The BTU AI Accelerator is a 16-week intensive acceleration program designed to support the creation and growth of innovative AI-powered startups.
The program is intended for aspiring entrepreneurs, technology students, and young professionals who want to transform their ideas into market-ready, scalable products with global potential.
A distinctive feature of the program is its founder-first approach. Rather than selecting existing startup teams, the program recruits individual participants. During the first phase, selected participants develop their entrepreneurial and technical skills before forming multidisciplinary founding teams throughout the program.
Program Objective
Artificial intelligence is transforming both product development and business models. Building a successful AI startup today requires much more than technical expertise—it demands a deep understanding of customer needs, product development, market validation, and business strategy.
The BTU AI Accelerator is designed to develop these competencies and empower participants to build globally competitive AI-driven products.
Who Can Apply?
The program is open to:
- BTU students;
- Aspiring entrepreneurs;
- Software developers and AI specialists;
- Professionals interested in business development and product management.
Program Structure
The accelerator is delivered over 16 weeks and consists of three main phases.
Phase I – Team Formation and Core Skills Development
Participants will take part in practical workshops covering:
- Entrepreneurial mindset;
- Startup fundamentals;
- Lean Startup methodology;
- AI Agents;
- Indie Hacking & Vibe Coding;
- Rapid prototyping;
- AI-powered market research;
- MVP validation;
- API cost optimization.
During this phase, participants will also take part in hackathons focused on Agentic AI, B2B SaaS, and Consumer AI.
Phase II – Product Development and Business Foundations
Teams will transform their ideas into real products while working on:
- Founder agreements;
- Equity distribution;
- Vesting models;
- Investor expectations;
- Market analysis;
- Financial modeling;
- Unit Economics;
- Company valuation;
- Fundraising instruments;
- Investor readiness.
Phase III – Global Market Launch
During the final phase, participants will focus on:
- Global company formation;
- International payment systems;
- Legal compliance;
- AI-driven marketing;
- Growth strategies;
- Customer acquisition;
- Pitch deck development;
- Effective investor communication.
Learning Format
The program is entirely practice-oriented and combines:
- Hands-on workshops;
- One-on-one mentoring;
- Hackathons;
- Customer validation and testing;
- Continuous feedback.
The BTU AI Accelerator aims to strengthen Georgia’s innovation ecosystem by supporting the next generation of AI entrepreneurs and enabling them to build globally competitive technology companies.