Cohort 1 · Limited to 5 students

Six months.
A product of their own.

Your child builds a product with AI, meets real customers, and demonstrates what they can do. For students preparing for US college applications or internships, with weekly progress parents can follow.

Request a consultation Explore the parent dashboard

MONTH 01Ship an MVPCustomer discovery · Planning · Design · Build · Launch
MONTH 02–04Find product-market fitAnalyze data · Act on feedback · Decide when to pivot
MONTH 05–06TractionHackathons · Startup grants · Investor pitches · Customer acquisition

Elon Musk line illustration — Elon MuskCNBC interview · May 2023 ↗

Sam Altman line illustration — Sam AltmanInterview with Alexis Ohanian · Fortune, 2024.02 ↗

MIT Admissions line illustration — MIT AdmissionsMIT Admissions · Maker Portfolio ↗

“We care about what you can do, not where you learned to do it.”

AnthropicAnthropic Careers ↗

Parent dashboard

See the work as it happens.
Follow every milestone.

See what your child is building, learning, and achieving each week.

Cohort 1 dashboard preview · Illustrative data

MONTH 01 · MVP · Discovery

Start by finding
a problem worth solving

Building is easier than ever. The harder skill is deciding what to build. In this example, Jamie interviews 12 potential customers, then uses AI tools to test who needs the product and why they would choose it and strengthen the idea before building.

Data sourcesRoadmap ← NotionCustomer interviews ← Google FormsAI guide ← Claude Code

MONTH 01 · MVP · Spec

Before writing code,
define what to build

A product for real users needs more than a quick prompt. First, define the scope and requirements. Jamie reviews the AI-drafted spec line by line, editing or removing what does not serve the goal. Jamie sets the direction.

Data sourcesSpec ← Claude CodeReview history ← Notion

MONTH 01 · MVP · Build

With Claude Code,
go from plan to deployment

Use GitHub for version control, Supabase for the database and backend, and Vercel for deployment. Jamie learns a practical development workflow while building a service that matches study partners by ability and goals.

Data sourcesDevelopment history ← GitHubDeployment status ← VercelAI work log ← Claude Code

MONTH 02 · PMF · GTM

Shipping is the start.
Now reach your customers.

Create a go-to-market plan to reach your first users. Jamie shares the product on Reddit and a school Discord on the same day, compares channel performance, and focuses on the channels that bring signups.

Data sourcesPost engagement ← Reddit · DiscordVisits and signups ← GA4

MONTH 03–04 · PMF · Growth

Use the numbers
to guide your decisions

Form a hypothesis, run an experiment, and check the outcome. When growth slows at 540 users in one school, Jamie expands to nearby schools and measures the change. Results inform the next move.

Data sourcesUsers and retention ← GA4Payments ← Stripe

MONTH 05–06 · Traction · Proof

Turn your results
into your next opportunity

Jamie brings the product, user feedback, and key metrics together in a portfolio. For college and internship applications, it provides a clear record of what they built and what they learned.

Data sourcesPortfolio ← FirstShip dashboardUsed in ← College application activities

Pacepace.space

RoadmapWeek 01

To do

Test-result parser

Name and domain

Doing

Discovery12 customer interviewsNotion · 12/12

IdeaValidate the idea with AI questionsClaude Code · AI guide suggestion

Done

Define the problem hypothesis

✦AI guide · Suggested next task

Seven of 12 interviewees mentioned mismatched skill levels. Before building, use Claude Code and its AI agent skills to test the idea. What makes it better than existing options? Who would choose not to use it?

LaterAccept

SpecWeek 03

SPEC.mddraft v0.3 · review

ProblemMismatched levels make study groups hard to sustain (7 of 12 interviews)

UsersGrade 10–11 students preparing for AP Calc BCedited

Core flowUpload results → Analyze gaps → Set goals → Match

Non-goalsNo tutoring, solutions, or grading in v1

Data modelusers · scores(topic, %) · goals · matches

StackNext.js · Supabase · Claude API · Vercel

Success metricWeekly successful matches · Target 30%+ week-four reuse

RisksInconsistent result formats → Evaluate open-source PDF parsers first

0 / 8 reviewedConfirm spec

Spec approved · v1.0Claude Code starts implementation from this spec →

MVPWeek 04

pace.spaceProduction · Vercel · Just deployed

First-week signups38

Successful matches14

Study messages212

GTM · Compare channelsWeek 05–08

r/APStudentsA · AP community

I built a tool that matches AP Calc students with study partners at the same level and goalBuild-in-public post · Link in first comment

▲ 0💬 0

Visits 0Signups 0Signup conversion 7.5%

Lincoln High · #ap-studyB · School community

@everyone Prepping for AP Calc in May? I built a thing that finds you a study partner at your level with the same target scoreSchool study Discord · club announcement

