The Distill - VCN Returns

Greeting Pioneers,

Light week, Dan attempted part two of his series, but it was actually just part one again with different words, so we pulled it. Our first event of 2026 has arrived - VCN, Wednesday at 5 PM. And red bull does a startup competition.

Vibe Code Night This Week

Vibe Code Night is back.
This Wednesday, 5–8 PM at The Block (1205 E Washington St, Suite 111).

This is just a night to work. Bring whatever you’re building - a company, a side project, or something you’ve been putting off. Sit down, open your laptop, and make progress around other people doing the same.

If you want help getting started with AI, at 6 PM we’ll run a Build Your Own GPT session in the conference room led by Stef Hogan. It’s hands-on, beginner-friendly, and you’ll leave with something actually working. Ask questions.

We’re 30 RSVPs deep, lets get to 50 before Wednesday - don’t be shy.

📍 Where
The Block - 1205 E Washington St, Suite 111

🕔 When
This Wednesday, 5:00–8:00 PM
Build Your Own GPT session starts at 6:00 PM

🔗 RSVP
Save your spot → https://luma.com/tenf6fbx

Red Bull Basement: A Competition Worth Your Time

We give idea-stage founders a hard time. For good reason – we want to encourage you to build and sell your products instead of building decks and waiting for permission. You don’t need it – we believe in you – believe in yourself!

But if you are in the idea stage, this is for you:

Red Bull Basement is different than a lot of pitch competitions because it’s designed to force you from idea to execution, with structure that makes it harder to stay stuck in planning mode.

It’s a multi-stage competition that progresses your idea through to an MVP at each stage. Application > Video Pitch > National Final > World Final > actual Final in California. You can start with an idea alone, but by the time you get to the silicon valley stage (assuming you progress) you will have built an MVP (with a free laptop, azure credits, and mentors to help you get there). Finalists get to network with investors and the winner gets $100,000 in equity-free funding.

If you’re in Louisville, the networking and exposure alone might be worth it, especially since they don’t take equity or other strings. It's free mentorship and workshops from people who've actually built things. And it forces you to build – you can't just pitch your way all the way through. You have to progress.

Apply here: redbull.com/basement

Note’s on The Distill’s co-EICs: Jack Crowdis & Rachel Edenfield

Jack runs the newsletter, helps run KYX. He’s a career startup kid, past founder, and current operator. Weekly contributor. Always editor.

Rachel’s the Founder/CEO of venture-backed Swell, and a driver of KYX. Routinely delivers the city’s sharpest long-form startup advice. Always re-edits Jack’s edits (including this bio).

Know someone who should read this? Forward it, or send them this link.

That’s a wrap 🎬
Keep showing up 👊 
Keep shipping 🚢 
Peace, Pioneers ✌️