Author: Dr. Ernesto Lee
Capstone: Investor-Ready Pitch with a Functioning MVP Demo
Figure 1:Business Applications of Artificial Intelligence — Dr. Ernesto Lee
1A new kind of business is being built right now.¶
One founder with Claude, an agent stack, and a funnel can ship what used to take a team of twenty. At the same time, entire professional moats — law, accounting, radiology, brokerage, consulting — are being dismantled by the very same tools.
This textbook is for the graduate student who intends to be on the building side of that divide.
The book follows a single narrative arc: you will leave with a pitchable business. Every chapter maps to a block of the Business Model Canvas, every lab compounds into your capstone, and every framework is introduced the moment you need it — not before.
2Course-Level Learning Outcomes¶
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Diagnose how AI disrupts every block of the Business Model Canvas and apply that diagnosis to a real industry.
Construct a defensible value proposition with a clearly articulated moat.
Define an Ideal Customer Profile supported by quantitative TAM/SAM/SOM analysis.
Build a unit economics model demonstrating a viable path to profitability.
Deliver a 10-slide investor pitch with a functioning product demo.
Build a working MVP using vibe-coding workflows (Claude Code, Antigravity).
Design, deploy, and supervise synthetic employees (AI agents) for real business functions.
Architect a marketing-and-sales-in-a-box stack using modern MarTech primitives.
Critically evaluate which professional services remain defensible in the post-information-asymmetry economy.
3What You Need for This Class¶
This course is deliberately tool-light. You need two things, total:
Tool | What It Gives You | Cost |
|---|---|---|
Gmail account | Gemini, NotebookLM, AI Studio — all free | Free |
Claude.ai Pro | Higher usage limits, Projects, large file uploads, best models | ~$20/month |
That is the entire prerequisite list. No paid developer tools, no cloud credits, no hidden add-ons.
4Available Chapters¶
The BMC as a disruption map. Nine blocks, nine surfaces where AI is rewriting the rules.
Pain first, not features first. The three-filter test, JTBD, and moats in an AI-native world.
From “customer” to ICP. TAM/SAM/SOM, the beachhead strategy, and AI-augmented research.
CAC, LTV, gross margin, cohort retention. Build the model. Defend it under questioning.
Complete the BMC. Build a 10-slide pitch. Ship a live demo. Deliver to a panel.
Natural language as the primary programming interface. Spec → build → ship your MVP.
Agents as colleagues. MCP, architecture patterns, and the synthetic employee playbook.
Sales-and-marketing-in-a-box. GoHighLevel, funnels, automations, vibe marketing.
Akerlof, Spence, Stiglitz. The asymmetry collapse. What survives. Why you will.
Tool Gauntlet memo, BMC template, pitch rubric, ethics statement, glossary.
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> *"Build accordingly."*
> — Dr. Ernesto Lee