If you want to go far, go together

What happens when a developer meets a theological question they can’t ignore? When a software engineer starts attending a small church in their city and realizes the tools the pastor uses were built for a different era? When someone who knows how to ship products starts asking what it would look like to ship them for the Kingdom?

That is exactly the kind of founder Missional Labs exists to develop, and it is exactly the kind of builder Gloo is here to support.

Gloo is proud to partner with Missional Labs on their Faith + AI Accelerator cohort, a 12-week intensive program designed to take early-stage founders from theological vision to venture-ready prototype. Running January through April 2026, the cohort combines formation, product design, and go-to-market strategy, grounded in the conviction that the Church needs bold builders experimenting on the frontier of AI, not just observing it from the sidelines.

Accelerators occupy a unique position in the faith ecosystem precisely because the problems worth solving here rarely fit neatly into a traditional startup playbook. Ministry leaders see needs every day that technology could address, but most lack the product vocabulary to articulate them. Developers and technologists often have the skills but lack the theological grounding and community trust to build solutions that actually land. Accelerators like Missional Labs close that gap by creating a structured environment where both kinds of people can find each other, sharpen their thinking, and build with accountability.

The cohort model matters too: when twelve founders are working through adjacent problems at the same time, they become each other’s best advisors, critics, and eventual collaborators. That density of mission-aligned builders, compressed into a single program, produces something that neither solo founders nor large institutions can easily replicate. It is how ecosystems develop momentum, and in a space where trust moves slowly, and relationships are everything, that kind of intentional infrastructure is not just helpful - it’s essential.

This year’s cohort includes twelve projects spanning the full breadth of how AI can serve the faith ecosystem. A few worth noting: Kaleo AI is building live translation infrastructure that gives churches the ability to reach their surrounding communities in 192 languages. Codex Translation Editor is rethinking how openly licensed Bible translations get produced and maintained using AI-native tooling. Velora, a smart Bible app, is exploring how real-time sermon engagement can extend discipleship beyond Sunday morning. And Trellis is tackling one of the most persistent pain points in ministry leadership: administrative overload, building an AI coworker so pastors can get back to people work.

These are not side projects. These are carefully considered ventures, built by people who understand both the technology and the communities it’s meant to serve.

For Gloo, this partnership is not peripheral. It sits at the core of our developer strategy. Gloo AI Studio exists to connect the faith ecosystem with the data, tools, and infrastructure it needs to serve people well. But infrastructure is only as valuable as the applications built on top of it. Identifying, equipping, and building relationships with the next generation of faith-tech founders is how that ecosystem grows. Missional Labs brings the formation framework and the founder community; Gloo brings platform access, network depth, and a shared commitment to human flourishing as the north star.

Investing in cohorts like this is how we identify where the ecosystem is heading before it gets there. It is also how we stay honest about what developers actually need, because the best product feedback comes from people who are both building and deeply embedded in the communities they are serving.

The cohort culminates with pitches and a commissioning at the Missional AI Summit, bringing together investors, practitioners, and theologians to hear final presentations and send these founders into the next phase of their work.

If you want to hear these projects for yourself and be part of the moment these ventures get commissioned into the world, join us next week at Missional AI. Come curious. Come ready to invest, partner, or simply bear witness to what happens when gifted builders take seriously the call to build for the Kingdom.

The frontier of faith and technology needs more than observers. It needs builders.

Gloo is proud to stand alongside the ones who are showing up.