The Wright brothers.
Two brothers. A bicycle shop. A relentless belief that controlled flight was possible. A new way to see the world.
John T. Daniels / Library of Congress
THE NATIONAL COMPETITION FOR AMERICA’S BUILDERSTHE NEXT GREAT
AMERICAN
BUILDER.COMPETITION
Build your company.
Build the future.
Win the backing to hire your team, reach your next customer, and put your invention in the national spotlight.
PLANNED PRIZE FINALE · MAY 21, 2027 · AUSTIN, TXTHE FUTURE IS AMERICAN POWERED.IT STARTS WITH US
01 / THE AMERICAN THROUGH LINESMALL BEGINNINGS. EXTRAORDINARY CONSEQUENCES.
✦EVERY GREAT ERA
EVERY GREAT ERA
STARTS WITH
SOMEBODY BUILDING.
Before they changed the world, they were people with a problem to solve and the courage to start. The next American story is still being written. It could be yours.
Thomas Edison.
Experiment after experiment. Invention connected with practical systems that changed everyday life.
Brown Bros. / Library of Congress
Hewlett & Packard.
Two engineers building useful instruments. A modest workbench. A company that would create jobs, new industries, and generations of possibility.
© Hewlett-Packard Company Archives
Your name here.
The next chapter could be your invention, your company, and the jobs you create. Let’s give it the backing to grow.
Real archival photographs honor the history of American invention. Historical references do not imply affiliation or endorsement. “Your workshop” is a campaign illustration.
THE COMPLETE PRIZE PACKAGECAPITAL IS JUST THE BEGINNING.
MORE THAN A PRIZE.
A COMPANY-DEFINING START.
Raise capital. Win customers. Create jobs.
Get the people, platform, and practical help to build a business around your breakthrough.
01 / THE INVESTMENT
Capital to build.
A proposed $10 million grand-prize investment, plus $1 million for each category winner. Serious backing from Anti Fund and participating investment partners.
02 / THE COACHING
Great builders. In your corner.
One-on-one coaching from leading American entrepreneurs and builders, with proposed sessions from government leaders. Work through the decisions that move your company forward.
03 / THE NATIONAL STAGE
Your breakthrough. In the spotlight.
Showcase your work at the American Autonomy Forum. Demonstrate what you have built to investors, industry decision-makers, media, and a national audience.
04 / THE PATH TO REVENUE
Meet your next customer.
Find a path to revenue. Meet potential buyers, pilot partners, and procurement teams who need what you are building. Turn a promising conversation into your next commercial opportunity.
05 / THE TEAM
Find the people to build it.
Create jobs. Build your team. Get help finding engineers, operators, and commercial talent through the Forum community and the Help America Build network.
06 / THE NEXT CHAPTER
Turn a prototype into a company.
Practical guidance on manufacturing, fundraising, distribution, and execution. Connect with experienced operators and partners who can help you scale.
Proposed winner package. Coaching participants, support scope, introductions, and showcase format will be finalized with the official rules. Investment and commercial outcomes are not guaranteed.
02 / THE CALL MADE OF AMERICAN POSSIBILITY
MADE OF AMERICAN POSSIBILITYTHE FUTURE
ISN’T GIVEN.
IT’S BUILT.
A workbench. A late night. An idea that refuses to leave you alone.
That’s where so many great American stories begin. With someone who sees a problem and decides to do something about it.
America needs more of those people. Building abundant energy. Restoring the ability to make things. Securing critical minerals. Protecting communities. Creating work worth doing.
We’re searching for the next generation of founders whose ambition reaches beyond their own success. Better for America. Better for humanity.
This is your invitation MORE BUILDING MORE POSSIBILITY A BETTER FUTURE
GREATNESS DOESN’T NEED A HEAD START.BEFORE THE
BEFORE THE
BREAKTHROUGH,
THERE’S YOU.
You don’t need the right last name, the perfect pitch, or a Silicon Valley address. You need something worth building and the determination to prove it.
Garage inventor. Student researcher. Factory-floor problem solver. First-time founder. If you’re building something America needs, we want to see it.
03 / THE FRONTIERS8 CATEGORIES · ONE SHARED FUTURE
WHAT WILL
YOU BUILD?
Choose your frontier.
Every category carries a proposed
$1 million investment award.
Your idea crosses categories? Choose the closest fit. Great breakthroughs rarely stay in one lane.
04 / FROM GARAGE TO NATIONAL STAGETHE BUILDER JOURNEY
YOUR WORK.
YOUR MOMENT.
A national search built around substance.
Show the problem. Show the progress.
Show what comes next.
01
RAISE YOUR HANDShow us the build.
Record or upload one two-minute video. Show us who you are, what you are building, and why you are the next great American builder.
02
PROVE THE POSSIBILITYPut it to the test.
Selected teams go deeper with technical and commercial review. Real problems, credible progress, measurable impact.
03
MEET YOUR MOMENTBring it to America.
Finalists are planned to take the stage in Austin on May 21, 2027, at the American Autonomy Forum. Show your work to investors, industry, and a national audience.
04
BUILD WHAT COMES NEXTTurn ambition into scale.
The selected builders move into investment diligence and a proposed support program: one-on-one coaching, buyer introductions, hiring help, and practical support for scale.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
Substance over polish.