🔥 0💬 0

Visits 0Signups 0Signup conversion 14.9%

Jamie’s analysis

MetricsNorth Star · Weekly successful matches

Active usersMonthly · all schools

Oct 1 – Jan 3130D90DAll

MAU0▲ 62%

W4 retention41%▲ 6%p

Activation68%▲ 9%p

CAC$0.30▼ 48%

1.5k1k5000

OctNovDecJan

Expand to nearby schools

paceJ

Find your study pace

Upload your practice test resultsAP, SAT, and school practice tests

AP Calculus BC · Practice 3Analyzed · 4 topics

Limits

Derivatives

Integrals

Series

Strong in limits and derivatives. Integrals and series need work.

Suggested goal

Aim for a 5 in Calc BC by May 12Focus · Integrals, Series · 6 hrs/week

Aim for a 4 in Calc BCReview all units · 3 hrs/week

Same level, same goal

IntegralsSeriesMay 12

Maya L.11 · Lincoln High · 96% match

Chat

Daniel C.10 · Lincoln High · 94% match

Chat

Sora P.11 · Mission High · 91% match

Chat

Ethan W.11 · Lincoln High · 89% match

Chat

Maya L.11 · Lincoln High · same goal

Integrals 54Series 47youIntegrals 58Series 45Maya

Anyone else keep missing series convergence tests?

Same here. Thursday at 8? Whoever gets it first explains.

Study sessionThu 8:00 PM · Series

Admissions Reader · Early Action 2028

Applicant #1182transcript.pdfactivities.pdfessay.pdf

Applicant #1183transcript.pdfactivities.pdfessay.pdf

Applicant #1184 · Jamie P.transcript.pdfessay.pdffirstship.space/jamie ↗

Applicant #1185transcript.pdfactivities.pdfessay.pdf

Applicant #1186transcript.pdfactivities.pdfessay.pdf

firstship.space/jamieprojectsresearchwritinggithub ↗

Jamie Parker

Markets, math & AI. Interested in financial engineering. I turn hypotheses into products and test them with real users and real data.

ALPHA LAB SHARPE 1.8 6-mo paper tradingPACE 1,400 USERS ▲62% MoMRESEARCH +0.6 PTS p<.05AIME QUALIFIERYOUTH STARTUP CHALLENGE 1ST REGIONAL ALPHA LAB SHARPE 1.8 6-mo paper tradingPACE 1,400 USERS ▲62% MoMRESEARCH +0.6 PTS p<.05AIME QUALIFIERYOUTH STARTUP CHALLENGE 1ST REGIONAL

01 · RESEARCH → BOTpaper trading

Alpha Lab

LLM-generated alpha hypotheses, filtered by an expected-value test, executed by a paper-trading bot.

1.8Sharpe9 of 212hypotheses kept−6%max drawdown

Research log ↗GitHub ↗

02 · STARTUPpace.space

Pace

Study-mate matching for students at the same level, chasing the same goal.

1,400users3schools41%W4 retention

pace.space ↗Demo ↗

03 · PAPERn = 540

Does matching raise scores?

A comparison of Pace users, matched vs. unmatched, mock exam averages.

+0.6ptsp<.05significanceopendata

Paper (PDF) ↗Dataset ↗

Coach

Building is easier. Knowing what to build and turning it into results makes the difference.

Taegyu JeongSorbonne University graduate · Based in Paris, France

2024–
Solo AI-native agency FTJA · Open-source job-search automation · 1,500 first-week downloads · 21 GitHub stars Perplexity AI Business Fellow (2025) Trachemy · Co-founder matching platform · 32K total visits · 4K peak daily visits
2023–24
Project Manager · Samsung Electronics FranceReduced annual service costs by $1.3M
2021
Selected for Creative Valley incubation at Station FStation F: the world's largest startup campus (Paris, France)
2020–
Founded PLACES Raised CAD 350K in pre-seed funding Smart City Association incubation participant Selected for the 2020 Korean pre-startup smart-city program (KRW 49M grant)

Featured project · FTJA

Built and launched
the way I teach.

I built and open-sourced Fine-Tune Job Agent, a personalized AI job-search tool. Feedback on Reddit led me to focus on people looking for genuinely remote jobs. These are the results so far.

ftja.space

1,500First-week downloads

21First-week GitHub stars

650+Total Reddit upvotes

340+Total Reddit comments

45Free trial requests

ftja.space ↗ GitHub ↗ Reddit discussion ↗

Pricing

Review the results.
Then choose the next stage.

