RFP – AI Bootcamp Facilitation - Consultant
Project Overview
AlphaLab, the startup accelerator of Innovation Works, is seeking experienced external facilitators to lead the 2027 AI Bootcamp. This in-person, Pittsburgh-based program brings together founders across Software, Health, and Hardware tracks. We have defined the skills every founder must leave with and a baseline curriculum to get them there. Facilitators may propose to deliver the full curriculum or specific modules, and AlphaLab may select more than one facilitator.
Company Background
Innovation Works is one of the most active seed-stage investors in the country and the lead innovation and startup engine for Southwestern Pennsylvania. Through AlphaLab, its startup accelerator, Innovation Works runs intensive, milestone-driven programming for early-stage founders. The 2027 AI Bootcamp is designed to help founders across the portfolio put AI to work running their companies, from operating agents to AI-informed product and fundraising decisions.
Audience
This call is for facilitators from diverse professional backgrounds who can lead a high-energy, hands-on, two-day bootcamp. Experience with startup accelerators is valued but not required.
Founders span three tracks (Software, Health, and Hardware) and range from pre-seed through seed stage. Their technical fluency varies widely, from deeply technical builders to people who have never automated anything. We assume every founder has used Claude or ChatGPT to answer questions. Most have not used AI coding tools, built an agent, or chosen between models and effort levels.
Baseline Curriculum
This is a baseline, not a script. Strong candidates may modify, reorder, or replace modules if they show how founders still reach these skills. Every module should end with a concrete, verifiable artifact or decision, not just a feeling of increased confidence. Content should reflect the models, tools, and features that work at the time of delivery.
Frontier AI today : Current capabilities and limitations of frontier models.
Models and effort : Which model and effort level to use and when, with live examples of different models and efforts solving the same problem.
Core tooling : Projects, scheduled tasks, etc.
Data privacy : Training and privacy policies for commercial versus enterprise accounts, and how to choose the right account for your data.
Plugins, skills, and connectors : What each is for, what MCP is, and how to install an existing plugin, skill, and connector.
Build a skill : Use the “write a skill” skill to write and install a custom skill.
Agents : What an agent is, how to decide whether a workflow needs one, and how to scope or build it. Where other platforms are ahead, facilitators may show those.
Generating artifacts : For example, a brand package, slides that don’t look AI-generated, text and reports, and deep research.
Research connectors : Useful external tools such as Tavily and Firecrawl.
Desired Facilitator Requirements
Demonstrated, recent (within the last 3-6 months) hands-on experience building an AI agent, automation, or workflow, with a link to show for it.
Current, hands-on fluency with the baseline curriculum: models and effort levels, Projects, skills, plugins, connectors, MCP, etc.
Ability to confirm each target skill in the room through a working artifact every founder builds.
Ability to manage group dynamics and adapt content on the fly across all three tracks, for both non-technical founders and deeply technical teams.
Experience or a clear plan for working with sensitive data. That includes never using real patient information in Health demos and addressing supply chain and test data concerns for Hardware teams.
Willingness to collaborate with the AlphaLab team, incorporate pre-program cohort survey results, and contribute reusable session materials (slides, templates, prompts, workflows) to AlphaLab’s AI Resource Library for future cohorts.
Participation in a virtual dry run the week of February 1,…