Guides for every stage of the build.

Lock 1 · Define

Problem Definition

How to find, narrow and evidence a problem worth three months of your team’s life — the single highest-leverage skill in the entire Foundry journey.

8 minute read Lock 2 · Design

Solution Blueprint

Turning a validated problem into a complete solution design: user journey, feature scope, and the decisions that make Lock 3 buildable instead of aspirational.

9 minute read Lock 2 · Design

AI Architecture

Choosing models, designing pipelines and drawing the architecture diagram evaluators actually want to see — appropriate AI over impressive AI.

10 minute read Lock 2 · Design

Data Planning

Finding data you can actually use, handling it lawfully, and being honest about its gaps — the part of the blueprint most teams underestimate.

8 minute read All Locks

Responsible AI

The responsible-AI plan Foundry expects: concrete harms analysis, privacy by design, bias testing and human accountability — not a paragraph of good intentions.

9 minute read Lock 3 · Prove

Prototype Development

Building a working prototype in a student-realistic window: scope ruthlessly, ship the core loop, and make "working" mean working.

9 minute read Lock 3 · Prove

GitHub Submission

What evaluators look for in your repository: a README that orients in ninety seconds, commits that tell the real story, and code that matches your claims.

7 minute read Lock 3 · Prove

Demo Video

A demo video that proves function, not production values: structure, honesty and the five minutes that carry your Lock 3 story.

6 minute read Lock 3 and Finals

Pitch Deck

The presentation that accompanies Lock 3 and carries you at the physical final: a narrative spine, evidence density and slides that survive a projector.

7 minute read All Locks

Impact Measurement

Turning "this could help people" into a number you can defend: choosing one honest metric, building a baseline and measuring within the Foundry window.

8 minute read