AI-Informed Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurs create the future we all live in. From the Tesla in your driveway to the iPhone in your pocket, both products were conceived, built, and scaled by a team of entrepreneurs. At the Tepper School, we are committed to educating and empowering the next generation of leaders to create an “intelligent future” we can all be proud of.

The advent of generative AI marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of entrepreneurship. Just as the rise of cloud computing and mobile technologies in the mid-2000s paved the way for the emergence of accelerators like Y Combinator and TechStars, and the subsequent introduction of the Lean Startup methodology, generative AI now stands poised to transform the startup landscape once again.

It’s no coincidence that these groundbreaking developments in the entrepreneurial ecosystem coincided with major technological shifts. Cloud computing and mobile technologies provided the necessary infrastructure and tools for the accelerator model to thrive, enabling startups to build and scale faster than ever before. Similarly, we believe that generative AI will catalyze new funding models and processes that will reshape the way startups are conceived, validated, and grown.

To fully leverage generative AI, entrepreneurs must adopt a new mental model, viewing the AI system as a “co-founder” rather than merely a tool. Google DeepMind’s Dramatron illustrates this powerfully in an adjacent creative field of script writing, Google’s tool enabled professional writers to collaborate with AI to create scripts in hours rather than weeks. For more information on Google’s Dramatron project, please check out the interview I did with Piotr Mirowski, co-creator of the Deepmind system.

By embracing this “co-founder” mindset, entrepreneurs can unlock generative AI’s potential to catalyze innovation. At the Tepper School of Business, we are beginning to research and develop systems to illustrate generative AI’s transformative impact across the entrepreneurial process. In the ideation stage, our specialized AI models enable rapid brainstorming, mind mapping, and target customer profiles. 

During validation, they accelerate the creation of wireframes and prototypes for faster idea testing. And in the scaling phase, they support the development of go-to-market plans and pitch decks, allowing entrepreneurs to quickly translate validated concepts into actionable business plans. 

Our department’s deep connections across Carnegie Mellon University plus world-class understanding of how to commercialize emerging technologies position us to lead this revolution.

The transformative potential of generative AI extends far beyond the tech sector. From healthcare and finance to manufacturing and creative industries, AI-powered tools are poised to disrupt traditional business models and create new opportunities for innovation. 

At the Tepper School, we are committed to exploring the full spectrum of AI’s impact, equipping our entrepreneurs with the skills and knowledge to drive change across diverse domains. By fostering cross-industry collaborations and promoting responsible AI practices, we aim to unlock the benefits of generative AI for businesses and society at large.

Over the past decade, our entrepreneurship department at the Tepper School has consistently stayed ahead of the curve, recognizing and integrating groundbreaking methodologies and technologies early. Curriculum innovations like being one of the first business schools to establish a Lean Startup course and the growth of our Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship to include key new programs like the Corporate Startup Lab I co-founded have been key drivers of this proactive approach. 

These initiatives have not only enriched our students’ educational experience but have also contributed to Carnegie Mellon’s rise as a top-tier entrepreneurial hub. In fact, while Carnegie Mellon was not even on the list of universities with the most unicorn founders 10 years ago, we now rank as the 4th most popular U.S. alumni network among unicorn founders (Source: Ilya Strebulaev, Stanford VC Initiative). 

However, we refuse to rest on past successes. Instead, we are proactively integrating generative AI into our entrepreneurial education, equipping students with the skills to become AI-savvy founders. We are also spearheading the development of specialized AI models for innovation and entrepreneurship, building upon the legacy of visionaries like Herb Simon, a founder of our school and pioneer of artificial intelligence.

As Simon noted in his autobiography discussing the keys to Carnegie Mellon’s successes, “we measure our success not only by the quality of teaching and research on our own campus, but by our influence on intellectual and educational trends in the nation and internationally.”  Seventy-five years after the Tepper School was founded, as we stand at the cusp of an AI revolution, this ethos has never been more relevant.

Looking ahead, the Tepper School is poised to shape the future of entrepreneurship in the age of Generative AI. As a business school deeply integrated with a world-leading technology university, the Tepper School is uniquely positioned to drive the convergence of generative AI and entrepreneurship. 

By cultivating AI-native founders, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, and leveraging our interdisciplinary strengths and industry partnerships, we will continue to fulfill our mission of creating an intelligent future — one where the products we can scarcely imagine today become the transformative realities of tomorrow. Together with our entrepreneurs, we are excited to co-create this future.