MONTH 1Build an MVP

MONTH 2–4PMF

MONTH 5–6Traction

Cost

$3,000One-time

$1,000/ month

Schedule

1 hour daily · Monday–SaturdayCan be spread over up to 3 months to fit your schedule, extending the full program to a maximum of 8 months

Two 1-hour sessions per week

What we build

Customer interviews and problem definition
Spec and roadmap
A live MVP for real users

If the student attends at least 80% of sessions and completes every assignment but has no MVP, we extend coaching by one month at no charge

Demo video
Content creation
Sales pipeline automation
A new MVP after a pivot, if needed

Competition-ready projects
Business plan and pitch deck
Improve purchase conversion

What is included

Async support

Async support
Builder community

Async support
Builder community
Sessions on new AI tools
Curated competitions and events

Additional costs

RequiredClaude Code Pro subscription · Operating costs (APIs, domain, business email, backend, etc.) If neededPaid ads · Paid content production · Competition and event fees

After month one, parents and student decide together: continue, extend, or stop.For Cohort 1, the full program is 30% off · Regular price ~~US$8,000~~ → US$5,600All prices in US dollars (USD)

Frequently asked questions

Who is this for?

A good fit: Students aged 13+ in middle or high school, and university students preparing for internships; curious builders who can commit the time and personally want to take part. May not be a fit right now: Grade 12 students applying in the current cycle, anyone seeking guaranteed admission or ghostwritten essays, or a student whose parents want this but who does not.

How do the six months work?

The journey has clear stages and deliverables. Start with customer discovery, define a problem, and publish the first MVP. This normally takes one month, or up to three months to fit your schedule (checkpoint 1: a live MVP). Months 2–4 focus on attracting users and improving the product with data (checkpoint 2: a month-three review). Months 5–6 focus on traction and presenting the work for competitions, internships, and college applications. Students learn to keep building and finding customers on their own.

How is this different from a coding or AI course?

Instead of following a fixed tutorial, students choose a problem, build something real people can use, and learn from the response. We teach both practical tools and the judgment to decide what is worth building.

What do you promise?

We commit to the process we can control, not college admission. We do not ghostwrite essays. Students must be able to explain their own decisions and work, and we only begin if they want to participate.

Is coding experience required?

No. We start by showing students how to build with AI tools. The key is developing the judgment to decide what to make.

Will this help with college admission?

We do not guarantee admission. We commit to concrete activities such as publishing an MVP and interviewing customers. The experience gives students their own work and decisions to explain.

Do you help with essays?

We do not ghostwrite essays. Students can draw on their own decisions, experiences, and results in their writing.

How much time does it take each week?

During the MVP phase, coaching is one hour a day, Monday–Saturday. During PMF and Traction, it is two one-hour sessions a week. Students also need time between sessions to build and meet customers.

How do time zones work?

The coach is based in Paris. We agree on session times around the student's location and schedule, with asynchronous communication between sessions.

Can we stop partway through?

Yes. After the first month, parents and student decide whether to continue, extend, or stop. After that, give at least seven days' notice before the next month to stop the next payment. Fees for the current month are non-refundable.

Apply · Cohort 1

Request a consultation

After reviewing your application, we send selected applicants a link to book a 30-minute consultation. We work with a maximum of five students at a time, and the student's own interest matters.

marks a required field

Parent or guardianContact details

Name Email KakaoTalk ID or phone number What do you hope to get from this program?0 / 1,000

StudentBasic information

Student's age

In the student's own wordsPlease let the student answer

What have you tried or built with AI tools?If nothing yet, write “None”.0 / 1,000 What would you like to build?If you are not sure, tell us what interests you.0 / 1,000 Why would you like to join FirstShip?0 / 1,000

Consent

The student agrees to take part in the consultation

I agree to the collection and use of personal information for the consultation

We review your application and email you within three business days.

Application received

A confirmation has been sent to your email. We will review your application and email you within three business days.

Six months.A product of their own.

See the work as it happens. Follow every milestone.

Start by finding a problem worth solving

Before writing code, define what to build

With Claude Code, go from plan to deployment

Shipping is the start. Now reach your customers.

Use the numbers to guide your decisions

Turn your results into your next opportunity

To do

Doing

Done

Jamie Parker

Building is easier. Knowing what to build and turning it into results makes the difference.

Built and launched the way I teach.

Review the results.Then choose the next stage.

Additional costs

Frequently asked questions

Request a consultation

Six months.
A product of their own.

See the work as it happens.
Follow every milestone.

Start by finding
a problem worth solving

Before writing code,
define what to build

With Claude Code,
go from plan to deployment

Shipping is the start.
Now reach your customers.

Use the numbers
to guide your decisions

Turn your results
into your next opportunity

Built and launched
the way I teach.

Review the results.
Then choose the next stage.