R42 Institute: AI Ventures Bootcamp for Teens
Program Introduction
This 5-day AI Bootcamp is designed for teenagers of all experience levels to learn how to understand, use, and build with AI.
Students will gain a clear understanding of what AI can and cannot do, and how it is applied to solve real-world problems. Through hands-on work with modern AI tools and vibecoding, each team will build a working AI product by the end of the program.
The bootcamp also introduces entrepreneurship and new venture creation. Taught from the perspective of AI entrepreneurs and investors, students will learn how startups are built today—covering product-market fit, market validation, business models, and go-to-market strategy.
By the end, students will present their product using a Silicon Valley–style pitch deck, preparing them not just to build with AI, but to turn their ideas into real companies.
Instructor Bio:
Dr. Ronjon Nag is an inventor, teacher, and entrepreneur, and President of the R42 Group venture firm. A pioneer of smartphones and app stores—his companies were acquired by Apple, BlackBerry, and Motorola—he now works at the intersection of AI and biology, including leading Agemica.ai on vaccines for aging. He is a Stanford Adjunct Professor, recipient of the IET Mountbatten Medal, IEEE Outstanding Engineer Award, COGx AI Lifetime Achievement Award, MIT Great Dome Award, and is a 2024 inductee into the Silicon Valley Engineering Hall of Fame.
AI Bootcamp for Teens
Duration: 5 Days (Monday–Friday)
Daily Schedule:
9:00–10:30 — AI Instruction
11:00–12:30 — AI Business Venture
2:00–3:00 — Workshop / Build Lab
Final Deliverables
AI product prototype
Product concept and design maps
Pitch deck (structured as above)
Live demonstration
Clear company direction
Program Objective
By the end of the bootcamp, students will build an AI-powered product and develop a clear pathway to turning it into a company, using AI tools, vibecoding, and product thinking.
Certification
Certificate of Achievement (R42)
Day 1 — Understanding AI and Product Concept
9:00–10:30 — What AI Is and What It Can Do
What AI is (input → AI → output)
Training a neural network - intuitive math of neural networks
What AI does well vs where it fails
Simple idea of how AI runs (data, model, compute in the cloud)
Tokens (basic concept: shorter, clearer prompts work better)
Current AI trends (high-level)
11:00–12:30 — AI Business Venture
Identify problems worth solving
Define target users
Match AI capabilities to real needs
Introduction to product thinking
2:00–3:00 — Workshop: Product Concept Map
Form teams
Define user, problem, solution
Build Product Concept Map
Day 2 — Vibecoding and Product Design
9:00–10:30 — Vibecoding Tools and Boundaries
Key tools:
ChatGPT
Claude
DeepSeek
Replit
Lovable
OpenClaw
What vibecoding is
What AI can and cannot build
Iteration and testing
11:00–12:30 — AI Business Venture
Product-market fit basics
Identifying assumptions
Validation thinking
2:00–3:00 — Workshop: Product Design Map
Define features, user flow, AI components
Choose tools and build approach
Day 3 — Use Cases, Ethics, and Evaluation
9:00–10:30 — AI Use Cases and Ethics
Real-world AI applications
Risks: bias, privacy, over-reliance
Designing useful products
11:00–12:30 — AI Business Venture
AI Product Evaluation Matrix:
User value
Feasibility
Differentiation
Scalability
2:00–3:00 — Workshop
Evaluate product ideas
Identify improvements
Start building prototype
Day 4 — Future of AI and Venture Thinking
9:00–10:30 — Future of AI
AI trends: agents, multimodal, automation
Opportunities created by AI
11:00–12:30 — AI Business Venture
What is a company
AI startups vs traditional
AI marketing basics
Intro to venture and investment thinking
2:00–3:00 — Workshop: Pitch Deck Preparation
Build pitch deck using the following sections:
Required Pitch Deck Structure:
Problem — What issue are you solving
Solution — Your AI-powered approach
Product — What you built (demo overview)
Target User — Who it is for
Market — Why this matters
How AI is Used — Core AI functionality
Differentiation — Why your product is unique
Future Vision — What this can become
Day 5 — Demo Day
9:00–10:30 — Final Preparation
Refine pitch and demo
Practice delivery and timing
11:00–12:30 — Presentations
3–5 minute pitch per team
Q&A session
Feedback
Awards
Certificates