F26 Batch · The Nest · Paris (2nd arrondissement) · October 21-28, 2026
6 days in Paris to launch, find customers, make revenue, and turn your product into a startup.
▐October 21 to 28, 2026Wed. 7:45pm → Wed. noon · 7 days a week · Paris (2nd arrondissement)
Welcome to The Nest, the six-day hackathon that opens swanbase's F26 Batch. You build your product in Paris surrounded by other teams selected on application, go after your first customers and present your latest deliverable every evening. At the end, the best projects win their ticket into swanbase: demo day, then year-round support.
Application review · €0 · Applications close October 18
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build_nightmasterclassroom · paris 2nd arr.
WhenOctober 21-28, 2026, 6 days, 7 days a week
Whereswanbase, Paris (2nd arrondissement)
SelectionSkill, motivation, availability
What you can winYour ticket into swanbase
Claude
Cursor
OpenAI / Codex
Anthropic
Zo Computer
Hermes
▚▚▚▚▚▚▚▚▚▚▚▚ ~/the-nest ▚▚▚▚▚▚▚▚▚▚▚▚
Your path into swanbase starts here
The Nest is the first step into swanbase for the F26 Batch. It works like a six-day hackathon: selected teams build side by side, present a deliverable every evening and compete for a place at swanbase.
You can apply without a company or customers. But you must already master the core craft needed to build your product and work on site for the full batch.
Building skill. You already know how to make the first version of your product, with or without code.
Visible motivation. Your application shows what you have already tried, learned or built around the project.
Full availability. You can commit to six intensive days, seven days a week, from Wednesday evening to the following Wednesday at noon.
Application review. Places go to the applicants who show the strongest mix of skill, motivation and execution.
A ticket into swanbase to win. The best projects pitch at demo day, then join the year-round accelerator.
This is for you if...
The Nest is for builders with a clear idea, the ability to make its first version and the drive to prove they can execute during the autumn holidays.
You know how to build the first version of your product, with or without code.
You have already explored the problem, tested an approach or made something.
You can work on site for the full batch, weekend included.
You want to put your product in front of real users and show a deliverable each evening.
You want to earn your place at swanbase with what you ship during the six days.
What we do not require. You do not need a company, customers or sales experience. But you cannot start from zero on the core craft behind your product. For an app, you code confidently. For a physical product, you understand its design or production.
pl.01 · agora
The program
Every build day has two content sessions, one in the morning and one in the evening: workshops, talks, conferences and guest speakers. In between, you work on your product with office hours in the afternoon. We pick the topics from the categories below, based on the batch's projects.
Wednesday, October 21, 7:45pm. Opening evening: an introduction to swanbase, the program and everyone's projects.
Thursday, October 22 to Tuesday, October 27. Six build days, weekend included. Arrive at 9am, workshop or talk in the morning, office hours in the afternoon, internal pitch at 6pm, then a talk, conference or guest speaker in the evening.
Wednesday, October 28, morning. Closing pitch in front of the batch and the swanbase team. The program ends at noon.
pl.02 · 6 build days
Mentoring & office hours
The heart of The Nest, from the first evening to the last morning.
Daily mentoring with Vincent and Théo. Ongoing feedback on your product, your acquisition and your strategy, from operators who build every day.
1-to-1 office hours. Dedicated slots to unblock the exact problem you're stuck on, right when it happens.
Pitch prep. We structure your pitch, your numbers and your demo, and you rehearse right up to the closing pitch on Wednesday, October 28.
Tech & AI coding
Build your product fast with swanbase AI tools and agents.
Code faster with AI. Claude, Cursor and Zo Computer to ship the first version of your product sooner.
Orchestrate multiple AI agents. Run agents together to automate a recurring task in your company.
Launch a mobile app. The shortest path from idea to an installable product, tested by your first users.
Put AI to work on your growth. Agents that prospect and follow up while you build.
Acquisition & outbound
Go find your first customers instead of waiting for them to find you.
