Barnsley Networking & Showcase Event - AI & No-code app building

Something is happening in Barnsley.

For the past ten weeks, a cohort of local founders and small business owners have been quietly building real apps using AI and no-code tools. On Thursday 28 May, they're opening the doors at the DMC to share what they've built, and we want you in the room.

This is a networking night as much as a showcase. It's a chance to meet the people driving Barnsley's new wave of AI-powered businesses, see what's actually possible in ten weeks with the right tools, and spend an evening with the kind of curious, ambitious people you don't always bump into round here.

Who this is for:

• Business owners wondering what AI could actually do for them
• Anyone sitting on an app idea they've never known how to start
• Fellow founders, makers, and creators looking for their people in Barnsley
• Local partners, supporters, investors, and press who want to meet the cohort
• Anyone plain curious about what a ten-week push with AI actually looks like

What's on:

• A refreshments reception from 6pm, come straight from work, bring a friend
• Live demos of the MVPs built by Cohort 1
• Short founder stories: the idea, the hurdles, what they'd do differently
• Plenty of open space to chat, swap notes, and compare ideas
• Light refreshments throughout the evening

No pitches, no pressure. You don't need to be technical, and you don't need an idea of your own. Just come to meet good people, see what's being built on your doorstep, and leave with a few new contacts and a better sense of what's possible.

About the programme

Build An App in 10 Weeks is a fully funded programme that supports Barnsley-based entrepreneurs and small businesses to turn an idea into a working app. Over ten weeks, participants learn how to design, build, and launch a minimum viable product (MVP) using AI and no-code tools, with weekly online sessions, in-person support clinics at the DMC, and 1:1 mentorship along the way.

Cohort 1 kicked off in March 2026 and Cohort 2 is in planning for later this year!

Proudly Funded by Enterprising Barnsley (Barnsley Borough Council ) , supported by South Essex College Group & delivered by Fossu Ltd and Ignite AI

Info: Imelda introduces the Build An App in 10 weeks programme & participants who have worked hard over the past 10 weeks to go from idea to a fully functional MVP no-code app, all building powerful skills in AI literacy, Business fundamentals, and Digital Marketing.

Info: Hear from our founders as they talk through their app ideas and dive into demo's sharing the functional apps they've created over the past 10 weeks and what they plan to do next!

Info: An opportunity to build connections, meet other startup founders, exchange ideas, talk all things AI and have relaxed conversations about what you could build with no-code.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Fossu Ltd