The program
A year, one cohort, and a business you actually build.
You enroll in four courses across two semesters with the same group of students. Business faculty and Computer Information Systems faculty coordinate the assignments so the work stacks instead of competing.
Course sequence
What you take, and when.
All four courses are CSU-transferable and count toward existing LBCC Business and CIS certificates and degrees. Courses run in short late-start blocks.
| Term | Course | Title | What you do in it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 Late Oct – mid-Dec | MGMT 80 | Small Business Entrepreneurship | Identify a real problem, research the market, and build a business model you can defend. |
| Fall 2026 Late Oct – mid-Dec | AI 45 | Generative AI Applications | Prompting, evaluation, and fact-checking — applied directly to your own venture. |
| Spring 2027 Feb – early Apr | MKTG 47 | Essentials of Marketing | Positioning, pricing, channels, and a marketing plan aimed at real customers. |
| Spring 2027 Feb – early Apr | AI 40 | Foundations of AI | How these systems work, where they fail, and the ethics of putting them in front of customers. |
Monthly AI touchpoints
Where the two sides meet.
These are not separate AI exercises. Each one is a business deliverable you owe your course anyway — done with AI in the workflow, then checked by you.
Month 1
Market research
Use AI to scan an industry and size an opportunity, then verify what it told you against real sources. You'll find at least one thing it got wrong. That's the assignment.
Month 2
Competitor analysis
Map who else is solving this problem and where the gap is. Build the visual analysis your pitch will lean on.
Month 3
Financial projections
Revenue model, cost structure, and a cash flow you can explain line by line. AI can build the model; you have to own the assumptions.
Month 4
Pitch deck
Turn a plan into a five-minute story. Draft, cut, rehearse, cut again.
The same four-part arc runs again in Spring with a marketing lens, at a higher level of difficulty, on the same venture.
Tools
What you'll be working in.
- ChatGPT Enterprise — provided through LBCC's institutional license. No personal subscription required.
- Canva Pro — already available to LBCC students, used for visual analysis and pitch decks.
- Survey and analytics tools — for customer research and validating your assumptions.
On academic integrity: AI use is expected here, not hidden. You'll be asked to document how you used it, what you changed, and what you rejected. Learning to disclose your process is part of the professional skill.
The commitment
What we ask of you.
Stay for the year
The cohort works because the same people move through it together. Plan on both semesters.
Show up for the cohort
Cohort meetings, peer feedback sessions, and guest speakers are part of the experience, not optional extras. The October 23 kickoff is required.
Present in May
Every enrolled student participates in the Capstone Pitch Event. That's the finish line everything points at.
Questions
Before you sign up.
Do I need experience with AI or business?
No. Both course pairs start from the beginning. What you need is willingness to work on one idea for a year.
Does this cost extra?
No. You pay standard LBCC enrollment fees for the four courses, and any fee waiver you already qualify for still applies. There is no additional program fee, and course materials are provided.
Do these courses count toward my degree?
Yes. All four are CSU-transferable and apply to existing LBCC Business and Computer Information Systems certificates and degrees. Check with a counselor for how they map to your specific plan.
Can I work while I'm in this?
Yes — it's designed for that. Courses run in short late-start blocks rather than spanning the full term, and assignments are coordinated across courses so you aren't doing the same research twice. Tell us on the interest form if you need advance notice for scheduling.
What's the deadline?
The interest list closes Friday, October 16, 2026 at 10:00 AM. You'll hear back by October 19, and the kickoff is October 23.
Do I need my own business idea to start?
No. Some students arrive with one. Others find theirs in the first few weeks. Teams form during the fall.
