D01–D0701 / 04
Find the problem.
Pick one worth solving and talk to the people who have it.
Replay intro
Tell me about something you’ve built. Have a real answer before placement season.
A 30-day fellowship for engineering students. Find a real problem, build the fix with AI, and launch it to real users. One-to-one with a mentor, alongside your DSA prep. About 3–5 hours a week.
- 1:1 mentor, no batches
- Runs alongside your DSA prep
- Top builders get forward-deployed internships
Start with your free readiness score
Which year are you in?
2 minutes, all taps, free. You get a score out of 100, where you stand in 7 areas, and your top 3 gaps.
Or see what Cohort 01 built ↓In Cohort 01, 7 student teams put a product live. One of them, Tuition OS, is now used by a tuition centre with about 100 students. It went live 29 days after the team started.
In final year? You can still join. 3–5 hours a week fits around placement drives.
[ What is Build Theory ]
A 30-day fellowship where you take one real product from idea to live users.
You find a problem people actually have, build the fix with AI, and get real people using it, with a mentor working with you one-to-one the whole way. It runs alongside your DSA prep, not instead of it.
- 30 days
- Problem to launch
- 1:1 mentor
- No batches, no recorded videos
- 3–5 hrs a week
- Fits around classes and DSA
Start from any step. Finish at level 5.
Find where you are today. Everyone in Cohort 01 started somewhere on this ladder.
01 · Curious
You ask AI.
You use ChatGPT every day, but you've never built anything with it.
02 · Maker
You make things.
You've put together an app or page with Lovable, Replit or Bolt, but nobody outside your friends has used it.
03 · Systems thinker
You connect tools.
You've connected tools with n8n, Zapier or an AI agent, and something now runs without you.
04 · Shipper
You put products out.
You build with AI and put things out. Now you want real users and real results.
05 · Level 5
AI-native builder.
You take an idea to a live product that real people use, on your own. This is what you can say in your next interview.
01 · Curious
You use ChatGPT every day, but you've never built anything with it.
02 · Maker
You've put together an app or page with Lovable, Replit or Bolt, but nobody outside your friends has used it.
03 · Systems thinker
You've connected tools with n8n, Zapier or an AI agent, and something now runs without you.
04 · Shipper
You build with AI and put things out. Now you want real users and real results.
05 · AI-native builder
You take an idea to a live product that real people use, on your own. This is what you can say in your next interview.
Level 5 is what interviews now check: not 'can you code?' but 'what did you build, who used it, and what went wrong?'
See what Cohort 01 built ↓You won’t be the first. Here’s all of Cohort 01.
All 14 teams and what each one is building.
Read every team’s story →
Cohort BT-01 / Fellow codes BTF-001 to BTF-024
- BTF-001 Dhananjaya Nair (Founder): Rethink OS. A client logging and reporting workflow tool for his consultancy.
- BTF-002 Shruti Sharma (Educator): Rethink Flow. Brings core school operations into one dashboard.
- BTF-003 Singarapu Prachothan (Director, Poditivity): Unified inbox. Gmail, LinkedIn, WhatsApp and other inboxes in one place, built for his own workflow.
- BTF-004 Ch Sreemayee (1st year engineering · Geethanjali College): Tuition OS. Operations for tuition institutes. Live at a real institute serving about 100 students.
- BTF-005 Sanjana Labishetty (1st year engineering · CVR College): Tuition OS. Operations for tuition institutes. Live at a real institute serving about 100 students.
- BTF-006 Ch Srikar (3rd year engineering · KLH University): Monetiq. An AI financial coach that helps people spend smarter and save better.
- BTF-007 Paarthu B (3rd year engineering · GITAM University): Monetiq. An AI financial coach that helps people spend smarter and save better.
- BTF-008 A. Madhu Priya (Working professional): Madli. Honest ratings for food and travel spots.
- BTF-009 Prashanth Reddy (3rd year engineering · Sanjay Ghodawat University): Orbit for Students. Routine, health, expenses and career planning in one place.