Automate B2B prospecting with AI. Cold emailing and outbound prospecting on autopilot, from targeting to follow-up.
Get views on LinkedIn and find customers. Content and social selling that make you visible and bring in leads.
Build your list and your sequences. Data enrichment and messages that get replies.
Ads, creative & performance
Buy growth without burning through your budget.
Launch your Meta Ads & Google Ads campaigns. Account structure and budget for your first campaigns.
Make creative that performs. Angles, formats and fast iterations to find the ad that converts.
Read your numbers and make the call. CPA, ROAS, LTV: know where to put your budget and where to cut.
Organic: social & SEO
Get found without paying for every click.
Rank on Google (SEO). The SEO fundamentals to capture demand that already exists.
Create content that builds an audience. Short, regular formats on LinkedIn and TikTok so people know you before you even sell.
Turn your audience into a pipeline. Move people from their feed to your landing page and your list.
Strategy, conversion & retention
Get the framing right, convert better, keep your customers.
Innovation marketing fundamentals. The crash course to frame your positioning, your market and your offer.
Build a landing page that sells. Our landing page workshop: structure, promise, proof, form.
Conversion & CRO. Read your funnel and test every step up to the purchase.
Buying psychology and influence. The psychological levers behind buying decisions and loyalty.
The format. Two sessions per build day, morning and evening, twelve over the week: workshops to practice, talks and conferences to learn, guest speakers who share what they see in the field. The rest of the time, you build with ongoing mentoring and office hours.
By noon on Wednesday, October 28, here is what every team walks away with.
A live product
You ship the first version of your product and get your first users to test it.
Your first paying customers
You go find your first customers, sell them your product and turn their feedback into improvements.
Your first acquisition channels
Prospecting, content, ads, AI agents: you leave with tested channels and a plan to grow them.
A structured pitch
You structure your pitch, rehearse it and present it on the last morning. Then you reuse it with your users, your partners and your investors.
A founder network
Six days building alongside other selected teams, weekend included. You leave with a crew of founders you can count on.
Your ticket into swanbase
If your project is among the best in the batch, you pitch at swanbase demo day and join swanbase for good.
Who guides you?
Théo and Vincent, cofounders of swanbase and entrepreneurs together since 2018. Three companies founded (Panja, Takema, swanbase), 100+ clients supported, €10M+ in revenue generated. Operators who build every day, alongside founders.
Vincent: product, growth and full-stack development. E-commerce, CRM, Meta & Google acquisition strategy. He builds the AI systems and automations that swanbase startups use every day.
Théo: go-to-market, B2B outbound, SEO, CRO and segmentation strategy. He structures acquisition plans and turns channels into measurable growth engines.
8 years
Building companies together
100+
Clients supported
€10M+
Revenue generated
What entrepreneurs say
The Nest is a great opportunity to stop making excuses and build for a week. I arrived with an idea and a mockup, but very little actually worked. I left with a validated V1, a project ready to launch, my first demos scheduled and a clear strategy for the months ahead. Théo and Vincent's daily sessions bring a lot of value.
Anselme Boussuge
CEO, Hémicycle
I arrived with a working product, fewer than 5 test users and an unfinished landing page. Since The Nest, my email outreach campaign is live: more than 900 emails sent to prospects, and conversations every day to close deals. What helped me most: the other founders, their take on my project, and the 1-1 sessions. My advice: go for it.
Jude Saizonou
Sales, Zepargn Business
The Nest is the French drive to build a company, without the obstacles French society usually puts in your way. Murmell was already well underway when I arrived. The Nest mostly helped me with my pitch, with sharp, critical feedback. Today, I'm close to closing my pre-seed.
Moss'Ab Mirande-Ney
Founder & CEO, Murmell
When The Nest started, I had an MVP and about thirty users. Today Prizm works, delivers value and has 450 users, all from organic growth. What helped me most: founders around me each building their own product, the conversations, the pitches and the office hours. My advice: talk to people a lot, test the ideas that come out of those talks, and keep what works for you.
