Radical Founders FAQs

The Radical AI Founders Masterclass is an exclusive annual program designed to equip AI researchers and technical entrepreneurs with the inspiration and practical knowledge to build AI products and businesses. Over four weeks, we host virtual, free sessions with world-leading AI pioneers, successful entrepreneurs, and leaders from top AI companies, complemented by tactical sessions covering AI product development, business integration strategies, and other essential areas that AI founders need to master.

Our 2026 speakers include AI luminary Yann LeCun, Aidan Gomez, Co-Founder and CEO of Cohere, and Anna Goldie, Founder and CEO of Ricursive Intelligence. More speakers will be announced soon.

Previous speakers have included Geoffrey Hinton, Fei-Fei Li, Ion Stoica, Daphne Koller, Sara Hooker, Jonathan Frankle, Joelle Pineau, Pieter Abbeel, Richard Socher, and many other AI luminaries.

The Masterclass is designed for:

• AI researchers considering commercializing their discoveries
• Technical entrepreneurs building AI-first companies
• Graduate students and postdocs in AI/ML programs

You don’t need to have incorporated or be a company founder to participate.

The program is completely free.

This year’s Masterclass kicks off in early October, 2026. Sessions are held twice weekly on Wednesdays and Thursdays, typically at 1 pm PT/4 pm ET. For those who can’t attend live, we will record each session and upload it within a week. However, we encourage attending all sessions live for the full experience.

All sessions are held virtually, and sessions are recorded for participants in conflicting time zones.

We will publish recordings on YouTube via an unlisted link, specifically for Masterclass participants. We will send out the link via Slack during the first week.

We will add all participants to both our AI Founders Slack group, and a dedicated 2026 Masterclass channel. We will post all announcements related to the program in that channel. You will receive invitations to each session via a google calendar invite.

The Compute Cohort is a selective program for the most promising AI startups from the Masterclass. We provide substantial computing resources and mentorship to help participants build and scale their AI products.

• Up to $350,000 in Google Cloud compute credits over your first two years in the Google for Startups Cloud Program
• State-of-the-art computing resources including dedicated H100 GPU and TPU infrastructure
• Complimentary incorporation support and legal office hours with our legal partners
• Mentorship from industry experts

Only 10-15 participants are selected for the Compute Cohort from the larger Masterclass community.

No, acceptance into the Masterclass does not guarantee access to the Compute Cohort. The Compute Cohort has a separate, more selective application process.

Submit your application for the Masterclass program here, and Compute Cluster here. If you participated in the 2025 Masterclass, you may apply via a condensed application here (Masterclass participants who joined us in years prior to 2025 need to apply via the main application here).

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and are due in late September.

Compute participants will be announced by early November.

Applications are currently open and reviewed on a rolling basis, closing end of September.

Please reach out to kate@radical.vc for any additional questions about the Masterclass, Compute Cohort, or partnership opportunities.