Built with Aveiro
Applications

DEC Builder Fellowship

Build a real project, establish your public identity, and learn the Once UI ecosystem with direct coaching and one year of tool access.
Avatar
Updated by lorant.one 2h ago
The DEC Builder Fellowship is a guided program for students and independent builders who want to create something real, develop a public identity, and learn to work inside an AI-native product ecosystem. Participants receive direct reviews, coaching, community support, and one year of access to the tools they need. In return, they commit to learning the stack deeply, building in public, and actively helping the ecosystem grow through genuine work.

What you will build

During the fellowship, every participant will:
  • define a clear personal identity and point of view
  • establish consistent social profiles
  • design and develop a personal portfolio
  • host that portfolio on Aveiro
  • build and ship one deliberately small project with Once UI
  • connect Aveiro MCP to ChatGPT
  • create a repeatable system for documenting and distributing their work
  • produce project visuals with Figma and Frametic
  • begin using Scenetic for demos and product videos when it becomes available
  • publish a case study, launch material, and an honest retrospective
The goal is not to produce a decorative portfolio or an unfinished concept. You should leave with a working project, a credible public presence, and a system you can continue using after the program.

The ecosystem commitment

This is an ecosystem fellowship, not a general-purpose startup incubator. Participants must use the Once UI ecosystem wherever it provides the required capability. This includes Once UI for interface development, Aveiro for portfolio hosting and publishing, Figma for design work, Frametic for product visuals, and later Scenetic for screen recordings and product videos. Do not substitute Tailwind, shadcn, React Bits, Framer Motion, or similar libraries simply because they are familiar or fashionable. Third-party technology is welcome only when the project genuinely needs something the ecosystem does not provide. Before introducing another dependency, participants should be able to explain:
  • What problem needs to be solved?
  • Which part of the existing stack was evaluated?
  • Why does it not cover the requirement?
  • What is the smallest external addition that solves it?
The point is not dependency purity. The point is learning to understand a system before layering more technology onto it. Visual effects and animation come after structure, usability, content, and a working product.

Build in public

Participants are expected to actively promote the ecosystem through authentic public work.
That means:
  • sharing progress regularly
  • naming and linking the tools used
  • showing how the stack supports the project
  • publishing useful observations, tutorials, demos, or behind-the-scenes material
  • giving honest, structured product feedback
  • allowing completed work to appear in the DEC and Once UI showcases
  • supporting other participants through thoughtful peer reviews
You are never required to manufacture praise or hide problems. Credibility matters more than promotional language. We want visible evidence of what the ecosystem enables, including the rough edges we still need to improve.

How the program works

The initial fellowship is designed as a six-week guided build period followed by twelve months of continued tool access.
The guided period covers:
  • Identity — positioning, profiles, voice, and an introduction
  • Home — a deployed Once UI portfolio hosted on Aveiro
  • System — ChatGPT and Aveiro MCP configured for assisted publishing
  • Project — a focused product or experiment built to a usable state
  • Story — documentation, visuals, demo, case study, and launch
  • Reflection — an honest retrospective and a plan for what comes next
Support includes group sessions, personal reviews, technical guidance, async feedback, peer critique, and access to the relevant tools. Participation is judged by shipped evidence, not attendance alone.

Who should apply

This is for students, early-career designers and developers, and independent builders who are curious, self-directed, and willing to work publicly.
You do not need a large audience, an impressive résumé, or a polished existing portfolio. You do need enough time to participate consistently and the willingness to finish a constrained project.
Strong applicants demonstrate:
  • curiosity and patience
  • a bias toward making
  • thoughtful reasons for joining
  • openness to feedback
  • respect for design and engineering fundamentals
  • genuine interest in understanding the Once UI ecosystem
  • willingness to document both progress and failure

Application requirements

Applications are submitted through the DEC Discord.
Please include:
  • your name, location, and current role or field of study
  • a short description of your background
  • the skills you already have and the ones you want to develop
  • links to your relevant social profiles
  • links to past projects, experiments, portfolios, repositories, or unfinished work
  • why you want to join the fellowship
  • what small project you would like to build
  • who the project is for and what problem it addresses
  • how much time you can commit each week
  • what you hope to contribute to the DEC and Once UI communities
  • confirmation that you accept the ecosystem commitment described above
Past work does not need to be commercially successful or visually perfect. We care about evidence of curiosity, effort, judgment, and follow-through.

Before you apply

Join the Discord, introduce yourself, explore Once UI and the surrounding tools, and come with a project small enough to finish. The initial cohort will be intentionally limited so every participant can receive meaningful feedback.
Dates, cohort capacity, and the application review process will be announced in Discord.
Join the DEC Discord

What completion means

A graduate leaves with public evidence:
  • live social profiles
  • a personal portfolio hosted on Aveiro
  • a shipped Once UI project
  • an operating MCP-assisted publishing workflow
  • original Figma and Frametic assets
  • consistent public documentation
  • a final demo and case study
  • a record of useful participation in the ecosystem
The fellowship is a starting point. The strongest graduates may continue as alumni contributors, mentors, template creators, collaborators, or future ecosystem partners.