​Build Your Own AI-Powered WhatsApp Bot

​Imagine having your own AI assistant running directly on WhatsApp—answering questions, transcribing voice messages, generating images, automating workflows, and engaging your customers or community 24/7.

​In this hands-on 4-session masterclass, you'll build exactly that.

​This isn't a no-code tutorial or a product demo. By the end of the series, you'll have your own production-ready AI WhatsApp bot running on your own phone number, along with the knowledge to continue expanding it long after the workshop ends.

​Whether you're building a startup, growing a community, or automating internal operations, WhatsApp is one of the most powerful channels to deploy AI—and you'll learn how to own that channel yourself.

​Why This Workshop?

​Most founders rely on expensive SaaS tools to automate customer interactions.

​In this workshop, you'll learn how to build and own the technology yourself.

​Instead of renting automation software, you'll leave with a customizable AI platform running on one of the world's largest messaging networks.

​This is practical AI engineering for founders.

​What You'll Build

​Throughout the series, you'll create a fully functional AI WhatsApp bot that runs on a number you can text. Either bring a new number (we do not recommend using your own), or ask us to provision one for you for $50 a month.

​Your bot will be able to:

​✅ Reply intelligently to messages

​✅ Transcribe voice messages

​✅ Generate AI images

​✅ Perform utility commands and calculations

​✅ Support group chats

​✅ Run scheduled automations

​✅ Broadcast messages

​✅ Be extended with your own custom features

​Best of all—you own the entire project, the codebase, and the deployment.

​Who Should Attend?

​This workshop is perfect for:

​🚀 Startup Founders

• ​Build customer support, onboarding, or AI assistants directly inside WhatsApp.

​🌍 Community Builders

• ​Automate Q&A, broadcasts, summaries, and member engagement.

​💻 Technical Builders

• ​Learn practical WhatsApp integration and AI automation using Claude Code.

​🏢 Business Operators

• ​Explore AI-powered workflows for internal teams and customer communications.

​No prior experience building bots is required. If you're comfortable following along on a laptop, you'll be able to complete the workshop.

​What You'll Learn

​By the end of the series, you'll:

• ​Understand how AI WhatsApp bots work from end to end

• ​Build and deploy a live WhatsApp bot on your own phone number

• ​Add transcription, image generation, and utility features

• ​Create your own custom feature

• ​Build scheduled automations and recurring workflows

• ​Learn how to scale your bot to support larger communities

• ​Leave with a reusable project you fully own

​Course Schedule

​Session 1 — July 14

​Introduction to AI WhatsApp Bots

• ​How WhatsApp bots work

• ​WhatsApp integration fundamentals

• ​Claude Code workflow

• ​Project setup

• ​Deploy your first bot

​Outcome: Your bot is live and responding to messages.

​Session 2 — July 28

​Build Core AI Features

​You'll add:

• ​Voice transcription

• ​AI image generation

• ​Utility commands

• ​Helpful AI tools

​Outcome: Your bot now includes multiple AI-powered capabilities.

​Session 3 — August 11

​Build Your Own Feature

​Choose a feature specific to your own business or community.

​Examples include:

• ​FAQ assistant

• ​Customer support

• ​Lead qualification

• ​Appointment booking

• ​Knowledge base search

• ​Custom AI workflow

​Outcome: Your own custom feature is deployed.

​Session 4 — August 25

​Automations & Scaling

​Learn how to:

• ​Schedule recurring jobs

• ​Send automated broadcasts

• ​Support multiple users

• ​Handle larger communities

• ​Keep your bot running reliably

​Outcome: Your bot becomes a scalable automation platform.

​What You'll Leave With

​By the end of the masterclass, you'll have:

• ​🤖 A live AI WhatsApp bot

• ​🎙️ Voice transcription

• ​🎨 AI image generation

• ​⚡ Utility commands

• ​🛠️ Your own custom feature

• ​🔄 Scheduled automations

• ​📦 The complete Claude Code project

• ​🚀 A foundation you can continue building on

• ​Certificates will be awarded upon successful project completion.

​Who Are Attending

​The BFC AI Academy has now trained 300+ founders, investors, and senior executives across the global innovation ecosystem.

​Our participants include:

• ​Partners from leading venture capital firms, including Pear VC

• ​PhDs and postdoctoral researchers from Stanford University

• ​Senior executives from major technology companies, such as Google, Meta, and SAP

• ​Academic leaders, including department chairs from San Francisco State University (SFSU)

​These workshops bring together top builders, investors, and operators to learn from one another, exchange cutting-edge insights, and accelerate innovation within the BFC community.

