An Atlanta startup is betting that the best way to teach children about artificial intelligence is to have them start something. Co-AI Founder walks students through spotting a problem, designing a fix, building a prototype and pitching it, with AI acting as a sparring partner rather than an answer machine.
The company serves students from fifth through 12th grade, and some participants are as young as 10. According to a report by Hypepotamus, the startup is heading into a seed fundraise and has already secured approved vendor status with Cobb County schools, one of the largest districts in Georgia.
A Structured Path From Problem to Pitch
The company's core offering, the Young Founder's Program, moves students through a sequence of steps: identifying an issue in their community, coming up with a solution, building a prototype and presenting it to an audience.
Guided digital activities are combined with group work among classmates. Teachers and parents are brought in at key milestones, so the process is not purely screen-based.
Throughout, the platform behaves like an entrepreneurial companion. It nudges students to sharpen their ideas and explain the reasoning behind their choices, while teaching them to question, test and refine whatever the AI produces.
Designed to Challenge, Not Hand Over Answers
Founder Mimi Kothari, who is also a parent, said she understands the worries many families have about AI in classrooms and shares some of them. Her view is that many tools simply give children the answer.
Co-AI Founder was built to behave more like a co-founder, asking questions and pushing students to defend their thinking while keeping their own vision at the center. Teachers and facilitators remain present during sessions.
Kothari said the program has been reviewed by independent evaluators with backgrounds in government and higher education.
Early Pilots in Georgia and New Jersey
The startup has tested its approach at an elementary school in Cobb County and with remote public school learners in New Jersey. Kothari said every participant identified a real community problem, built a working prototype and delivered a pitch.
The broader aim goes beyond individual projects. The company wants students to practice critical thinking, problem-solving and the ability to explain why an idea is worth pursuing.
Kothari recalled a shy student who initially said he could not complete the program but later presented his idea to a large crowd at the company's Spring Innovation Showcase.
Expanding Access Through a Foundation
Equity is a stated priority. Co-AI Founder has set up its own foundation to deliver the tool through entrepreneurship programming in under-resourced communities.
Kothari noted that students in well-funded schools are already picking up AI skills. "I want every student learning to use AI thoughtfully and creatively at ten," she said.
From Public Health to Edtech
Kothari previously worked in public health and is a CDC alumna. She had expected to spend her career at the agency but left earlier this year, amid a wave of resignations and retirements among her colleagues.
After weighing a role at another startup, she turned to the gaps she saw in education and AI access, particularly the need for students to gain hands-on experience while they still have room to experiment.
The company has added Shannon Whorton, a former corporate CIO at GE, as a Strategic Executive Advisor. Whorton said she was drawn by its approach to teaching students to use AI safely while turning ideas into products and services. Co-AI Founder is also a member of the Georgia AI Alliance, a statewide group focused on AI readiness.
What It Signals for Edtech Founders
Co-AI Founder's early traction points to demand from school districts for AI programs that emphasize judgment and human oversight rather than automation. Securing vendor approval before a seed round is a meaningful step in a sector where procurement often slows growth.
For founders building in education, the company's model suggests that pairing AI literacy with practical skills like entrepreneurship, and addressing parent concerns directly, may help win over cautious schools.
Source: Hypepotamus