Melvine Lawson
CEO, Prizm
I'd been doing marketing for years. But here we really moved up a level. It's incredible to be supported by people who handled the marketing for Morphée, OPPI, Lunii, and others. Théo and Vincent can solve in 5 minutes problems that had been haunting me for days.
Charles Lemoine
Cofounder, Boxabonheur
Vincent and Théo were key partners at the launch of the Montpellier Google workshop in 2019. They know how to speak to entrepreneurs, with a contagious passion for entrepreneurship and marketing. I appreciate their teaching and their ability to help others progress. Our conversations are a source of inspiration every single time!
Marc Tetefort
Product Manager, Ex-Google
Théo and Vincent have a knack for giving relevant answers to important questions, where no one else can help us. The strength of the program is being able to address important themes and crack the various growth topics to move fast.
Valentin Ferriere
CEO, Fruitifi
pl.03 · paris 2e · 21 → 28.10
F26 Batch · applications open
October 21 to 28, 2026 · Paris (2nd arrondissement) · 6 days, 7 days a week
Applications are open until Sunday, October 18 at 11:59pm (Paris time). We assess each application on building skill, motivation and availability.
6 days of program, 7 days a week
Coworking at swanbase Paris
2 sessions a day: workshops, talks, conferences
Guest speakers
Daily mentoring with Vincent & Théo
1-to-1 office hours
swanbase AI tools & agents
Closing pitch
swanbase demo day for the best projects
Access to the founder community
Who is it for?
For builders who already know how to make what they want to launch. You need a clear idea, mastery of the core craft and full availability from Wednesday evening, October 21 to noon on Wednesday, October 28. Solo or as a team.
18 and over
You must be 18 or older. No upper age limit.
Selection
We read every application and select the ones that show the strongest skill, motivation and ability to execute. For a team, one person fills in the form for all cofounders.
Frequently asked questions
pl.04 · oracle
How much does it cost?
€0, application only.
How old do I need to be to take part?
You must be 18 or older. Beyond that, there's no age limit: The Nest is €0 for everyone, application only.
Do I need to already have a startup or an idea?
You do not need to have set up your company. But your idea must be clear enough to explain the product, its user and how you will build a first version.
Do I need to know how to code?
It depends on what you're building. If your product isn't software (a perfume, design, a physical project), you don't need to code. If you want to build an app or a software product, you'd better know how to code and be very comfortable with it. Our tools (Claude, Cursor, Zo Computer, our AI agents) speed up someone who already knows how to build. The idea behind The Nest: you already know how to make what you want to launch, and we bring the structure, the rhythm, the business side and go-to-market.
Where and when does it happen?
In Paris (2nd arrondissement), at swanbase, from Wednesday, October 21, 2026 at 7:45pm to Wednesday, October 28 at noon, weekend included. We share the exact address with selected applicants.
I'm a student. Does it fit around my classes?
The Nest falls during the autumn holidays: from Wednesday, October 21 to Wednesday, October 28, you have no classes if you study in France. Still, check your school's calendar, as some programs shift their holidays.
Can I apply as a team?
Yes, and we encourage it. You can come alone or with your cofounder or cofounders. You submit one application for the whole team: the form has a field for each cofounder, up to four.
What happens after the closing pitch?
The best projects in the batch pitch at swanbase demo day and join swanbase for good, with year-round support. Every participant leaves with their product, their first users and their network.
How does selection work?
You have until Sunday, October 18 at 11:59pm (Paris time) to apply. We read every application by hand and contact you on WhatsApp. We select applicants who show the strongest skill, motivation and availability for the 6 days.
I have other questions. Who do I contact?
Write to us via the contact form. We'll get back to you by email.
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<(o )___ "ready to leave the nest?"
( ._> /
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░▒▓█ T H E N E S T · OCT 21-28, 2026 █▓▒░
From October 21 to 28, you build your startup in Paris alongside the other F26 Batch teams and leave with a live product and your first paying customers. The best projects pitch at swanbase demo day and join swanbase for good. €0, application only, until October 18. We can't wait to read your application.