​Below is a partial list of our previous participants:

​Arash Afrakhteh • Amrut Rajkarne • Anthony H. Lei •Abdulaziz Alrabiah • Alan Louie • Albert Liang • Aleh Manchuliantsau • Amit Nischal • Arzoo Sethi• Bin He Maywah • Bo Long • Brett Bunnell • Claire Kim • Cloris L • Cullen Gray • Emma Wu • Fei Y. • Girish Kulkarni • Ian Darmawan • Ilan Gleiser • Jeanie Fang• Jessie Wu • Jinan Zhou • Jing Dong • John Wu • Zhijiang Li • Justin T. • Leigh Jin • Lesliee Liu • Mala Ramakrishnan • Marisa Erven • Matt Slater • May Spring • Michael Pon • Mingyuan Zhong • Mohinder Sikka • Nadim Sarras • Naoya J Maeda-Nishino, MD , Olivier Pichon • Padmaja Surendranath • Pinaki Aich • Ram Shanmugam • Robert Hsiung • Robin Ren • Rodolfo de Lara Campos • Rumeesa Khalid • Sarthak Chokshi • Shuoyuan He • Sinchana Nama• Sissi Wang • Steve Gu • Syd Porter • Teddy Fang • Tong Shan • Vibhu Narwekar • Will Leung • Xiao A • Yuhao Zhang • Lisa Fei • Cindy Manit 💫Amy Wilkinson Matthew Cook Chien Jarvis Jingming Li Indy LeonardSangHoon Shin Jaaziel Munoz Vadim Rogovskiy 🇺🇦 Angela K. Fay Christodoulou Dheeraj Goswami Raghav G. Tino Go, Affiliate ASID, Allied AIAHarish Pratapani Julie Candelon Sun Choi Nikhil Racherla Holly Roland Chris Hilton Vinay Mamidi Rodney Cullen Ivana Pignatelli Jeffery Zhou Joshua SilverPhong Nguyen Chris Phelan Mahni Shayganfar, PhD, MBA AyseDeniz GokcinNadim Sarras Fay Christodoulou Adeesh Goel Amy Wilkinson Alex KhalinAndre Brandao Gordon Chan Mridula Rahmsdorf Akansha Bansal Gloria DeFelix Jiayi Wang Tianyi Peng Hannah Herzog Boon Chew Alex MaldonadoTatjana Dzambazova Qiwei Li Preeti Anubolu Ann Pierce Weiqi Tian Mekhi Jones Ivan Villa-Renteria Mukesh Kataria, MPH Maddie Bradshaw Vivid N. Savitri Christine Moon Debashish (Deb) Pal sreeprasad GovindankuttyStephen Johnston Michael Stricklen Vibhu Narwekar

​About Our Instructor

​Chinat brings elite credentials and practical experience:

• ​Stanford Learning, Design & Technology graduate with expertise in educational innovation

• ​MLH Top 50 honoree recognized for excellence in hackathon organization

• ​Partnerships with Johns Hopkins and Hong Kong PolyU

• ​Check out his previous winning Hackathon projects here

• ​Creator of innovative approaches, making technology accessible to all students and professionals

• ​Award-winning projects: https://devpost.com/cyu60
  MLH Top 50 profile: https://top.mlh.io/2023/profiles/chinat-yu

​SPACES ARE FILLING FAST! This hands-on workshop is HIGHLY SELECTIVE with limited enrollment to ensure personalized attention.

​About the Bay Area Founders Club

​Founded in Silicon Valley in 2022 by Dr. Paul Fang and powered by a network of Stanford alumni, founders, investors, and operators, Bay Area Founders Club (BFC) has become one of the world's fastest-growing AI-native founder communities.

​Today, BFC connects 100,000+ members, including 5,000+ startups, 1,000+ venture capital firms, and innovators from more than 170 countries.

​Our mission: Help founders build faster, raise smarter, and grow through community.

​Whether you're launching your first startup, raising capital, scaling a company, exploring AI, or expanding your investor network, BFC provides access to the people, insights, and resources that accelerate growth.

​Membership Pathways

​🚀 BFC Beginner
For students, aspiring founders, professionals, and anyone looking to break into startups, venture capital, AI, and entrepreneurship.

​🛠️ BFC Builder
For early-stage founders, operators, and AI builders seeking mentorship, accountability, community, and momentum.

​📈 BFC Founder Pro
For founders preparing to raise capital, launch new ventures, build MVPs, and achieve early traction.

​🌎 BFC Operator
For founders and executives focused on scaling through strategic partnerships, talent, visibility, customer growth, and investor access.

​🔒 BFC Inner Circle
A private community for accomplished founders, fund managers, angel investors, family offices, LPs, and ecosystem leaders seeking high-trust relationships and exclusive opportunities.

​🏆 BFC Founding Member (Invitation Only)
Our highest level of membership, bringing together visionary founders, investors, family offices, company owners, and industry leaders committed to shaping the future of the global AI-native founder ecosystem.

​One Community. Multiple Levels of Access.

​From first-time founders to seasoned investors, BFC creates a trusted environment where entrepreneurs, operators, researchers, and capital partners can connect, collaborate, and grow together.

​Join the community that is helping build the next generation of Silicon Valley and global innovation.

​Learn more: https://www.bayareafoundersclub.com