- BTF-010 G. Divyasree (3rd year engineering · CSE-DS · MVSR): Cue. Smart glasses that help visually impaired people identify objects and judge distance.
- BTF-011 K. Rishitha Purna (3rd year engineering · CSE-DS · MVSR): Cue. Smart glasses that help visually impaired people identify objects and judge distance.
- BTF-012 Keshamoni Nikhila (3rd year engineering · CSE-DS · MVSR): Cue. Smart glasses that help visually impaired people identify objects and judge distance.
- BTF-013 C. Siddarth Ram (3rd year engineering · Mechanical · MVSR): Boutiqo. Orders and deliveries for boutique owners, in one place.
- BTF-014 Katukuri Rithvik (3rd year engineering · Mechanical · MVSR): Boutiqo. Orders and deliveries for boutique owners, in one place.
- BTF-015 Siddharth Sadu (3rd year engineering · CSE · MVSR): SignMate. Indian Sign Language to speech in real time for deaf students, Classes 6–10.
- BTF-016 Kunamaneni Tanusree (3rd year engineering · CSE · MVSR): Diagnosis. Identify career skill gaps and discover what to learn next.
- BTF-017 Pavani Yejarla (3rd year engineering · CSE · MVSR): Diagnosis. Identify career skill gaps and discover what to learn next.
- BTF-018 Naga Nidesh (Engineering · Matrusri Engineering College): SignMate. Indian Sign Language to speech in real time for deaf students, Classes 6–10.
- BTF-019 S. Rohith (3rd year engineering · Mechanical · MVSR): SynapsN. Turn lecture PDFs into simplified notes, flashcards, summaries and practice quizzes.
- BTF-020 Mir Ataul Mohsin (3rd year engineering · Mechanical · MVSR): SynapsN. Turn lecture PDFs into simplified notes, flashcards, summaries and practice quizzes.
- BTF-021 Dubbaka Sathwik (3rd year engineering · CSE · MVSR): Mock2Pitch. Practise presentations with AI feedback to build confidence and improve delivery.
- BTF-022 Sahithi Eshwaroju (3rd year engineering · CSE · MVSR): Mock2Pitch. Practise presentations with AI feedback to build confidence and improve delivery.
- BTF-023 Kathula Sreeja (4th year engineering · CSE · MVSR): Interview OS. Helps freshers walk into interviews with clarity and confidence.
- BTF-024 Padigela Swathi (4th year engineering · CSE · MVSR): Interview OS. Helps freshers walk into interviews with clarity and confidence.
Placement seasonis closer than it feels.
Tap the ones that are you.
No one sees this but you.
0of 6. You're not behind. You're exactly who Cohort 01 was on Day 0.of 6. You're exactly who this was built for.
Same degree. Same CGPA. Same mini-project. So why would they pick you?
This isn't about being lazy or not smart enough. College teaches you subjects. It never asks you to find a real problem, build something for it, and get real people to use it.
That missing part is exactly what Build Theory's 30 days are for.
Why it matters more now than it did for your seniors ↓Knowing how to code isn’t your edge anymore.
Your seniors got placed because they could code. Now anyone can ask AI for a working login page in 30 seconds. Including everyone in your placement group.
55%vs14%
of Indian IT firms report fewer entry-level hires since adopting AI. Only 14% report fewer senior hires.
ICRIER survey of 651 IT-sector respondents, 20266Lto1.4L
Net hires by Indian IT companies in a year: about 6 lakh in FY22, 1.4 lakh in FY26.
Xpheno data, cited in Nomura’s 2026 report49%vs39%
of HR leaders say problem-solving is the skill they want most. 39% say AI/ML.
Unstop Talent Report 2026, 500+ HR leadersWhat gets freshers hired has changed.
Coding still gets you through the test. It no longer sets you apart. Here's what does now.
Questions
Your seniors, 2 years ago
You, in your next interview
What they check
Could you write the code?
