11-13 September 2026 at eMAG HQ, Bucharest. Applications close 28 August.
The Civic Producthon is back for a second edition
And this time it runs on AI. One weekend, four civic challenge areas, senior product and AI mentors, and one question at the centre: can you build an AI product that someone outside your team can pick up and use?
Curiosity welcomed. Impact guaranteed.
Hosted by
Product thinking, pointed at problems that matter.
No thought-leadership theatre and no tutorial you could have watched at home. Your team takes one civic case study from problem to a product with evidence behind it, and by Sunday afternoon every line below is ticked.
Build a working AI product end to end
From a first prototype to a tested, usable version. Not a mock-up: something a stranger can pick up and use.
Prove it works
Eval sets, honest pass rates, and a clear list of what breaks. You leave knowing how good your product actually is.
Design for the person on the other side
So they know what your product can and can't do, and what happens when it can't answer.
Get hands-on mentorship
Senior product people and AI builders work with your team throughout the weekend, whether you came solo or brought your own crew.
Leave with proof of work
A project worth showing in interviews or case studies, plus a way of working you'll keep using after the weekend.
The first edition: 6 NGOs, 6 real-world problems
November 2025, Bucharest: one weekend, senior mentors at every table, and six NGOs who came with real problems. Every case below left the room as a validated product concept.
Case 01 · Solved
Ajungem Mari
Case 02 · Solved
Blondie
Case 03 · Solved
Felisity
Case 04 · Solved
Fundatia Progress
Case 05 · Solved
Pe Stop
Case 06 · Solved
Rise Project
Four areas, real case studies.
No partner NGOs this time: every team works on a real civic case study assigned to them, from one of this year's four areas.
Education
School passes students along; the skills don't always come with them.
Health
The system speaks a language its patients were never taught.
Sustainable agriculture
The climate is changing faster than the way we farm.
Fighting disinformation
The feed moves faster than the truth does.
The challenge will be assigned to you at kickoff. You bring the product thinking, the case brings the stakes.
From application to demo.
Six stops between your application and the pitch. The last three happen inside one weekend.
By 28 August
Apply
Solo, or with your own team of up to four. Spots are limited and teams are selected, so the application asks for your motivation, not your CV.
Early September
Selection and matchmaking
Come alone and we match you into a team. Every team gets a real civic case study assigned from one of this year's four areas, plus mentors either way.
Sat 5 Sept
Customer discovery
Teams get access to the civic challenges, plus the product theory and exercises that set the foundation before the weekend.
Fri 11 Sept, 18:30
Kickoff at eMAG
Cases revealed, mentors met, teams at their tables. The 48 hours start counting.
All weekend
Build
Four hands-on workshops carry you from problem to working product. Lovable is the vibe-coding partner, so nobody loses a morning to setup. No AI expertise required.
Sun 13 Sept, 11:00
Demo
Five minutes in front of the room: the product, the evidence it works, and what you'd do next.
By 28 August
Apply
Solo, or with your own team of up to four. Spots are limited and teams are selected, so the application asks for your motivation, not your CV.
Sat 5 Sept
Customer discovery
Teams get access to the civic challenges, plus the product theory and exercises that set the foundation before the weekend.
All weekend
Build
Four hands-on workshops carry you from problem to working product. Lovable is the vibe-coding partner, so nobody loses a morning to setup. No AI expertise required.
Early September
Selection and matchmaking
Come alone and we match you into a team. Every team gets a real civic case study assigned from one of this year's four areas, plus mentors either way.
Fri 11 Sept, 18:30
Kickoff at eMAG
Cases revealed, mentors met, teams at their tables. The 48 hours start counting.
Sun 13 Sept, 11:00
Demo
Five minutes in front of the room: the product, the evidence it works, and what you'd do next.
From idea to evidence.
By Sunday afternoon your team has taken one AI product through five artifacts, in order:
Hypothesis & interview draft
A set of assumptions, a hypothesis to test, and your first interview draft, for a sharper understanding of the problem.
Working v1
A first version that runs, with a clear fallback for when it can't answer.
Evaluation results
Test cases, an honest pass rate, and named failure modes. Evidence, not vibes.
Improved v2
A second version that fails less than the first, because you know exactly where the first one broke.
UX prototype & 5-minute pitch
The face of the product and the story of the weekend, told in five minutes.
We have prizes.
Maven course
A seat in Ady Rugină's Maven course, for the winning team.
JBL Bluetooth speakers
Offered by eMAG.
Freshful vouchers
Grocery vouchers from Freshful, for the winning team.
UXCel annual subscriptions
A year of UXCel access.
Zissou coffee stack
A stack of coffee products from Zissou.
Sipit PR kits
PR kits courtesy of Sipit.
Voxa subscriptions
Listen more, with their subscriptions.
ProductLab conference tickets
Free tickets to the next ProductLab online conference.
Radware CyberSec invite
An invite to Radware's CyberSec event, plus branded merch.
Mentorship sessions.
Five 1:1 sessions, one with each of them.
Organized by the community.
This second edition is organised by Product Makers Romania and hosted by eMAG in Bucharest, in collaboration with Innovation Labs Romania, Lovelaice, and Lovable as the vibe-coding partner. Everyone involved is a volunteer.
Special thanks to our partners
Companies that gave people, prizes, tools, space and time so a weekend of civic building could stay free for everyone who showed up.
Good to know.
AI for people, by people.
11 to 13 September 2026 at eMAG HQ, Bucharest.
Spots are limited, teams are selected, and applications close on 28 August.
Curiosity welcomed. Impact guaranteed.