Adults building together in an AI Founder Playbook classroom in New York

Fall 2026 · 20 fully funded NYC seats · No coding required

Own Your Next Chapter
with AI.

The Flex-N-Fly Foundation is proud to launch Own-Your-Next-Chapter: AI Entrepreneurship Program, a 6-week partnership with AI Founder Playbook designed for adults ages 30–55 who are ready to step confidently into the future of work.

Many Millennials and Gen X adults are navigating an unprecedented wave of layoffs while AI rapidly reshapes every industry. Yet most only understand AI through tools like ChatGPT and aren’t sure how to actually leverage it to create stability, opportunity, or income.

This program changes that by giving adults with no tech background the chance to learn practical AI skills, build their own ideas into new entrepreneurial pathways.

Apply for a funded seat →

Brought to you by

Fully fundedNo tuition for selected participants

20 seatsApplication + selection required

6 MondaysHands-on, in-person program

Sep 14Application deadline

Who it’s for

You already know more than you think.
AI gives you a new way to build with it.

This cohort is for NYC residents, ages 30–55. You don’t need to be technical. You don’t need a startup. And you don’t need to know exactly what you want to build yet. If you already have an idea, great—we’ll help you accelerate it. If you don’t, we’ll help you find your starting point. Bring your experience, a problem you care about, or simply the desire to explore what’s possible. We’ll teach you how to use AI to turn it into something tangible.

An idea you’ve been sitting on

Something you’ve wanted to create, test, or finally get out of your head.

A next chapter

A career transition, second act, or new direction you want to explore.

A problem worth solving

Something you’ve seen at work, in your community, or in your own life that could work better.

By the end

You leave with evidence, not just inspiration.

A working productOne complete journey that works from start to finish and lives at a real web address.

Real people using itSomeone outside the cohort has actually tried what you built.

Your own numbersA live dashboard showing what users did — not what you hoped they would do.

Your next moveA recorded pitch and a ranked list of what to fix, build, test, or sell next.

Your AI toolkit

The AI tools you’ll actually learn.

You’re not learning “AI” in theory. You’ll use it to build. We’ll introduce you to the full AI product stack — from turning an idea into a product plan to building it, storing data, tracking what users do, and improving what you made. No coding experience required.

Think + CreateClaude · ChatGPT · GeminiResearch, brainstorm, write, analyze, and work through ideas with AI.

MapMermaidTurn your idea into a visual user flow before you build.

BuildCursor · ReplitBuild a real working product with AI — even if you’ve never coded.

DataSupabaseGive your product a database and store real information.

ShipGitHubSave and manage versions of what you build.

LearnPostHogSee what people actually do when they use your product.

The syllabus

Six Mondays. Something you can show each week.

Start together in New York, build online over the next four weeks, then come back together to show what you made. Along the way, you’ll turn your experience and ideas into something real with AI — with guidance, feedback, and a community building alongside you.

Wk	Date	Session	You’ll finish with
01	Sep 21 In person · NYC	Find the right problem Use AI to explore your idea, understand who it helps, and decide what is worth building. No idea yet? Start from an example and learn on that.	Your idea mapped — or the example — ready to build from.
02	Sep 28 Online	Design what you’re building Map the experience with AI and Mermaid, then decide what your first version actually needs.	A working version at a live URL you can share.
03	Oct 5 Online	Build it with AI Use Cursor or Replit to turn your idea into a working product, with hands-on help as you build.	One complete journey that works, start to finish.
04	Oct 12 Online	Make it useful Connect the pieces, add your data with Supabase, and get the experience working end to end.	A product you can change yourself, plus a pitch.
05	Oct 19 Online	Put it in front of people Share it with real users and use PostHog to learn what they actually do.	A live dashboard and a price.
06	Oct 26 In person · NYC	Improve + tell the story Use feedback and analytics to improve what you made, tell the story, and decide what comes next.	A recorded pitch, real user tests, and a ranked next list.

How we teach it

You don’t have to become a developer.
You learn how to build with AI.

AI has changed who gets to make software. You can describe what you want, work through decisions with AI, see what it creates, test it, change it, and keep going. By the end of six weeks, you won’t just know more about AI. You’ll have used it to make something of your own.

Start here Your experience + idea

Build with AI AI tools → Working product → Real user feedback → Next move

The instructor

Who you are building with.

Alisha Outridge is the founder and lead instructor of AI Founder Playbook, and CTO & CPO of Byte&Chord. She has spent 15+ years building AI products, including leading product for Search and People Data at Meta, and two exits: FlyBy, acquired by Apple with technology in ARKit, and KickApps, acquired by Brightspot. She has taught at Brown University and Hunter College CUNY. She teaches every Monday of this cohort herself, and runs office hours once you’re in.

15+Years building AI products

2Exits, including Apple

80%Launched an MVP or advanced their career within 60 days

230+Builders and counting

Made possible by The Flex-N-Fly Foundation

All 20 seats in this cohort are fully funded.

The Flex-N-Fly Foundation and its donors and sponsors are funding the delivery of this program so selected New Yorkers can participate at no cost.

There is no tuition or program fee for accepted participants.

theflexnflyfoundation.org ↗

Before you apply

The practical stuff.

Do I need to live in New York?

Yes. This cohort is for NYC residents only — people who live in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, or Staten Island.

Are the seats fully funded?

Yes. There is no tuition or program fee for the 20 selected participants. The Flex-N-Fly Foundation and its donors and sponsors fund the delivery of this program. You cover your own laptop, AI subscriptions, transit, and time between sessions.

Do I need my own AI subscriptions?

Yes. The funded seat covers tuition and instruction. You bring your own AI tool subscriptions — ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or similar. Free tiers work to start, and you’ll learn pro tips to manage your AI credit usage effectively.

Do I need an idea or coding experience?

Neither. No coding experience is required. If you have a problem you care about, bring it. If you don’t, you can build on an example in week 1 and still learn the same AI product skills.

What is the time commitment?

Six Monday evenings, 6:30–8:30 PM, plus work between sessions. Opening and closing sessions are in person in New York; the middle four are online. Venue details are sent after you are accepted.

How are people selected?

We read for why you want to build now, not how technical you already are. Twenty fully funded seats. Rolling review. The cohort may close before September 14 once all 20 participants are selected.

What if I get stuck between sessions?

Once you’re accepted, weekly office hours are there so you can get unstuck. Bring the thing that is broken, not a polished update.

Fall 2026 cohort

Your next chapter does not need to look like your first one.

20 fully funded seats are available for the Fall 2026 cohort.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and close when all 20 participants are selected.