Do you know what's worth building, and why?
Your first tasks
Simple, repetitive coding tasks.
AI does most of that now. You check the work, make calls, and own the result.
Your project
A mini-project from a tutorial.
Something real people used.
What stands out
CGPA and certificates.
Proof you can take a problem to a result.
The interview question
'Write a function that…'
'Tell me about something you built. Who used it? What went wrong?'
Coding rounds haven't gone away. That's why Build Theory runs alongside your DSA prep, not instead of it.
See where you stand today →Go beyond vibe coding.
Anyone can prompt an app into existence now. What gets you hired is everything around it. And no, you don't have to start a company to learn it.
Beyond vibe coding, you…
In your first job, that's called…
Prompt an app into existenceVibe coding
Anyone in your placement group can do this now
Build Theory adds ↓
Talk to users before building
Understanding what the client actually needs
Decide what to cut with days left
Prioritising a sprint
Ship something real people use
Owning a feature end to end
Hear 'this doesn't work' and change course
Handling code review and feedback
Pitch what you built
Your interview, your standup, your appraisal
Vibe coding gets you an app. Build Theory gets you real experience you can talk about in any interview.
Here's how that compares with what you're probably doing now:
Vibe coding
A coding project
Build Theory
You start with
A prompt
An assignment someone else wrote
A real problem you chose
You talk to users
No
No
Yes, from week 1
You decide what to build
Rarely
No
Yes, and defend why
You ship to real people
A demo link, maybe
Rarely
Yes, by Day 30
You market and pitch it
No
No
Yes
What you walk away with
A demo link
A GitHub project sitting in a repo
A project that solves a real problem and has real users
[ The interviewer, thinking ]
More than half of employers want graduates to show their skills with real examples, not just list them. NACE Job Outlook 2026 ↗
Most candidates list skills. She's showing me a problem she solved, with real users.
[ Same question. Two candidates. ]
Vibe coding gets you a link.
A coding project gets you a repo.
Build Theory gets you the answer.
How would your answer sound today? Find out in 2 minutes, free.
Get my readiness score30 days. One real product. Start to finish.
You go through everything a founder does, from problem to launch. Not to become a founder, but so you've already done the work your first job will ask for. A mentor works with you one-to-one the whole way.
Identify → Understand users → Validate → Decide → Build with AI → Work as a team → Market → Get feedback → Adapt → Present → Launch
D08–D1502 / 04
Build the first version.
Decide what matters, cut what doesn't, build it with AI.
D16–D2303 / 04
Test with real users.
Watch people use it, take the hard feedback, change course.
D24–D3004 / 04
Market, pitch, launch.
Get it in front of people, price it, present it.
Any year, any branch. You don't need to be from CSE or IT to join.
[ Your mentors ]
Mentors who have shipped it themselves.
One-to-one with people who build and back products for a living. Not lecturers.
[ AI MENTOR ]
Santosh Varma
AI engineer building conversational AI at scale.
[ DESIGN MENTOR ]
Ganesh Anabattula
Product designer with startup experience across AI, product and marketing.
[ DEVELOPMENT MENTOR ]
Devidi Nymisha
Product engineer. Director at Poditivity, ships to production.
[ PRODUCT MENTOR ]
Sharath Chandra
Investor evaluating startups across venture capital and private equity.
[ COMMUNICATION MENTOR ]
Harsha Vardhan
Product leader building AI and digital wellbeing products.
[ ENTREPRENEURSHIP MENTOR ]
Sai Kiranmai Vemula
Founder with an enterprise tech and ISB background in strategy and analytics.
An internship only our fellows can get.
Our strongest fellows join Build Theory Enterprise client projects as paid, forward-deployed interns. You sit with the client, decide what to build, ship it, and leave with a company that can vouch for you.
