Beyond Better Prompts: Build Useful AI Tools
A hands-on program for owners and leadership teams of small and mid-sized businesses. Build a working AI assistant, find the opportunity worth pursuing in your own business, and leave with useful AI tools and a plan to responsibly implement and profitably scale.
See the Four Sessions
Become a part of the 2026 Cohort
Program starts November 6, 2026
Who should attend?
Built for owner-led SMBs and family businesses in Southwestern Pennsylvania — especially leadership teams who are curious about AI, maybe already experimenting with it ad hoc, but don't yet have a structured path from "playing with a chatbot" to durable business value. No technical background required.
Cohort size: approximately 36 owners and leadership-team members.
Program Takeaways
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Three concrete things — not just ideas:
- A working AI tool you built yourself and understand well enough to extend
- A prioritized business opportunity, scoped and ready to pursue
- A documented adoption plan for bringing AI to your management team or workforce, responsibly
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Why This Program
Led by faculty from CMU's Tepper School of Business and the Family Business Initiative, this isn't a generic AI seminar — it's built specifically for owner-operators who need to see ROI, not just possibility. Small cohort. Real peer accountability. You leave with a tool and a plan, not a certificate.
Format & Logistics
- Format: Hybrid — 60–90 minutes of prep before each session, in-person workshops, and small-group peer sessions
- Dates: Nov 6, Nov 20, Dec 4, Dec 18, 2026 (Fridays)
- Location: Tepper School of Business, ÌÇÐÄVlogÊÓƵ, Pittsburgh
- Cohort: ~36 owners and leadership-team members, priority given to Southwestern PA family and SMB businesses
- Applications: Open now through October 23, 2026
Seats Are Limited to 36 Businesses
The program starts on November 6, 2026. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Apply today to secure your spot in the fall cohort.
Significant scholarships available for early applicants.
The Four Sessions
Held over six weeks — two full-day workshops and two peer-cohort follow-ups. See dates below.
Day 1 — Build Your Personal AI Assistant
Friday, November 6, 2026
Walk in curious, walk out with your own working AI assistant. You'll get a plain-English grounding in what AI can and can't do for a business like yours, set up the guardrails that keep your company's data safe, and build your own AI "Chief of Staff" — one that reads your email and calendar and hands you a ready-made morning briefing. Coaches available during the workshop for hands-on assistance.
Day 2 — Put It to the Test
Friday, November 20, 2026
Test it, fix it, and find your first real business opportunity. In a small peer group, you'll troubleshoot what didn't quite work, compare notes with other owners on what's paying off, and learn how to judge whether AI output is good enough to trust. You'll leave having pinpointed real opportunities in your business worth pursuing.
Day 3 — Take It to Your Team
Friday, December 4, 2026
Take AI from your desk to your whole team. You'll add new capabilities to your assistant, then work through the real challenge of team adoption: assessing risk, setting data and workforce policies, building buy-in, training people, naming an internal champion, handling pushback. You'll also choose your top AI opportunity and map out build-vs-buy, cost, and payoff.
Day 4 — Turn Experiments into Results
Friday, December 18, 2026
Get direct feedback on your prioritized opportunity and adoption plan from peers and faculty, then apply a framework for prioritizing and scaling AI opportunities across your business into results you can see on your P&L. Leave with a risk-aware roadmap to implement and scale AI responsibly, plus a trusted set of resources to stay current.
FAQ
Where will the sessions take place?
Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
ÌÇÐÄVlogÊÓƵ | Tepper Quad
4765 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
Do I need any technical background?
No. The program is designed for business owners and leaders, not developers — everything is built and explained in plain language with hands-on support.
What if I can't attend all four sessions?
The program is built as a connected sequence — each session builds on the last — so full attendance is strongly recommended to get the full value (a working tool, a prioritized opportunity, and a completed adoption plan).
Is this just for tech companies?
No — it's built specifically for traditional SMBs and family businesses: manufacturing, retail, services, hospitality, and more.
Is there a virtual option?
Requests to participate virtually will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Will I have access to the program guides and materials after the four sessions?
Guides and summaries will be available for program participants throughout the workshop
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