Founders Lab Instructor

WORK SITE

Work Site Name *

ADDRESS OF JOB LOCATION

Check this box to delete this location.

Delete

Street *

Floor, suite, etc. (optional)

City *

State/Province *

Postal Code *

TRANSPORTATION

Public Transportation to Site

Bus
Train

Bus

Train

Other Transportation

WORK SCHEDULE

ANTICIPATED START DATE / ANTICIPATED END DATE

If position is temporary, please specify anticipated start/end date.

From date

To date

Position Detail

Position Title *

Number of Available Positions

Job Type *

Paid
Volunteer/Internship

Salary or Hourly Rate

Area of Focus (check all that apply)

Job Description *

If you are pasting from Word, be sure to use the "Paste From Word" button in the editor's toolbar (below) to maintain proper formatting.

About Founders Lab
Founders Lab is our AI-first startup accelerator for creative technologists. Students form teams, validate real business ideas, build working products, and pitch live on Demo Day in front of investors and industry leaders.

We piloted it this past July as a ten-day intensive with support from Comcast, closing at Hearst Tower before a panel of investors and operators. Students left with a Net Promoter Score of +55, and two-thirds told us it changed how they think about their major or career path.

The Role
This fall we run Founders Lab again, stretched across nine weeks (two afternoons each week). The core challenge is pacing: the curriculum was built for consecutive days, so a Tuesday/Wednesday rhythm means redesigning for re-entry between sessions and work teams can carry across the gaps. You will have strong existing curriculum assets and an alum teaching assistant working alongside you.

You are the connective thread in the room. You will lead instruction, coach teams through the process of building and refining ideas, and contribute to key program milestones and outcomes (i.e. Demo Day).  You will also help students connect their Founders Lab experience to their post-secondary goals. You will work alongside Urban Arts staff, guest mentors, founders, and investors to ensure students are engaged, make the most out of their experience, and build the skills and confidence to take their next steps.

What You Will Do
Facilitation and Teaching
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Lead studio sessions for ~20 students in grades 10 through 12, working in four to five teams, with support from an alumni teaching assistant</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Adapt the existing curriculum to a twice-weekly cadence and sustain team momentum across the gaps between sessions</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Coach teams through problem definition, customer discovery, prototyping, product-market fit, and pitch</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Guide hands-on use of AI development tools, including judgment about when to use them</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Bridge content across sessions so students connect what came before to what comes next</li>
</ul>
Student Support
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Build authentic relationships with students quickly</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Facilitate team formation using the Entrepreneur Archetype Framework</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Read team dynamics and address friction, disengagement, or imbalance before it compounds</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Celebrate wins publicly and redirect struggles privately</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Adapt your approach to meet students where they are, from first-time builders to experienced designers to natural salespeople</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Advise students and help them identify and articulate how the skills and experiences they develop in Founders Lab can support their post-secondary goals.</li>
</ul>
Program Coordination
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Prepare teams for guest mentor sessions and brief mentors on where students are</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Track attendance and team progress, and share weekly updates with the Game Academy team</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Run pitch rehearsals and give deck feedback in the final weeks</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Lead students through and support logistics of Demo Day</li>
</ul>
How to Apply
Send the following to programjobs@urbanarts.org with the subject line “Founders Lab Instructor”:
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Your resume </li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">A cover letter that references your teaching experience and AI experience</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">We encourage applicants to submit original responses in their own voice. While we understand that AI tools may be part of your professional workflow, we want to hear your thinking, experiences, and perspective directly, particularly in your cover letter.</li>
</ul>

Required Skills/Experience

Required
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Recent hands-on experience building with AI coding tools. You can help a stuck team debug in real time rather than pointing them at documentation</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Experience guiding teams from idea to shipped product, whether through founding a company, working in product or engineering, running an accelerator or venture studio program, or teaching entrepreneurship </li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">A track record facilitating engaging learning experiences for teens or young adults</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400"> A demonstrated commitment and proven track record to supporting young people from underrepresented communities as future leaders in tech</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience</li>
</ul>
Preferred
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Experience pacing a multi-week build where teams had to sustain progress across gaps</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Background running accelerators, hackathons, bootcamps, or intensive academic programs</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400">Track record with high school students in STEM, creative, or entrepreneurship settings</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

Who You Are
You thrive in high-energy rooms and know how to build trust with young people fast. You have been in startup environments and speak the language, and you lead with curiosity rather than ego. You have a real point of view about when to reach for an AI tool and when to build directly, and you take students’ own judgment on that seriously. When a team hits week five with a half-working product and two members who have stopped talking to each other, you know how to steady them without taking the wheel.

Other Area of Focus

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Minimum age	Minimum education

HOW TO APPLY

Application Instructions *

To the attention of *

Applicant can apply by email

Applicant can apply by fax

Applicant can apply via web

APPLICANT CAN APPLY BY MAIL

Check this box to delete this location.

Delete

Street

Additional

City

State/Province

Postal code

Last day to apply

JOB STATUS

Make sure to check below if you are ready for this job to be posted.

Post Job

All job postings are reviewed and approved by Pathfinder staff before they can be viewed by job seekers.

Validate Email