- 01Ship your product by Day 30
- 02Get selected on what you shipped
- 03Work with a real client, paid
- 04Leave with a reference
Happening now
3 Cohort 01 fellows are building the lead-tracking system for Founders First Network (FFN)'s sales team.
Not guaranteed. It depends on what you ship and which client projects are open. It isn't part of the fee.
[ Free · 2 minutes ]
Find out how far you are from a shortlist.
You've seen what the job asks for and what Cohort 01 built. Now check your own gap: how ready you are for placements, and what to fix first.
[ What you get ]
- Your readiness score out of 100, for the role you want
- Where you stand in the 7 areas recruiters check
- Your 3 biggest gaps, and what to fix first
- 012 min
Tap through 11 questions: your year, branch, target role, and what you can do today. No essays, no right answers.
- 02Instant
Your score shows on screen right away, split into 7 areas. The full report and a personal fellowship page land in your email instantly, and on WhatsApp.
- 03Optional
Get free career and building direction from Prashanth. 20 minutes, one-to-one: what to build first for the role you want, and whether Build Theory is the right next step for you.
Take the 2-minute readiness score
Free. Any branch, any year.
We send your report and a few follow-ups on WhatsApp and email. Reply STOP and they stop.
239 engineering students have checked their score
I was the one who couldn’t code.
I studied electronics in a smaller city and barely wrote code. In college I watched smart people miss out on placements. Not because they weren't capable, but because nobody showed them how to get from what college teaches to what jobs actually ask for.
I built Poditivity from scratch, with no funding and no guarantees. Everything I know about problems, users and selling, I learned by doing it. Build Theory gives you that same experience in 30 days, with a mentor next to you.
Thakur Prashanth / Founder and CEO, Poditivity
In the fellows’ own words
01 / 13
We wanted to know if our current idea would help the user or not. I thought blind people would lack confidence. They all were awesome. They were more confident than us. I was inspired by them.
G. DivyasreeThrough our conversations, we understood their problems from their own perspective rather than just assuming what they might be experiencing. When we discussed our idea with them, they told us it could help address one of their biggest challenges. Hearing this directly from the people we are building for made us realise this is not just a project or an idea. It could make a real difference in someone’s life.
K. Rishitha PurnaBefore Build Theory, I didn’t know how to turn an idea into something real. I learned how to start with the problem, understand what’s needed, create the PRD and MVP, and then actually build it using AI. The biggest takeaway for me was getting a clear idea of the steps to create something and the confidence to do it again on my own.
Ch SreemayeeBefore Build Theory, we didn’t know how tools like GitHub, Supabase, Netlify and Claude could help us turn an idea into a real product. We learned the process from refining an idea and creating a PRD to building an MVP and seeing it actually work. For the first time, I felt confident building something on my own.
Sanjana LabishettyWe had done projects before, but this was the first time we understood the process we can actually follow.
Srikar and PaarthuWhat Build Theory is doing for non-technical people is really, really good. I’ve learned so much in just two weeks, starting out as a complete beginner with zero background in any of this. Everything felt brand new, but it’s been made so easy to understand, and that’s given me real confidence, thanks to Build Theory.
Shruti SharmaYou are providing more than you are promising.
Madhupriya AllamI, even growing up, did not really see this many problems in my own parents’ tuition institute until I started to see them as clients and did customer interviews.
Ch SreemayeeI never thought in just this much time I would learn so much about product building, what stays behind in the total process, and I am enjoying the whole process a lot.
Sanjana LabishettyWe learned that we should not directly jump into building. First we need clarity on the idea, the problem, the users, and what exactly we are going to build.
Srikar and PaarthuWhen I started diving deeper into my idea, I uncovered problems I didn’t even know existed. Every session gave me more clarity, and I began finding practical ways to solve them. I genuinely don’t think I would’ve reached this level of understanding if I hadn’t been a part of Build Theory.
Ch SreemayeeToday, you don’t need to be a developer to build something meaningful. If you’ve got an idea but don’t know where to start, Build Theory is honestly the place to be.
