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-person
Duration: 2.5 hours
Capacity: 5-7 founders + 18–20 reality checkers
Founder/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 / Builder
Apply with an idea, landing page, prototype, or MVP that you want to test.

Reality Checker / Test User
Attend 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 briefing
0:15–0:25 - User briefing
0:25–1:45 - Validation rounds
1:45–2:10 - Pattern synthesis
2:10–2:30 - 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.