BADM 372 – Information Systems & Operations Management Practicum
Updated for Fall 2025
Class Time – Tuesdays / Thursdays ·
Launch an AI‑powered startup in 15 weeks. This studio transforms business juniors & seniors into solo founders who command generative‑AI tools (Lovable, Bolt, Cursor, Windsurf) to ideate, design, code and publicly launch a real web or mobile product. Build in public, fail fast, and graduate with a portfolio that showcases your entrepreneurship and AI‑product‑management talent. #WeAreBuilders
Who Should Enroll — Aspiring product managers, consultants, or founders who want to wield AI teammates and ship software. Don’t know how to code? Perfect — we love #VibeCoding.
1. Course Description
Hands‑on, founder‑first studio where each student conceives, validates and ships a software venture using AI agents as core teammates. Focus areas: design thinking, agile product management, version control, market research & validation, AI safety & ethics and build‑in‑public growth tactics.
2. Learning Objectives
- Frame problems with design thinking and user research.
- Harness LLM agents for ideation, coding, PM and GTM tasks.
- Orchestrate agile sprints, Git/GitHub workflows and CI/CD.
- Build & deploy a functional web/mobile MVP with auth, payments and analytics.
- Run lean validation experiments and interpret early‑stage metrics.
- Integrate AI‑safety best practices into product decisions.
- Document and reflect on learning via public blogs & a curated portfolio.
- Persuade stakeholders through demos, decks and data stories.
3. Mindset & Philosophy
Founder agency • Build > Talk • Fail‑fast learning • Public transparency • Process > Outcome
4. Course Phases
| Phase | Weeks | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| On‑Ramp & Micro Sprint | 1 – 4 | Tool onboarding, design thinking, rapid micro‑project |
| Venture Build Sprints | 5 – 14 | Four 2‑week agile sprints toward MVP & launch |
| Launch & Reflection | 15 | Public launch, Demo Day, portfolio polish |
5. Weekly Schedule (session‑level)
| Wk | Tue (A) | Thu (B) | Sprint Milestone | Blog Prompt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kickoff · AI‑solopreneur mindset · Lovable/Bolt ideastorm | Design Thinking 101 · Empathy mapping with ChatGPT · Micro‑project brief | — | My Founder Why |
| 2 | Micro build (Cursor) | Micro demo & retro | Micro Demo | What I built in 180 min |
| 3 | Market research with LLMs · TAM | Validation interviews · Founder AMA | — | Talking to users |
| 4 | AI Safety & Ethics workshop | Venture idea lock‑in · Git/GitHub crash | Sprint 0 Plan | Ethical considerations |
| 5 | Product roadmap · Windsurf user stories | Sprint 1 build day | Sprint 1 Start | Roadmap v1 |
| 6 | Responsive design + Auth lab | Sprint 1 demos · Peer critique | Sprint 1 Demo | Tech decisions |
| 7 | Agile rituals w/ AI | Sprint 2 build day | Sprint 2 Start | My AI stand‑up |
| 8 | Version control deep dive · AI code review | Sprint 2 demos · Alumni panel | Sprint 2 Demo | Feedback I’m acting on |
| 9 | Metrics & analytics | Validation experiments · Landing pages | Sprint 3 Start | Key metrics |
| 10 | Pricing & payments (Stripe/Polar) · Transactional emails (Loops) | Sprint 3 build day | — | Revenue model |
| 11 | Growth loops & build‑in‑public tactics | Sprint 3 demos | Sprint 3 Demo | Shipping to strangers |
| 12 | Storytelling & decks | VC office hours · Pitch practice | Sprint 4 Start | Pitch deck draft |
| 13 | AI PM career skills · LinkedIn tuning | Sprint 4 build day | — | Roles I’d pursue |
| 14 | Public Launch Day — Product Hunt etc. | Post‑launch analytics · Iterate | Launch Live | Launch post‑mortem |
| 15 | Final Demo Day — VC & Alumni judges | Reflection workshop · Portfolio finalize | Portfolio Final | Biggest takeaway |
6. Assessments & Weightings
| Component | Description | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Startup Log | 10 public blog / X posts | 20 % |
| Micro‑project | Rapid build + reflection | 5 % |
| Sprint demos | Four demos (Wks 6, 8, 11, 13) | 20 % |
| Public launch & metrics | Launch package + 1‑week metrics review | 15 % |
| Peer evaluations | Feedback quality & participation | 10 % |
| Final portfolio + reflection | Curated artifacts + essay | 15 % |
| Engagement & preparedness | Presence & readiness | 15 % |
7. Guest & Industry Touch‑points
Founder AMA (Week 3) · Alumni PM panel (Week 8) · VC office hours (Week 12) · Demo‑Day judges (Week 15)
Contact
Prof. Vishal Sachdev
217‑244‑2420
vishal@illinois.edu
Office: BIF 3030A (or cyberspace ☁️)