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The Start Accelerator

Build your product. Land your first customers.

A 12-week live cohort that takes you from an idea in a notebook to a real, deployed product with paying customers — using AI, around your full-time job.

12 weeks · online · 20 seats · 5–8 hrs/week

Apply for the next cohort →
What you walk away with

You don't finish with notes. You finish with a business you've started.

01
A validated idea

Backed by real evidence from real potential customers.

02
A working MVP

A real product, deployed and live on the internet. Not a mockup.

03
A pitch deck

The story of what you built and why it matters.

04
A 90-day plan

Exactly what to do the day after the cohort ends.

Who this is for
  • Employed professionals (roughly 35–50) with deep domain expertise and an idea they've never been able to build.
  • People who want to build before they leap — not quit first and hope.
  • Non-technical builders who were told they'd need a developer.
  • Anyone who can give 5–8 focused hours a week: evenings, weekends, stolen mornings.
Who it's NOT for
  • People looking to raise a round or hire a team — this is about building lean and solo.
  • People who want a passive video course — this is live, hands-on, and accountable.
How it works

The format

12 weeks, fully online.

One 90-minute live cohort session every week (all sessions recorded).

A peer group of 4–5 founders for weekly accountability.

An async community between sessions.

Expert guest sessions throughout.

Built for a full-time schedule — 5–8 hours a week.

Just 20 seats per cohort, so every founder gets attention.

The 12 weeks

Week by week

Each week maps to one move in the BUILD method — Business validation, User-focused MVP, Income, Launch in public, Data-driven growth.

Wk 01
B
Foundations & problem validation
Sharpen the problem worth solving, and prove it's real before you build anything.
Wk 02
U
AI-native building 101
Set up your tools and learn to build real software with AI — no coding background needed.
Wk 03
U
Your first prototype
Ship a working, deployed prototype — a real product on the internet, not a slide.
Wk 04
B
Customer discovery
Talk to real potential customers and turn those conversations into evidence.
Wk 05
L
Iterate & ship
Tighten the product with real feedback and ship improvements fast.
Wk 06
I
Go-to-market basics
Positioning, pricing, and the first acquisition channels that actually fit a solo builder.
Wk 07
I
Your first paying customers
Make the ask. Turn interest into real revenue.
Wk 08
L
Demo Day
Present what you built to the cohort — a milestone and a forcing function.
Wk 09
D
Scale the build
Run growth experiments and let the data decide what to build next.
Wk 10
D
Decision framework
Leap, stay, or pivot — a clear-eyed framework for your next move.
Wk 11
Your next 90 days
Leave with a concrete personal roadmap for the 90 days after the cohort.
Wk 12
Graduation
Wrap up, join the alumni network, and keep building with the community.
What's included

Everything you get

12 weekly live sessions (plus recordings).

Your peer accountability group of 4–5.

The async community and alumni network.

The FIKR toolkit to build and run your product on.

Templates, prompts, and playbooks used every week.

Expert guest sessions.

The method
The method: BUILD
B
Business validation
Prove people want it before you build.
U
User-focused MVP
Ship the smallest product that solves one real problem, with AI.
I
Income
Charge from day one; revenue is the only real validation.
L
Launch in public
Build an audience as you build the product.
D
Data-driven growth
Let the numbers, not your ego, decide what's next.
What this is not

This isn't a fundraising bootcamp, a course on hiring a team, or a debate about the "one right AI tool." The method is tool-agnostic. It's about getting a real product in front of real customers — fast, solo, and while you're still employed.

FAQ

Questions

Do I need to know how to code?

No. You build with AI from week one.

Do I need an idea already?

Ideally a rough one — Week 1 helps you sharpen or choose it.

How much time does it take?

5–8 hours a week, designed to fit around a full-time job.

What if I miss a live session?

Every session is recorded.

What exactly do I leave with?

A deployed MVP, real customer evidence, a pitch deck, and a 90-day plan.

What's the FIKR toolkit?

The platform you build and run your product on during the program.

How do I pay?

In full, or across 6 or 12 months.

When's the next cohort?

Apply to hold your seat and we'll confirm the start date.

The next cohort has
20 seats.

Build the thing you've been carrying for years — before you have to bet everything on it.

Apply now →