You compete for real cash.
$2,375 in prizes. The audience votes. First place wins $1,000. You keep 100% of your ownership. No pitch decks. No investors. No equity conversations.
You get your launch on video.
Every demo is recorded. That video goes directly to your customers. This is a direct-to-consumer launch platform disguised as an expo.
You get into the catalog.
Every competing builder's app is featured in a professionally printed catalog available to all attendees at the event. Physical. Permanent. Yours to keep.
Builder Experience - $199 You attend, you compete, you vote. Access to every session, every demo, every prize. Invitation required.
VIP Builder Experience - $499 Everything in GA plus a guaranteed 10-minute demo slot on the main stage, priority seating, and a post-event 1-on-1 with Edmund. Capped at 15.
General Admission Experience - $99 For the spouse, teammate, or supporter who wants to be in the room when it happens. You watch every presentation, vote for the winners, and network with 100 sovereign builders. You are part of the collective that decides who wins the $2,375 prize pool. No stage time, no demo table - just full access to the most motivated builder community in Chicago.
Sponsoring GAIDE Chicago™ puts your name in front of Chicago's most motivated independent builders. Sponsor Experiences start at $1,000.
The $5,000 Presenting Sponsor slot includes stage time, your name on the top cash prize, and 2 complimentary Builder Experiences for you to distribute (Builders must be approved by GAIDE Chicago™).
Edmund Danté Hamilton has organized Chicago tech communities since 2008 and is a USPS Certified Direct Mail Professional. He is competing at GAIDE Chicago™ - not for the prize money, but to launch Personalized Direct-Mail POSTCARD CREATOR™ directly to customers on a live stage. He has raised over $200,000 in grants, bank funding, and institutional credit - no venture capital, no investors calling the shots - and owns 100% of every product he has ever built. GAIDE Chicago™ is produced by ZITNALTA™ Labs, Suite 256, Historic Monadnock Building, Chicago.
A ZITNALTA™ Labs Experiment
A ZITNALTA™ Labs Experiment
Dates: Preview Event
May 22-23, 2026
Location: River North
Chicago, Illinois USA
Experience Tiers:
VIP Builder: $499
Builder: $199
GA Support: $99
Are you a Builder? You're in the right place. Continue below.
General Admission → [Request GA Experience]
Sponsorship → [Request Sponsorship Experience]
