Most programmes selectfor what you’ve already done.We select for who you are.
A programme for early-stage founders building in the AI-native economy. We bring 25 years of experience, the engineering infrastructure of the AI Digital Studio, and a network built across four continents — so you don’t have to build alone.
Not an accelerator.
Not a bootcamp.
Most entrepreneurship programmes give you a curriculum, a cohort of peers, and a demo day at the end. Useful — but not what we are building.
This is a programme for founders who need more than content and connections. Who need the experience of someone who has built before, applied directly to what they are trying to build. Who need access to technical infrastructure they cannot afford to build from scratch. Who need a network that opens specific doors in specific markets — not generic introductions.
We co-build alongside the founders we select. We bring capital, engineering capacity, and operational experience. We have skin in the game.
The first cohort is forming now. Places are limited by design — not to create artificial scarcity, but because genuine co-building requires genuine attention.
Three things that take years to build alone.
25 years of building experience
Not theory. Not frameworks extracted from other people’s case studies. Experience accumulated through 25 years of digital transformation projects across sectors, geographies, and scales — including the failures that teach more than the successes.
The AI Digital Studio
The technical infrastructure of the Bitsapiens AI Digital Studio is available to the founders in this programme. Document intelligence, knowledge management, AI agents, data systems — built and battle-tested in production environments, available from day one rather than rebuilt from scratch.
A global network with real access
Enterprise clients across Europe and the Middle East. Investors who understand AI-native business models. Regulatory and legal infrastructure. Distribution partnerships. Relationships that took years to develop — and that the right founder can leverage from the first conversation.
We are not looking for the most polished application.
We select differently from most programmes.
Not on grades. Not on previous companies. Not on the quality of the pitch deck.
We are looking for founders who think clearly about real problems, who are honest about what they have and what they need, and who are the kind of people who start before they are ready — and figure it out along the way.
If you have been waiting for the right credentials, the right moment, or the right permission — this is probably not for you.
If you have a problem you cannot stop thinking about and the conviction to build the solution — tell us about it.
Simple. Honest. Direct.
The AI-Native Founders programme runs in cohorts — the first beginning soon, with subsequent cohorts every six to twelve months depending on how the first develops.
Applications are reviewed by the founding team. We do not use scoring systems or automated screening. Every application is read by a person who has built before — and who is looking for the quality of your thinking, not the quantity of your experience.
Selected founders enter a structured co-building programme with direct access to the Bitsapiens team, the AI Digital Studio infrastructure, and the network. The specifics are designed around the founders selected — not around a fixed curriculum.
Register your interest using the form below. This is not a formal application — it is the beginning of a conversation. Tell us what you are working on or thinking about building. We will reach out to everyone who registers before the first cohort closes.
Tell us about yourself.
Not a formal application. A first conversation.
Building something before you’re ready is the only way to get ready.
The founders who build the best AI-native companies are not the ones who waited until they had everything figured out. They are the ones who started with a clear problem, honest self-knowledge about what they were missing, and the conviction to find the people who could fill the gaps.
If that is you — we want to know about it.
What is Bitsapiens?
An AI Digital Studio and Venture Studio based in Lisbon, with operations in Washington DC, Dubai, and Manila. We design and build AI-native systems for organisations — and co-build AI-native companies alongside exceptional founders.