A consequential problemA credible breakthroughEvidence of executionA path to American impact
Planned finale: May 21, 2027 · Austin, Texas. The application deadline, final eligibility, judging criteria, and investment terms will be announced with the official rules.
05 / THE PROPOSED JUDGING PANELBUILDERS. OPERATORS. PUBLIC LEADERS.
PEOPLE WHO KNOW
WHAT IT TAKES.
Our proposed panel for the search, bringing together voices from the American Autonomy Forum community and American industry. Deep technical judgment. Real experience building. A shared ambition for America’s future.
PROPOSED PANELParticipation is not confirmed. These individuals have not been announced as judges or coaches.
Private industryFROM INVENTION TO INDUSTRY
PROPOSED
PROPOSED
PROPOSED
PROPOSED
PROPOSED
PROPOSED
Public leadershipFROM DISCOVERY TO NATIONAL IMPACT
PROPOSED
U.S. Department of StateJacob Helberg
Under Secretary for Economic Affairs
Economic leadership & emerging technology
PROPOSED
PROPOSED
U.S. Department of WarEmil Michael
Under Secretary for Research & Engineering · CTO
Defense innovation & technology at scale
PROPOSED
PROPOSED
Aspirational selections only. No individual, company, agency, or government endorsement is implied. The final panel and evaluation process will be published with the official rules.
AMERICANAUTONOMY FORUMMAY 20–21, 2027 · AUSTIN, TEXAS · PROPOSED
LET’S GIVE
THE BUILDERS
THE SPOTLIGHT.
Put your invention in front of the people who can help it grow.
Investors. Buyers. Future teammates. National attention.
Build something that changes your future and America’s.
06 / BACKING THE BUILDERSCAPITAL. INDUSTRY. NATIONAL REACH.
THE NETWORK BEHIND THE NEXT CHAPTERGREAT BUILDERS.
GREAT BUILDERS.
GREAT COMPANY.
The American Autonomy Forum brings entrepreneurs, investors, industry, and public leadership into the same conversation: what should we build next—and how do we make it happen?
HELP TURN POTENTIAL INTO PROGRESS.Bring more than your logo.
Bring more than your logo.
Bring a way forward.
Back the search with capital, one-on-one expertise, buyer introductions, pilot projects, manufacturing support, or access to exceptional talent.
Prospective industry partners may include companies such as Ford Motor Company. No Ford sponsorship or participation is confirmed.
KNOW SOMEONE WHO’S BUILDING SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY?PUT THEM
PUT THEM
ON THE MAP.
Maybe it’s a friend. A founder you admire. Someone in your town
quietly working on a breakthrough. Help America find them.
THE PRACTICAL DETAILSGOOD
GOOD
QUESTIONS.
Big ambitions.
Clear expectations.
One two-minute video. Introduce yourself, show what you are building, and tell us why you are the next great American builder. Record on the site or upload an MP4, MOV, or WebM, then add your name, email, project name, and category. No pitch deck. No long essay. A phone video is perfect.
Founders, inventors, researchers, and technical teams building a company or a product with meaningful American impact. Garage projects, university spinouts, and established early-stage businesses all have a place in the search. Final eligibility requirements will be published with the official rules.
No. You should be able to explain the problem, show what you have tried, and describe what you need to prove next. A working prototype, technical results, or customer evidence helps reviewers understand your progress. Show us what is real today in your two-minute video.
The proposed awards are investments: $10 million for the grand prize and $1 million for each of eight category winners. They are not unrestricted cash grants. The investment instrument, ownership terms, diligence requirements, and whether a category award can be combined with the grand prize will be set out in the final program documents.
The proposed winner experience combines investment, one-on-one coaching, a showcase at the American Autonomy Forum, introductions to buyers and pilot partners, help with hiring, and practical support for scaling. Coaching participants, services, and final allocations are still being developed. Introductions do not guarantee contracts, revenue, hires, or follow-on funding.
The prize finale is planned for May 21, 2027, at the American Autonomy Forum in Austin, Texas. The proposed Forum runs May 20–21, 2027. The application deadline, finalist schedule, and final event details will be published with the official rules.
Yes. Nominate a founder, a team, or a company using public professional information. Tell us what they are building and why it matters. A nomination brings them to the program team’s attention; it does not submit an application, contact them automatically, or commit them to participate.
Choose the category that best describes your core breakthrough. Explain any overlap in your application. The team can consider a better category fit during review. One clear application is more useful than multiple copies.
Applications are collected for program review and are not published in a public directory. Share only material you are comfortable providing for evaluation. Please do not include trade secrets, sensitive personal information, or third-party confidential material.
The program is being developed by the American Autonomy Forum with Anti Fund. Additional investment partners, industry sponsors, judges, and the final award commitments will be announced as they are confirmed. Companies mentioned as prospective partners are not confirmed sponsors.
YOUR IDEA. YOUR COUNTRY. YOUR MOMENT.AMERICA’S NEXT
GREAT BUILDER
COULD BE YOU.
Your hands. Your vision. Your turn to build.
Two minutes. One video. No entry fee.
POWERED BY ANTI FUNDBacking America’s
Backing America’s
next generation of builders.
Big ambition. Real opportunity.
A future we build together.
