UGLY TALK: CAN YOU REALLY BUILD SOFTWARE BASED ON “VIBES”
Low-code. No-code. VibeCoding. In 2025, these terms are trending, promising faster builds, leaner teams, and overnight MVPs. But is the hype holding up? Or are early adopters quietly rewriting entire codebases behind the scenes?
In this UglyTalk, we crack open the good, the bad, and the downright ugly behind building with low-code and no-code platforms. From shortcuts that became nightmares to smart frameworks that scaled smoothly, this event demystifies what really works and what doesn’t. Straight from the folks in the trenches.
🎯 Why You Should Attend
Whether you’re launching your first product or scaling your second startup, you’ve likely been pitched a “faster” way to build. This is your chance to:
Avoid the Pain: Hear the cautionary tales before they become your own.
Steal What Works: Learn from proven wins and hard-earned lessons.
Get Tactical: Walk away with practical strategies and real tools you can use tomorrow.
Meet Your People: Founders, CTOs, and ecosystem enablers. All in one room.
🙋 Who You’ll Meet
Non-technical founders exploring new ways to ship without writing code
Early-stage startup teams iterating their first or second product
CTOs and product leaders figuring out what to bet on for scale
Investors and ecosystem enablers staying ahead of the next wave of builder tech
Whether you’re building, backing, or bridging tech products. This room is for you.
🎤 Who’s on the Panel
Christina Stejskalova - Builder at Ideaslab
Christina Stejskalova is a data leader with 13+ years of experience and a reputation for turning chaos into clarity. That's the boring bit! From moving to the U.S. being rejected from 200 jobs to landing a job in FANNG and later leading entire functions, I’ve built and rebuilt with grit as my north star. I founded a startup to fight for equality of opportunity, and after its close, I rose fast, becoming a data director younger than most. I’ve transformed two data orgs end to end. Colleagues call me “Data Christina”, but really, I’m just a vibe coder, and grit is my programming language.
Dileep Mishra - Founder of CyberSE.AI
Dileep Mishra is a Cybersecurity professional with 20+ years of experience. He has held senior Presales roles at leading technology companies like Akamai, Hughes and Radware. He is now building an AI Security Consulting practice, focused on helping organizations secure their AI deployments.
Caleb Hamernick - Founder of Bandto
Caleb is a designer, developer, and educator with 15+ years in social impact and business development. He’s built AI tools, led global product marketing, and taught advanced film and darkroom photography. Formerly founder of Bandto, he’s now in stealth mode while organizing civic campaigns like Peace Week, A More Just Chicago, and Coach House.
Moderator:
Jamie Redington - Co-Founder of FounderSquare
Jamie Redington is a Venture Capital Analyst and aerospace engineer with a diverse background spanning startups, engineering, and finance. He is currently a VC Analyst at C2 Ventures and the Co-Founder of FounderSquare. Jamie brings experience from across venture operations, equity trading, and engineering—from designing cutting-edge hydroponic systems at Redi-farms to trading equities at Chimera Securities.
💬 What We’ll Talk About
The Real Pros & Cons: Where low-code shines and where it breaks
Best Practices That Don’t Suck: How to build smart, not sloppy
Horror Stories: Lessons from shipping fast… and regretting it
The Pivot Moments: When founders ditched their tools (or doubled down)
What’s Coming Next: The future of VibeCoding, platforms, and product dev culture
🤝 Co-Hosted With
Founder Square - is on a mission to uncover outstanding founders who are breaking boundaries, pushing innovation to new heights, and making a lasting impact on the world. We aren’t just choosing any founders—we’re seeking the boldest, the brightest, and the most inspiring. Each selected founder will be handpicked, pre-screened, and interviewed by our dedicated team, ensuring that only the most deserving stories make it to the top.
GREY Journal – Media partner spotlighting modern entrepreneurs (Apple News + Google News)
🤝 Venue Partner
The Yard - Private offices & coworking spaces for individuals and teams.
🎥 Get a taste of past Ugly Talk energy:
• Official Website
• 2024 Video Recap
⭐ About Ugly Talk:
Started in 2019, Ugly Talk has been transforming business setbacks into breakthrough “aha!” moments by hosting unfiltered, no-nonsense events where battle-tested entrepreneurs share their raw lessons and insights.
With a growing presence in cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Miami, we’ve built a vibrant community of thousands of founders and industry leaders making a profound impact on the entrepreneurial landscape.