The Next Frontier | Launchpad
Hosted by The AI Collective + Rinny J + Erin Moore + 🧜♀️ The AI Collective Hampton Roads + Erin Marie + Gerry White + Andrew Stafford + Ted Patterson + Erin R Marie
Register with organizer
What to look forward to
The Launchpad will kick off The Next Frontier 2026 with a hands-on workshop on pitching ideas, finding scientific research and datasets, and using AI tools to prepare for a space innovation hackathon, no coding experience required. Attendees will include aspiring innovators alongside The AI Collective’s global community of 150,000+ founders, researchers, operators, and investors.
Inside the event
🚀 The Launchpad: Shape Your Idea
Your journey into innovation starts here! ☄️
Join The AI Collective Hampton Roads for The Launchpad, night one of The Next Frontier 2026, a community-driven space innovation hackathon presented by ECPI University, where science, technology, and creativity collide. The top team wins $1,000!
Before you start building, learn how to turn your curiosity into a compelling project idea!
During this interactive kickoff workshop, we'll explore
- 🚀 Pitching Your Idea: Learn how to identify a problem, develop a solution, and communicate your vision.
- 🔭 Scientific Discovery: Explore research resources, publicly available datasets, and inspiration from space and Earth science.
- 🤖 AI & Emerging Technologies: Discover tools that can help you research, prototype, and bring your ideas to life.
- 🌎 Preparing for the Challenge: Understand what to expect during The Next Frontier and how to make the most of your hackathon experience.
Whether you're a student, scientist, developer, designer, or simply curious about innovation, you belong at The Launchpad. No coding experience required!
The full weekend
- Fri, Nov 13, 6–8 PM: The Launchpad (this event) at ECPI
- Sat, Nov 14, 11 AM–2 PM: Mission Control, pitch day at ECPI. The $1,000 winner is announced!
- Sun, Nov 15: Virtual. Teams submit their NASA project.
Please RSVP for Saturday too: https://luma.com/rcgp5z5x
📅 Friday, November 13, 2026
🕕 6:00–8:00 PM EST
📍 ECPI University | 5555 Greenwich Rd, Virginia Beach, VA
🌐 Event Website: https://aichr-nextfrontier.lovable.app/
💬 Discord: https://discord.gg/ecW2mY3DD
Come curious. Leave ready to launch. 🚀
Bronze partners
Our parent org
The AI Collective is a global non-profit community uniting 150,000+ 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.
5555 Greenwich Rd
5555 Greenwich Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23462, USA. Confirm the venue with the organizer before traveling.
Open in Google Maps ↗Details come from the event listing and the organizer page; registration is managed by the organizer.
Last checked: Nov 12, 2026. Confirm current availability before making plans.
Organizer page checked: Nov 12, 2026. Check registration for the latest details.