Build the future.
From East to West, and back.
This summer.
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What Is TekTrek?
The next 36 months will determine who builds the defining companies of the AI era.
The Programme
An intensive summer of company formation. You'll build something real — surrounded by founders who've done it, operators who'll challenge your assumptions, and a cohort that won't let you ship anything half-finished. Not a lecture series. Not a vacation with a lanyard.
The City
San Francisco. Housing fully covered. You'll live where the ecosystem lives — and the ecosystem will show up at your door. Domain experts matched to what you're building. Off-the-record sessions with people you've only read about. A city that treats builders like locals.
The Cohort
The sharpest student builders from MIT, Harvard, and Princeton. The people in this house will become some of the most important relationships of your career — and they'll push you harder than any class ever has.
The Founders
The Origin Who & Why?
TekTrek was conceived at John Werner’s Imagination in Action (IIA) Davos 2026 event following a private meeting between Eric Schmidt, Dave Blundin, Daniela Rus, and Erik Brynjolfsson.
The founding team came together around a simple conviction: the best student builders from the northeast need to be in San Francisco this summer, building, with access to the people who’ve done it before.
Who Should Apply?
The people you'll sit across from. Off-the-record. Small-room.
You'll have access to intimate sessions with some of the most consequential builders and operators in Silicon Valley — curated by Imagination in Action, the team behind world leading AI convenings at MIT, Silicon Valley, Davos, and beyond.
Some of the people we have curated in the past:
As a TekTrek builder, you'll have the opportunity to plug into IIA events across the year — MIT in April, Silicon Valley in September, and Davos in January. The summer is where it starts. The network is what lasts.
Experiences
You'll remember the people. You'll remember this.
We're designing experiences you won't find on any programme schedule. Some we can share. Some you'll have to show up for.
Who Should Apply?
Built something? Build something bigger.
You should apply if:
You should not apply if:
What You Get
Everything you need to focus on what matters.
And the rest?
A cohort of builders from MIT, Harvard, and Princeton who will push you harder than any class ever has. Bonding experiences we can't put on a website yet — think scavenger hunts at places you've only read about, designed by people who think "outrageous" is a starting point.
The Program
Two weeks to launch, a full summer to perfect.
The Selection Process
We're not looking for applications. We're looking for builders.
Apply
Tell us what you've built and what you want to build next.
Coding Test
We need to know you can ship, not just pitch.
Interview
A conversation about what you're maniacal about.
Decision
Fast. We don't have time to waste, and neither do you.
FAQ