An 8-week cohort by Madalena Costa & Sónia Gomes
From AI idea to a product grounded in evidence, in 8 weeks. A hands-on cohort for aspiring and experienced founders. Work on a real problem, build a prototype, test what creates value and what gets in people’s way, and use the evidence to decide what comes next.
There are only 12 places · Be first to hear when applications open.
01The problem
You can turn an idea into a working AI demo in an afternoon. That speed is real, but a demo can’t tell you whether anyone needs what you’ve built.
The questions that decide a product’s future come first. Does this problem need AI at all? What should the system decide, and what should stay with people? What happens when it’s wrong? Will people trust it enough to keep using it, and value it enough to pay?
This course helps you answer these questions with evidence from real people, before you commit more time, money, and reputation.
Built because it was possible.
It solves a problem nobody has, or one that didn’t need AI.
Impressive in a demo, abandoned in daily use.
It doesn’t fit how people actually work, so they stop using it.
Trusted too much, or not at all.
Nobody designed for uncertainty or failure, so people either over-rely on it or ignore it.
02The transformation
1 method, 5 stages. Each one produces something you can test, show or decide with.
Frame the problem and test whether AI is the right answer to it.
Define who does what: the person, the AI and the hand-offs between them. Design for trust, uncertainty and failure.
Make intelligent behaviour tangible, interactive and testable.
Put it in front of real people. Learn whether it’s useful, trusted and likely to be adopted.
Weigh the evidence and choose your next step.
03What you leave with
9 pieces of work that capture your thinking, your evidence and your decision. Ready to share with a co-founder, your team or a potential partner.
The pack reflects the evidence you gather. It’s a basis for a sound decision, not a guarantee of a particular outcome. The responsible AI and ethics review highlights questions that may need specialist advice. It isn’t legal advice.
04Curriculum
Each week pairs live teaching with hands-on work on your own product idea, so you finish with your own work rather than exercises.
Frame the problem, gather customer evidence, test AI fit and scope a first version.
Decide what the AI does, what people keep, and how oversight works.
Design for uncertainty, control, recovery and the moments the AI gets it wrong.
Move from static screens to a testable AI experience, from Miro to Lovable.
Set a quality bar, critique AI output and make deliberate design choices.
Find out whether people understand, value, trust and would pay for what you’ve built.
Weigh the evidence and decide whether to build, iterate or stop.
Turn your work into a clear, evidence-backed story for non-technical audiences.
Finale
Present your product, evidence and decision to an invited audience.
Focused sessions with people who have done it, woven into the 8 weeks. Guests to be announced.
Founder case study
A founder who has built and shipped a product shares what they learned along the way.
How to pitch
Shape your evidence into a pitch that gets a clear answer.
Speaking on stage
Presence and public speaking for when it’s your turn at the front of the room.
Growth
How early products find and keep their first users.
The outline may be refined before launch. Everyone who signs up for updates will receive the full programme first.
05Who it’s for
Starting point A
You know a field deeply, whether that’s healthcare, education, law, hospitality or something else, and you’ve spotted a problem AI could help with. You don’t have a product design or technical background, and you want a structured way to turn an idea into something real you can test.
Starting point B
You already run a business or product. Customers, competitors or your own curiosity are pushing you to “do something with AI”. You want to know whether it adds real value, where it fits, and what it would take, before you invest.
06Instructors
2 complementary perspectives: designing how intelligent products behave, and testing whether they work for the people who use them.
Product designer for AI systems
Madalena designs the experience layer between people and intelligent systems, with more than 6 years in enterprise SaaS analytics and AI-native tools. Her work focuses on trust architecture, human-in-the-loop design and multi-agent systems, and she advises founders and teams on AI strategy. She hosts the Human x Intelligent podcast, co-leads Ladies that UX Lisboa and is a Google Women Techmakers Ambassador.
Product strategist and design leader
Sónia has spent more than 20 years in product design, strategy, research and leadership across startups, scaleups, global companies and consulting, in Europe, the UK, the US and MENA. Her focus is product judgment under uncertainty: deciding what is worth building, and testing it with real people. She lectures on digital product management at FEUP and Porto Business School, and has led design at OutSystems, Uphold, Blip and others.
07Testimonials
[Quote to come: 1–3 sentences from a student, mentee or workshop participant.]
[Quote to come: 1–3 sentences from a student, mentee or workshop participant.]
[Quote to come: 1–3 sentences from a student, mentee or workshop participant.]
08Events
Free, hands-on sessions where you can meet us and start working on your idea before the cohort begins.
An afternoon for women founders who want to build with AI. Madalena Costa opens with the groundwork: what to decide and prepare before you build. Then you spend 90 minutes building your product with AI, with hosts in every city to help.
Presented by W35, in partnership with Lovable
Sónia Gomes opens with the groundwork: how to spot the assumptions your product depends on and plan simple experiments to test them with real customers. Then you spend 90 minutes building with AI, with hosts in every city to help.
Presented by W35
09Partners
[Partner details to come.]
10Selection
This is not a first-come, first-served course. After applications close, we review every application and select up to 12 participants based on their fit with the programme, readiness to work on a real problem, commitment to testing with people, and the overall mix of the cohort.
No technical background is required.
Submit your project, motivation and availability.
All applications are reviewed after the deadline.
Selected applicants receive an invitation to enrol.
Payment confirms the participant’s place.
11Founding cohort
This is the first time we’re running Build AI Products People Trust. Founding participants join at a lower price than future cohorts.
€750
Founding cohort price · VAT included
€950
Planned price for future cohorts · VAT included
A founding price, a group of just 12, and close, hands-on attention from both instructors on your own product.
There are only 12 places. Be first to hear when applications open, and get a short series of emails to help you shape your idea before you apply.
We only use your email for these course emails, and we never sell it. Read the full privacy notice.
12FAQ
The founding cohort starts on 19 January 2027. Everyone who signs up for updates will be the first to receive the full schedule.
Both. The weekly sessions are live and online, and the final session is in person. The location and weekly schedule will be confirmed before enrolment opens.
On average 4–6 hours per week, including the live sessions and hands-on work on your own idea. We’ll confirm the exact weekly schedule before anyone is asked to enrol.
English. All sessions and materials are in English.
No. The course is designed for non-technical founders as well as experienced ones. In Week 4 you’ll prototype with accessible tools such as Lovable and Miro.
Yes, please bring one. You’ll work on your own idea throughout the 8 weeks, and it can be early and rough. If you run a business, an AI opportunity in your existing product or workflow counts.
The course is practical, project-based and limited to 12 participants. The application helps us understand what you want to build, whether the programme is right for your current stage, and how to create a cohort with complementary experiences and perspectives.
No. Everyone applies the same way, and every application is reviewed after the deadline. Being on the waitlist means you’ll hear first when applications open, and you’ll get our emails to help you prepare.
No. Joining the waitlist only means we’ll email you when applications open. Applying is free too, and you only pay if you’re selected and choose to enrol.
It’s the first time we’re running the course. Founding participants pay €750 instead of the planned €950 for future cohorts. Both prices include VAT.
You’ll build and test a prototype with real people, and leave with an evidence-backed recommendation to build, iterate or stop. We can’t promise what the evidence will say. Sometimes the right answer is to stop, and finding that out in 8 weeks is a good result.
Yes. Ethics runs through the course, with a dedicated focus in Week 6, and you’ll complete a responsible AI and ethics review of your product. It highlights the questions that need attention or specialist advice. It isn’t legal advice.
