AI-NATIVE PROGRAM
Program Overview
June 2026 Cohort Applications are now open.
Cohort Dates
Launch Date: June 22nd, 2026
Application Deadline: May 31st, 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
Start your application to sign up for an info-session.
May 27 5-6 pm
Context
Over the past 5 years, AI development has progressed at an exponential rate. We are now on the cusp of a major technological shift with AI poised to automate its own advancement—potentially triggering an intelligence explosion. Some experts suggest we may be moving faster than expected toward Artificial General Intelligence and superintelligence, underscoring the urgency and magnitude of this moment.
AI is performing at a level that places it among the top competitive coders on the planet. On Codeforces—a website that hosts competitive programming contests AKA the Olympics of coding—the current OpenAI model (as of 12/2024) is ranked 175th of coders on the planet.
In a move reflecting broader shifts within the tech industry, Meta is advancing AI capable of writing code with minimal human intervention that can replace mid-level engineers at the company.
All of this has had a tremendous impact. The job market is changing—entry-level engineering positions have dropped by 67% while a majority of engineers now use AI.
But even though employers demand AI expertise, it’s unclear what skills they need. And higher-order skills like problem solving and communication are becoming even more important. We are launching this program to test and learn what it takes to get hired and be successful in an AI-future.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/24/business/computer-coding-boot-camps.html
Goals
Future tech and AI jobs
As AI evolves to write code like a mid-level engineer, the role of the human software developer will change. Builders will need to prepare for this future by having more higher-order skills like product knowledge, business acumen, and communications.
Skills and training
How do you navigate uncertainty in this rapidly changing AI world? By focusing on the skills that don’t change:
Higher-order skills: Problem-solving, creativity, adaptability. These will always matter.
Network: Relationships drive outcomes.
Employer embeddedness and partnerships: Deep, ongoing relationships with employers will be critical as job roles evolve.
How you get hired
We’re experimenting with creating new pathways to jobs or ‘leapfrogging’ the traditional hiring process. This includes Fellows becoming AI-native, building AI solutions, and showcasing their skills through ‘Build in Public’ as a direct route to getting hired.
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 Overview
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
How the program works
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 Builder (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
Details
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
• Fully in-person
• In Long Island City, Queens
• 100 Builders
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
Space
• You will have 24/7 access to Pursuit HQ