AI-NA­TIVE PRO­GRAM

Cohort Dates
Launch Date: July 6, 2026

Application Deadline: June 7, 2026

Info-Session Dates:
– March 24, 5-6pm
– April 2, 6-7pm
– April 14th, 5-6pm
– April 23, 6-7pm
– May 6, 5-6pm
– May 14, 6-7pm
– May 19, 5-6pm
– May 27, 5-6pm

Start your application to sign up for an info-session.

Future tech and AI jobs

AI is already writing code like a mid-level engineer, and the role of the human software developer is changing. The most valuable developers orchestrate AI to build, while bringing the product knowledge, business acumen, critical thinking, and communication skills that AI can't replicate. Builders in the AI-Native Program are trained for exactly this role.

Skills and training

How do you navigate uncertainty in a rapidly changing AI world? By focusing on skills that transfer across roles and evolve with the technology.

• Higher-order skills

  Problem-solving, systems thinking, and adaptability are developed through hands-on work and real decision-making.

• Building with AI

  You learn how to use AI as a collaborator to design, build, and ship solutions.

• Network

  You build relationships through collaboration, community, and shared work.

• Employer partnerships

  You engage directly with employers through projects, Demo Day, and ongoing partnerships that connect your work to real opportunities.

How you get hired

We’re building a new model for how people get hired in the AI-first economy.

You learn by building and sharing your work. Through real-world projects and Demo Day, you create proof of your skills and potential that you can document and showcase using software we’ve build in-house like Lookbook, Sputnik, and Pathfinder.

You don’t just apply for jobs. You demonstrate your value directly to employers. We support you through every step of the job search and placement process.

Building in Public

‘Building in Public’ is a powerful approach that helps you leapfrog traditional hiring processes by showcasing your work, thought process, and learnings in real time. It creates an “active resume” and serves as “proof of work,” validating not just the final product but also the process behind it.

• Engage with and learn from industry leaders and peers by joining public dialogues.

• Become experts by demonstrating AI skills and staying up to date through learning the latest trends, announcements, and the language.

• Create opportunities instead of just finding them by making your work visible and engaging to potential employers.

• Ensure consistency, critical thinking, and engagement, turning both wins and failures into valuable content that attracts hiring opportunities.
  
  See the current Builders' journeys on our Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.

Application Process

Our multi-step selection process is designed to identify strong Builder candidates and give you a clear sense of the program environment and learning model. Admissions are rolling, so check the website to confirm the dates for our next class.

1. Create an account on our website Start by creating an account on our Platform to access the application and receive important updates.

2. Attend an in-person info session Get an overview of the AI Native program, meet staff, and learn what to expect.

3. Submit an online application Complete the application to tell us about your background, interests, and goals.

4. In-person workshop (by invitation) A subset of candidates will be invited to participate in a hands-on workshop to experience our collaborative, project-based approach.

6. Admissions Decision Finalists will receive an offer to join the upcoming cohort.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the program, all of the following must be true:

• Your annual income is less than $45,000 (excluding government benefits)

• You are 18 years of age or older

• You are able to write and speak in English

• You are eligible to work in the US

• You live in the NY Metro Area

• You can commit to participating for the full duration of the program

• You are open to experimentation and excited to create your own path

Builder characteristics

These are the qualities of individuals who will be successful in this program:

• You are comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty

• You enjoy teaching yourself — and helping others learn

• You thrive in collaborative environments and enjoy learning with peers

• You’re naturally curious and ask questions

• You are communicative and can talk things through with others

You may want to reconsider applying if:

• You need a fixed, highly structured curriculum

• You prefer traditional, teacher-led instruction

• You work best independently and tend to avoid collaboration

AI-powered individual learning

Your learning journey will be uniquely shaped by AI learning tools, a contrast to the existing instructor-led, one-size-fits-all training model. Imagine an ever-patient AI instructor who can deliver tailored resources and support.

Self-driven, active learning through building

You'll be encouraged to build your own curriculum and strategies to map to your timeline and understanding. Departing from the lecture-style, passive format of the traditional model, the new approach emphasizes hands-on building and project-based exploration.

