Claude Impact LabOne day. One real problem. Build the answer.
An Impact Lab is a full day where teams of builders take a real local problem, real public data and Claude Code, and finish with a working prototype the city could actually use. It's about what gets built. Impact over prizes.
Melbourne, Claude Impact Lab
Saturday 14 November 2026, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Inspire9, Richmond VIC (full address shared with registered guests)
Free. Places are approved by the organisers. Come solo or with a team of up to four.
The idea, in three lines.
Impact Labs run in Claude communities around the world. Melbourne brought the format to APAC.
Community-run, one day
Sponsored by Anthropic through the Ambassadors Program. Impact over prizes.
A global format
San Diego, Mexico City, Miami, Santiago, and now APAC.
Pointed at the city
Collaborative and curious. Make something real, and have a good Saturday doing it.
Melbourne asked the question. Now it builds the answer.
At the Claude Conversation on Monday 27 July, Melburnians sat in small mixed groups with one question: what does AI mean for my job? No panel, no pitch, just people talking it through, then asking what we could actually do about it here.
That part is real. The Impact Lab is where Melbourne makes its own local answer, and what came up on the night feeds what the teams build.
The first Lab, in May, ran on three civic-data tracks: heat and liveability, transport and access, and community and citizen initiatives.
What to expect.
It's a long day, and it goes fast. You're not watching, you're in it.
A short brief, then build
A welcome from Anthropic and the brief for the day, kept short. The point is what you make, so laptops open early.
Hands on, all day
Teams lock a problem and work through six sprint blocks with Claude Code. Talk it out, build it, test it, repeat.
Mentors on the floor
Senior builders rotate through every team on the hour, unblocking you and pushing the work further.
Real local data
No blank page. Public datasets opened up for the day, so what you build points at how your city actually moves, lives and works.
Demos and judging
Every team demos a working prototype in a strict, timed pitch. Judged on real-world impact, not polish.
A day to celebrate the community
Food and coffee all day, new people at every table, and a room full of builders cheering each other on.
How the day runs.
This is how Melbourne ran. Each city tunes it, but the shape stays the same.
- 9:00 am
Doors, coffee, welcome
A welcome from Anthropic and the organisers, then the why: genuinely useful tools on real public data, for the community.
- Morning
Pick a problem, lock a team
The tracks go on the board. Teams choose the problem that pulls at them, lock a direction, and the clock starts.
- All day
Six sprints, heads down
Build with Claude Code on the day's data. Mentors come round on the hour.
- 5:00 pm
Submit and pitch
Every team takes the stage with a working demo in front of the judging panel.
- Then
Winners, and a drink
The judges call it, the room celebrates, and the builds live on in the recap.
What got built last time.
About 400 people applied for 60 seats. Eight teams, three civic-data tracks, one Saturday at Inspire9 in Richmond.
Good Sh*t
A map that makes local businesses' civic and sustainability work visible. Shops publish their good deeds and earn Heart Points, while Melburnians browse, applaud and follow a public leaderboard. Five builders.
The people who made it run.
Organisers, mentors and judges who gave their Saturday to the room, so the teams could get on with building.
Organised by Claude Community Australia. Sponsored by Anthropic, with Divergent Kind and Real Minds AI. Hosted at Inspire9, Richmond. Data from Victorian Government Open Data, City of Melbourne Open Data and Glow.
What to bring.
Be in the room for the next one.
Next up: Saturday 14 November 2026, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Places are approved by the organisers, so get your application in.