AI Entrepreneurial Startup Lab Winter 2027

Explore, build and pitch your own AI startup!

AI Startup Lab is a four-day, hands-on introduction to entrepreneurship for young learners. Students work in small teams to explore problems, shape a startup concept and experience the uncertainty of building an AI venture. The Slingshot startup simulation gives learners a structured way to make and discuss decisions about markets, product development, customers, funding, cash, team capacity and competition. Short lessons, paper-based design challenges, simulation rounds and team presentations connect the game to practical business thinking. No coding experience is required. Students finish with a concise venture canvas, a documented simulation reflection and a short pitch explaining their customer, value, business model and next test.

Learning Outcomes:

• Identify customer problems and define target audiences.
• Develop value propositions and artificial intelligence startup concepts.
• Understand basic revenue, costs and resource management.
• Use feedback to refine ideas and make strategic decisions.
• Evaluate startup trade-offs involving growth, funding and competition.
• Pitch a startup idea and reflect on business decisions.

Who Can Apply?

Students aged 12 - 18 years

Duration and Location

• January 3-6, 2027 (4 days)
• Sessions will run daily from 9 am to 4 pm
• AUC New Cairo campus
• Fridays and Saturdays off
• Holidays are already compensated for with extra hours

Certification

All participants will receive a certificate of participation from The American University in Cairo (AUC), provided they attend more than three out of five days for five-day bootcamps or more than three out of four days for four-day bootcamps.

Transportation 

The AUC Bus Service is available for an extra fee. For more details , please check the Bus transportation website.

About the Instructor

Samir Elshikh

Computer science graduate specializing in video game programming, with a minor in business administration. Working as a software engineer and web developer, and a former university teaching assistant. Obtaining this background brings together technical knowledge, interactive design, business foundations and experience supporting learners.

Refund and Bootcamp Switching Policy

A 100 percent refund of the program fees will be granted if the request is submitted at least two weeks before the course start date, or if the request is due to one of the following reasons:

• Course cancellation
• Medical withdrawal
• Visa denial

A 75 percent refund will be granted if the request is submitted within the last two weeks before the course start date.

No refund will be issued if the request is submitted after Wednesday (4 pm), the day before the end of the last working day, and before classes begin, including the weekend prior to the course start date, or after the course has begun.

Bootcamp transfers or switching between bootcamps are not permitted once a bootcamp has commenced.

Learning Environment

To ensure a positive experience for everyone, we ask all participants to help us maintain a safe, respectful and inclusive learning environment.

Please note that any form of physical or verbal aggression, including fighting, hitting, biting, bullying, threatening behavior, verbal abuse, the use of offensive or inappropriate language, or any conduct that disrupts the learning environment, will not be tolerated.

Participants who engage in such behavior may be immediately withdrawn from the bootcamp at the sole discretion of Summer@AUC and will not be permitted to attend the remaining bootcamp days. In such cases, no refund of the program fees will be provided.