AI Tinkerers Paris Sprint Onboarding
Welcome to the program.
This sprint is designed to help ambitious builders turn hackathon projects into real startups through a simple weekly rhythm:
- build on Sundays,
- keep shipping during the week,
- report progress clearly,
- and use the community around you when helpful.
The goal is not just to move faster for a few weeks. It is to help you build the habits, relationships, and momentum that matter over the life of your company.
Every week
Keep pushing between hackathons
Do not wait until Sunday to make progress.
A good default is to focus on a small number of concrete weekly goals, speak to users, refine the product, and make traction visible.
Submit your weekly update
Complete your update here:
https://www.startupschool.org/updates
Your update should be:
- submitted every week,
- concise and factual,
- reflective of your real progress, learnings, blockers, and next goals.
If you add followers in Startup School, they will automatically receive your updates by email and will be able to track your progress over time.
Talk to users
Regular user conversations are one of the most important parts of the program.
Use them to:
- validate the problem,
- sharpen your positioning,
- understand buying context,
- identify what matters most to your target users.
Reach out when relevant
You may contact selected mentors and partner investors directly by email or LinkedIn when there is a clear reason to do so.
Good reasons to reach out include:
- sharing progress or traction,
- sending weekly KPIs,
- asking for feedback on a specific issue,
- getting advice on product, go-to-market, fundraising, or strategy,
- exploring whether a deeper conversation makes sense.
Keep outreach relevant, concise, and personalized.
A strong message usually explains:
- who you are,
- what your team is building,
- why you are reaching out to this specific person,
- what kind of input you are hoping for.
Mentors are not expected to attend the program on an ongoing basis. They remain free to engage in the format that suits them best, whether that is a short reply, an informal exchange, a coffee chat, a Calendly link, or no follow-up.
Day 0
Set up your profile
Complete your founder profile so other builders can discover you.
Join founding teammates matching
At every AI Tinkerers event, go back to the Suggested tab to browse potential teammates:
https://paris.aitinkerers.org/connect/mu_nRGadstwUDg?filter_to=suggested
Once your profile is complete, it will also become visible to other founders.
Review the curriculum
Between hackathons, teams are expected to go through the Startup School curriculum:
https://www.startupschool.org/curriculum
Get familiar with weekly reporting
Every team must submit a weekly update on Startup School:
https://www.startupschool.org/updates
These updates should be shared with [email protected], along with any relevant mentors and shareholders.
Identify relevant mentors and investors
Throughout the program, selected mentors and partner investors may be open to hearing from teams directly. Start identifying who may be relevant to your product, market, or fundraising trajectory.
Every Sunday
Build in public
Hackathons take place every Sunday throughout the program.
Use these sessions to:
- build quickly,
- test ideas in the open,
- meet collaborators,
- and maintain momentum from week to week.
Come prepared with a clear goal for the session whenever possible.
What this program is for
This program is meant to help projects move from experimentation to company-building.
The objective is not just to ship during hackathons, but to build enough momentum, clarity, and traction to become venture-scale companies, including companies that may eventually apply to Y Combinator or strong local accelerator programs.
We also want to make it easier for founders to connect with mentors, early-stage investors, and ecosystem partners who can help them over time.
What we expect from teams
Teams are expected to:
- show up consistently,
- keep building between hackathons,
- complete their weekly update,
- speak to users regularly,
- make thoughtful use of mentor access.
This program works best for teams that are serious about iteration, honest about their progress, and willing to improve quickly from week to week.
Apply to Y Combinator
You can apply to Y Combinator here:
https://apply.ycombinator.com/home
YC is currently accepting applications for the Summer 2026 batch funding cycle. The batch will run from July to September 2026 in San Francisco.
You can also apply now for future batches, including Fall, Winter, and Spring, through Early Decision.
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On-time deadline: May 4, 8pm PT
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Decision by: June 5
Applications submitted after the deadline may still be reviewed, but response timing is not guaranteed.
Final note
The acceleration does not stop when the sprint ends.
We aim to keep supporting founders over the long term through introductions, recruitment help, dev tools, international expansion, and the broader support of the AI Tinkerers Paris community.