Many to many

You’ll be part of a community of over 100 other Builders all working towards the same goal. You’ll be surrounded by others who understand your challenges, share your motivation, and celebrate both wins and failures. While you’ll have individualized learning with your AI tool, the community model offers a unique many to many learning model powered by peer teaching.

Industry network-integrated

The best way to learn and get hired is to fully integrate into the industry. You'll directly connect with professionals, volunteers, and industry experts.

Adaptive approach to feedback

Both Builders and Pursuit as an org can respond swiftly to data-driven recommendations, fine-tuning the strategies on the go. This proactive feedback loop maintains momentum and helps each individual reach their full potential.

L1: AI Fundamentals (Months 1–2)
Becoming an AI-native Builder starts with understanding the ecosystem and building the habit of learning with AI. In these first two months, you'll move through hands-on classes and workshops covering AI fundamentals, prompting, AI-assisted computer programming, GitHub, deployment and creating data-driven apps with APIs. You'll use AI tools to guide your learning, develop your own approach to working with AI, and build solo projects that develop individual ownership and confidence. This phase is about developing the mindset and skills to continuously adapt in an AI-driven world.

What You Will Achieve:

• Learn how LLMs work, prompting techniques, the AI tool landscape, and AI ethics

• Deploy small AI-powered projects, like a website and workflow automation, through self-driven work and group learning

• Gain product thinking skills using AI as a guide — problem identification, MVP scoping, and user-centered design

• Work with data schemas and APIs to build data-driven applications

• Begin building in public to share your progress and connect with others

• Build and present a functional MVP at Demo Day

L2: Industry Product (Months 3–4)
You'll shift from solo work to collaborative, industry-focused product development. Working in pairs, you'll write full Product Requirements Documents, analyze and clone real products, and build industry-specific solutions across industries like climate tech, financial services, and healthcare. Industry research, data analysis, and business models are woven throughout, connecting technical decisions to real business solutions.

What You Will Achieve:

• Get guidance and real-world perspective from a dedicated industry mentor

• Clone a real product and add a new feature

• Build and ship industry-specific products through pair programming

• Write full PRDs and develop industry fluency

• Analyze data and business models to inform product decisions

• Present an industry-specific capstone build in pairs at Demo Day

L3: Job Ready (Months 5–7)
L3 is designed around one goal: getting job ready. Working in multi-person teams, you'll simulate the real experience of joining a company — inheriting existing products and algorithms from the wild, working from client briefs, navigating stakeholder relationships, and using data to make and defend product decisions. Each two-week cycle builds on the last, culminating in a capstone build presented to real company partners at Demo Day.

What You Will Achieve:

• Onboard to an existing codebase — understanding the system and knowing what to build first

• Use product and user data to make and defend product decisions to a mixed audience of product, business, and executive stakeholders

• Work from a simulated client brief, managing competing requirements across multiple stakeholders while delivering under constraint

• Develop professional fluency and entrepreneurship skills — from your personal narrative to your LinkedIn, resume, and Lookbook portfolio — threaded throughout the program

• Master technical interview, whiteboarding, personal pitch, and presentation skills

• Build and present a team-based capstone project to real company partners at Demo Day

Program start

• Monday, June 22nd, 2026

Length of the program

• Months 1-2: AI Literacy
• Months 3-4: AI Build
• Months 5-7: Get hired

Schedule

• Mon-Thurs: 10:00am - 4:00pm

Community

• 350+ fellow Builders across cohorts and levels, learning together, teaching each other
• Pursuit staff supporting your journey every step of the way
• Volunteers and industry professionals across sectors guiding your learning and growth
• A network of alumni who've been where you are

Location & Space

• Fully in-person
• Pursuit HQ in Long Island City, Queens
• 24/7 access

Financing

You’re able to start the program with no loans and upfront costs. Instead, you’ll pay a % of your future earnings when you get a high-paying job. If you don’t get a job or make above the salary threshold, you pay nothing. And if you lose your job, your payments pause until your next job.

• No upfront costs to start
• Instead, you commit % of future earnings
• Rate: 15% of gross annual income
• Term: 36 months
• Covered period: 5 years max
• Salary threshold: $85,000