Helping Local Startups in a Meaningful Way
Startups that rely on a great UX experience often struggle to get enough hands—and eyes—to really put their software through its paces.
At these Whackathons, human testers and AI-based testing platforms are both invited to hunt for bugs and usability flaws. For the first time, we're letting automated QA tools and generative AI-based test agents submit to participate alongside humans—setting the stage for a true “Man vs. Machine” testing challenge. Can the latest autonomous systems out-test experienced human eyes and intuition, or will creative insight and empathy prevail?
Testers (both human and machine) will go table to table, probing each startup’s software, finding bugs, and providing invaluable UX feedback to founders. Recognition will be awarded for the “Best Bug Found” and “Best UX Recommendation”—both for human testers and AI entrants.
These events are held periodically across the Puget Sound region, with up to eight startups each hosting a table of six testers at a time. Before testing begins, each company will give a 5-minute presentation about what their software does and where they most need feedback, helping testers and AIs alike simulate the right user personas.
Human testers are asked to bring their own laptops. We’re looking for all types—from non-technical “typical users” to seasoned UX professionals.
Schedule:
10:00–10:30am Check-in & setup
10:30–10:45am Testing procedures overview (by Tatyana)
10:45–11:15am Startup presentations
11:15am–2:15pm Formal testing (human vs. machine challenge)
2:15–3:00pm Awards for Best Bug and Best UX Recommendation
About the Testing Squads:
Our testers come from two groups that care deeply about building exceptional software startups in the Pacific Northwest: professional QA engineers from Innovate QA, and the founders and mentors in the Venture Mechanics community. Now, we’re adding AI entrants to see how well human intuition stacks up against algorithmic precision.
How to Apply:
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