE → A 757 music, art, tech, business, & community collision
Assembly, 400 Granby St., Norfolk, VA, USRESONATE IS COMING FOR YOUR TIMELINE 🌀
Norfolk / Assembly / Aug 28th / 6-10PM
We're talking Grammy award winners on the panel (yeah, Mike Millions and J Bray pulled up), live sets from Shaolinn, Gee Litt, and CMRNPRKR, plus a keynote from Nicky Saunders who built a following from 300k to 2 million and is spilling the actual playbook.
This isn't a corporate tech panel with sad coffee and a slideshow. This is where art, music, AI, and the future of creative work collide in one room. Workshops on business, tech, culture.
Real talk on protecting your art in the AI era. And yes, there's a spot on stage for you too if you've got something to say.
757, this one's for us. Where local creativity meets the future.Tickets, schedule, everything you need: https://resonate757.com
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
FULL LINEUPKEYNOTE SPEAKER
Nicky Saunders (Art / Tech)
Navy veteran, podcaster, and entrepreneur who runs a marketing agency. Known for growing an online community from 300,000 to 2 million followers, Nicky shares insight on how small businesses and entrepreneurs can grow their digital presence authentically. She emphasizes consistency, which she says is what the algorithm rewards and what wins over users.GRAMMY AWARD WINNER PANEL
Mike Millions (Music)
J Bray (Music)PERFORMANCES
Shaolinn
Gee Litt
CMRNPRKRLEVEL UP & LEARN — Talks, Workshops, & Activations
Brian "Biggs" Booth (Business)
Jay Findlay (Business)
Selmir (Culture)
Lionel Sapp (Tech)
Elaine (Culture)
Chris Toon (Tech)
Ahn Do (Art)
Brian Owens (Business)
Ted Patterson (Tech)Plus open slots on the board for YOU — because the lineup isn't locked, and there's still room for the right voice.
WE'RE CALLING ON THE 757
Got something to say or show off?
We're looking for speakers ready to bring a 30-45 minute talk, whether that's music, art, tech, culture, business, law, ethics, or philosophy. Whatever lane you're in, if you've got a take that belongs in the room, we want it on our stage.Apply to speak or show off your work: https://forms.gle/KMJgUAXjgPTkGq539
Want to be part of making it happen?
We're calling for volunteers to help bring Resonate to life. If you want in on the ground floor of something the 757 hasn't seen before, this is your way in.Apply to volunteer: https://forms.gle/SLoXVM3fLZs4SQwg6
Need a hand getting through the door?
Scholarship applications are open for anyone who wants to be in the room but needs support to make it happen.Apply for a scholarship: https://forms.gle/ZWMySGGQkjD3XLZZA
Speakers, volunteers, scholarship applicants, and anyone who just wants the full details on tickets, schedule, and lineup updates: head to https://resonate757.com
8 attendees
🧜♀️ AICHR | Peninsula Builders Study Group
Christopher Newport University, 1 Avenue of the Arts, Newport News, VA, USNew AI tools are dropping every week. Bookmarks are piling up. “To-be-studied” lists are growing faster than we can keep up with.
Sound familiar?
Peninsula Builders Study Group is a local initiative for students and developers of the Peninsula area who want to stop meaning to learn and start actually doing it—together.
There’s no pressure to be an expert, and no bootcamp intensity. Just a consistent habit, a room full of curious people, and the accountability that comes from showing up. Every session we pick a topic and dive deeper into it until we are fully clear on it.
Session details:
🕕 Time: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
📍 Location: Christopher Newport University (Luter 170)
🔁 Frequency: Bi-weekly (Tuesdays)Stay connected:
Join Slack: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSflVL1WYj3NpiSZ2o7QjJW17-HojU3wPyeeQVIWhKI_4OtFPQ/viewform?usp=dialog🤝 Organizers & partners
Organizers
The AI Collective Hampton RoadsPlatinum partners
TechArk
Regent University
ECPI University
Hampton Roads Chamber Foundation
Retail Alliance & Retail Alliance Foundation
The HIVE + City of Virginia BeachBronze partners
Assembly
757 Collab🌍 Our parent org
The AI Collective is a global non-profit community uniting 200,000+ pioneers – founders, researchers, operators, and investors – exploring the frontier of AI in major tech hubs worldwide. Through events, workshops, and community-led research, we empower the AI ecosystem to collaboratively steer AI’s future toward trust, openness, and human flourishing.
All attendees and organizers at events affiliated with The AI Collective agree to our privacy policy and are subject to our code of conduct. Additionally, by registering for this event, you agree to The AI Collective Hampton Roads chapter photo & video policy.
1 attendee
Past events
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