11787/94817 AI Cofounder: A Startup Builder's Guide / Spring 2026
Course Description
AI Cofounder: A Startup Builder’s Guide is a 13-week, project-based course for technically inclined individuals who are interested in launching startups, particularly those centered on or enabled by AI. This course is specifically designed for students who envision themselves as the AI cofounder, the person responsible for leading the AI or technical direction of a venture. The targeted startup is an AI-oriented or AI-related venture, and students will be expected to leverage AI to design solutions, drive innovation, and accelerate the development and growth of a future venture.
The course previews a practical framework for ideating, building, leading, and scaling a technology startup, following the real-world journey from initial idea through market validation and fundraising preparation. It is especially relevant for technical leaders who want to extend their business savvy, and who aim to create venture-scale value with AI. As AI technologies continue to evolve rapidly, the course will adapt in real-time to market conditions and technology news, ensuring students are working with the most current tools or technology, mental models, and data.
The primary objective is for every student to develop their own founder’s playbook. Through applied-skills workshops, founder stories, and domain-specific case studies (e.g., fintech, health-tech, climate), students will learn to translate technical expertise into entrepreneurial action. By the end of the course, each student will have drafted and explored a viable startup concept including a validated problem statement, an initial financial plan, a go-to-market strategy, and a compelling pitch culminating in a public poster session that showcases their AI-empowered venture in the AM of AIVS.co’s demo day during OPEN COFFEE: AI EDITION.
Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Identify and validate compelling problems as a basis for a startup, establish founder-problem fit, and pinpoint unique opportunities through effective market analysis that could lead to venture-scale value.
- Structure a founding team, define a culture, and map a co-founder equity philosophy.
- Create a milestone-based budget, understand startup financial fundamentals, and analyze strategic funding sources and investor fit.
- Navigate core legal considerations for early startups, including incorporation and IP.
- Apply “design thinking” principles to generate customer insights and inform product direction.
- Develop and execute go-to-market (GTM) strategies focused on early customer acquisition.
- Develop a compelling narrative and pitch for their venture.
- Inventory where AI can play the role of a founding team member, lead a function e.g., marketing, or assist or augment the human cofounder building a startup
Target Audience & Prerequisites
Target Audience: This course is designed for undergraduate and graduate students interested in entrepreneurship, particularly those with a background or strong interest in AI. It is well suited for individuals exploring the idea of starting an AI-oriented company, developing a specific AI-related concept, or already in the early stages of building a venture where AI plays a central role.
Target Class Size: This is a popular topic while also filling a missing piece of our current educational offering. Thus we expect it to be a popular class targeting the size of 100 students.
Prerequisites: There are no formal course prerequisites. Background/expertise in computer science, specifically AI is required as this class is targeting AI company founders. A strong interest in technology, innovation, and problem-solving is expected. This class will pair with AI Venture Studio (AIVS.co), but it is not required to take the course.
Course Format
The course meets twice per week over 13 weeks, followed by a final presentation and poster session. The format is highly interactive and designed to balance theory with practice. Classes will be held every Friday from 11am-1:50pm, and each class consists of two parts:
- Part 1: Applied Foundations (11am-12:15pm, 1h 15mins): Focuses on a core startup skill or concept through hands-on lecture and workshop, where students apply frameworks towards their own venture ideas.
- Part 2: Founders in the Field (12:30pm-1:50pm, 1h 20mins): Features guest speakers (e.g., serial founders, venture capitalists, industry experts), to provide direct exposure to real-world challenges and successes in the startup world, followed by group discussion and Q&A.
Location: TEP 1403
Teaching Assistants
Zichun Yu
Liwen Sun
Cathy Jiao