My 3rd-Place-Winning Submission to the St. Joe Vibeathon
WorkVibe: An AI-Powered, Employee-Employer Matching Platform
3rd Place
3rd place winner at the St. Joseph (Mo) Vibeathon on March 1, 2026 — WorkVibe is an AI-powered, candidate-employer matching platform built in less than 24 hours, using vibe coding methodology.
The Problem: Workforce Technology That Leaves Small Business Behind
Workforce management software is built for enterprise HR departments — not for the lean, fast-moving small and mid-sized businesses that drive the Midwest economy. When the Codefi Foundation‘s St. Joseph Vibeathon challenged participants to build something real in 24 hours, I saw an opportunity to address that gap directly.
WorkVibe is my answer: an AI-powered workforce
technology platform designed to give small business owners the same intelligent talent-matching capabilities that Fortune 500 companies pay millions to access — at a price and complexity level that actually works for Main Street businesses in Springfield, Missouri and across the Midwest.
As a fractional AI consultant and Chief AI Officer serving Midwest SMBs, I’ve watched this problem play out in business after business. The tools that exist are built for scale that small businesses don’t have. WorkVibe was built to fix that.
What is a “Vibeathon”?
The St. Joseph Vibeathon (February 28–March 1, 2026) is a 24-hour vibe coding sprint organized by Codefi Foundation — one of the Midwest’s most active startup ecosystem builders. Participants are given a challenge, a clock, and the expectation that they will build something functional, meaningful, and demonstrable within 24 hours.
Vibe coding — the methodology used by every Vibeathon participant — is an approach to software development where human creativity and strategic direction combine with AI-powered development tools to produce functional software without requiring traditional programming expertise. The term was coined by AI researcher Andrej Karpathy in 2025 and has since exploded into a global movement — Collins Dictionary named it Word of the Year for 2026.
The St. Joseph Vibeathon was part of that global wave landing squarely in the Missouri heartland. And WorkVibe was my entry.
What WorkVibe Does
WorkVibe is an AI-powered workforce matching platform built around three core functions:
- Intelligent candidate profiling: AI analyzes candidate data to surface compatibility signals beyond standard resume keywords — including work style indicators, skills adjacent to the listed role, and fit markers that traditional job boards miss entirely.
- Employer needs mapping: Rather than requiring employers to post a generic job description and wait, WorkVibe guides employers through a structured AI-powered needs analysis — turning what they think they need into a precise, searchable specification.
- Dynamic matching: The platform continuously re-scores matches as candidate and employer data updates, surfacing the most current and relevant connections without manual re-entry or repeated searches.
The MVP demonstrated all three functions in a working prototype during the Vibeathon — earning a 3rd-place finish among competing teams from across the Midwest.
How It Was Built: Vibe Coded in 24 Hours
WorkVibe was built entirely using vibe coding methodology — and the process has direct implications for what AI consulting can deliver in real business engagements. Here is how the 24-hour sprint actually unfolded:
- Hours 0–4 | Strategy and Architecture: Problem definition, competitive landscape scan, feature prioritization, and data model sketching — all done in collaboration with AI reasoning tools before a single line of code was generated. Strategic clarity first; technology second.
- Hours 4–16 | Core Build: AI-assisted development of the matching algorithm, employer intake flow, and candidate profiling engine. Human direction at every decision point; AI execution of implementation details. The gap between idea and working code collapsed to almost nothing.
- Hours 16–20 | UI and Integration: Front-end interface development, data connections, and initial testing. Multiple rapid iteration cycles — each taking minutes rather than hours — because AI tools can implement, test, and revise almost simultaneously.
- Hours 20–24 | Polish and Presentation: Refinement, demo preparation, and the pitch to Vibeathon judges representing Codefi Foundation and the broader St. Joseph business community.
The result: a functional workforce technology platform, built to a demo-ready standard, in 24 hours — by an AI consultant without a traditional software engineering education.
This is just one example of what AI engineering can deliver.
What WorkVibe Can Do for Your Business
WorkVibe is not just a product. It is proof of concept for a new kind of business capability that I bring to every client engagement.
If a functional AI-powered workforce platform can be built in 24 hours using vibe coding methodology, consider what becomes possible in a dedicated engagement — with proper scoping, a defined business objective, and a client who knows their own operations.
The Vibeathon was a sprint. What I do for clients is a strategy. But the underlying capability is the same: translating business problems into AI-powered solutions, faster and at lower cost than the traditional development path.
If you are a business owner in Springfield, Joplin, Kansas City, or anywhere in the Midwest wondering whether AI could build something useful for your operations — the answer is yes. The question is what, and how fast we can get there together.
I’ve spent three years building toward this moment. Read about my journey into AI expertise and you’ll understand exactly why this work matters to me — and why I’m positioned to help Midwest businesses that no one else is serving.
Technology Used in WorkVibe
- Vibe coding methodology (AI-assisted development without traditional programming)
- Large language model reasoning for requirements analysis and architectural planning
- AI-powered code generation and rapid iteration tools
- Automated data modeling and schema generation
- Rapid prototyping frameworks optimized for 24-hour sprint conditions
WorkVibe FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions About WorkVibe
Is WorkVibe available for commercial use?
WorkVibe is currently in active development beyond the Vibeathon MVP. If you are interested in AI-powered workforce technology solutions for your business, contact Gabriel Cassady directly to discuss your specific workforce challenges.
What is vibe coding?
Vibe coding is a methodology for building functional software using AI-powered development tools, guided by human strategic direction rather than traditional programming. Coined by AI researcher Andrej Karpathy in 2025, it is now used by professionals across industries to build tools, apps, and platforms without requiring conventional coding expertise. The St. Joseph Vibeathon was one of the first Midwest competitions built entirely around vibe coding methodology.
What is the St. Joseph Vibeathon?
The St. Joseph Vibeathon is a 24-hour vibe coding sprint organized by Codefi Foundation in St. Joseph, Missouri. The March 2026 event challenged participants to build real, functional products within 24 hours using AI-assisted development tools. Gabriel Cassady placed 3rd with WorkVibe — an AI-powered workforce technology platform — competing against teams from across the Midwest.
Can Gabriel build a custom AI tool for my business?
Yes. As a fractional AI consultant and Chief AI Officer, Gabriel works with small and mid-sized Midwest businesses to identify AI opportunities, build custom AI-powered tools and workflows, and implement AI strategy — without the cost of a full-time AI hire. Start a conversation here.
How is Gabriel Cassady qualified to build AI tools?
Gabriel has spent the last three-plus years in intensive study and practice of generative AI — including tool integration, API development, automation, and now vibe coding. He is a contributing writer to the Springfield Business Journal on AI topics, a local AI speaker, and the builder of WorkVibe. Read his full background here.
What other AI consulting services does Gabriel offer?
Beyond custom AI tool development, Gabriel offers fractional Chief AI Officer services, AI strategy development, AI readiness assessments, and AI training and workshops — all tailored to the budget and operational reality of Midwest SMBs. See the full service overview.
Ready to Explore What AI Can Build for Your Business?
WorkVibe started as a 24-hour sprint, ending as an answer to a Midwest workforce problem. Your business challenge could be the next project on the board. Whether you need a custom AI tool, an AI strategy, or simply a conversation with someone who understands both the technology and your market — let’s talk.