The Forge.

First Annual Buildathon & Mini Conference

So, you think you can build? This is Where you prove it.

Fall 2026·Raleigh-Durham, NC·By Application·Limited Spots

BUILD. SHIP. LEAD.

Most buildathons are about shipping fast. The Forge is about building right.

Where House's inaugural competition brings together serious technical founders & builders for a multi-day experience in Raleigh-Durham. Showcase your skills as you build, ship, and test your limits while receiving mentorship from experienced operators & startup coaches. Winners get the grand prize. Everyone gets seen.

This isn't just a hackathon. It's a preview of what Where House is all about—effective leadership under pressure.

Build

A full multiday build sprint to solve real problems. Limited team sizes, limited time, unlimited use of AI resources.

Ship

This isn't about who can submit the most lines of code, it's about building something useful in a constrained environment.

Lead

Time is not on your side. You'll need to stay focused, organized, and aligned to win. Leaders are forged under pressure.

PRIZE POOL

$25K+ in cash funding and services — awarded to the builders who prove it.

Judges & Mentors

Zero to one operators and investors

Who Competes

Builders. Application only. Limited spots.

Who Should Apply

• Technical founders — solo or with a team — who are actively building or ready to start
• Domain experts with a real problem and the grit to go after it
• Builders who believe who you are as a leader matters as much as what you're building

If you're looking for a casual weekend hackathon, this isn't it.

The Forge is presented by Where House — a new kind of venture fund and residency program in Raleigh-Durham. We believe 65% of startups fail not because of bad products or poor strategy, but because of people problems. We built Where House to address those problems at the foundational layer.

Register Your Interest

Spots are limited and application-based. Fill this out and we'll be in touch as details are confirmed.

About You

First Name
Last Name
Email Address
LinkedIn URL(optional)
GitHub Username(optional)

What You're Building

What best describes you right now?

• Solo founder, actively building
• Co-founding team, actively building
• Side project turning serious
• Domain expert exploring a problem
• Something else

What are you building, or what problem are you obsessed with solving?

Logistics

Are you coming with a team?

• Yes, full team
• Yes, partial — looking to fill gaps
• No — open to forming one at the event
• Not sure yet

What domain are you building in?

• AI / ML
• Health Tech
• Fintech
• Climate / Deep Tech
• Consumer
• B2B SaaS
• Other

What's the biggest thing getting in the way of your best work right now?