Dhananjaya NairI have been using AI for so much stuff, and if the world is changing I would want Sreemayee to really be adaptive and have an upper hand than others. I am seeing how Build Theory is making that possible.
One price per team. Up to 2 seats.
8 of 14 Cohort 01 teams built in pairs. Bring a friend and the cost splits.
What the price includes
9 things. One price.
- Phase 1 → 3
The most innovative curriculum for any student
Three phases that take you from noticing a problem to a live product, then onto a stage. Built for every branch and every year.
- 1:1
Complete handholding, 1:1 classes and personal support
A mentor who knows your product, in 1:1 sessions for most classes. You are never stuck on your own.
- 24/7
AI assistant that solves your doubts 24/7
Stuck at 2 am on a bug or a PRD question? Ask, and get an answer in seconds.
- All recordings
Build Theory Fellowship app
Every course and every session recording in one app. Rewatch any class, any time.
- Placement-ready
Interview sessions: how to talk about what you built
Turn your product into a 2-minute story recruiters remember, then practise it in mock interviews with feedback.
- On stage
Demo Day, in front of innovators, investors and leaders
We help you build your deck and rehearse it, then you present your product on stage.
- Beyond 30 days
Support beyond the productIf your product shows commercial potential, we keep working with you after the 30 days: go-to-market, pricing, finding your first customers and working out how it makes money.
The 30 days are not the finish line if your product has a market.
- Yours forever
Permanent Build Theory ID card
Your fellow number is yours for good. Proof you built something real.
- Lifetime
Lifetime community access
Every cohort, every fellow, every mentor. The network keeps growing after you ship.
All 9 for ₹14,999 per team. Come with a friend and it works out to about ₹250 a day each for the 30 days.
₹20,000
₹14,999per team
About ₹7,500 each with a friend
- Referred by a Cohort 01 fellow₹12,000
- Seats per enrolmentUp to 2
- SessionsOnline, 1:1 for most classes
- Forward-deployed internships: our strongest fellows are selected, based on what they ship. Not part of the fee.
[ Cohort 02 / Limited seats ]
Apply for Cohort 02No payment to apply. About 5 minutes. Prashanth calls you within 24 hours to talk about your idea and see if it's a fit.
Questions before you commit
No. It's the best time. You finish before internship and placement season, not during it.
Yes. It's about 3–5 hours a week, which fits around placement drives. And a live product gives you something new to talk about in the interviews you're already sitting.
Yes. You don't have to want a startup. Finding a real problem, talking to users, deciding under pressure, shipping and pitching are the skills every good job asks for. You just build them by doing. More in “Go beyond vibe coding” above.
Yes. The ladder above starts at Level 1, Curious, for exactly this reason. If you've used ChatGPT, you can start. Your mentor shows you which AI tools to use, and how, as you build.
Most people don't on Day 0. We help you find an idea worth solving. Start with the free readiness score: your biggest gaps point to where to look.
No. It's about 3–5 hours a week, and you plan them around your classes and prep. Build Theory runs alongside your DSA prep, not instead of it. Coding rounds still matter. This gives you something to talk about once you clear them.
Fully online, so you can do it from anywhere, around your classes. The one exception is Demo Day: one in-person day in Hyderabad where you present what you built.
Yes. The price is ₹14,999 per enrolment, whether you come solo or with a friend. Coming as a pair splits the cost to about ₹7,500 each, and 8 of 14 Cohort 01 teams built in pairs.
Some products take longer to get right, and that's normal. If you've been showing up and meeting your weekly deadlines, your mentor extends your timeline and keeps supporting you until you ship. How long depends on your product. Extensions are for fellows who stay consistent, not a way to skip deadlines.
Not automatically. Build Theory Enterprise takes on real client projects, and our strongest fellows join them as paid interns, working directly with the client. Right now, 3 Cohort 01 fellows are doing this with Founders First Network (FFN). Ship a strong product and you're in the running. We don't guarantee it, and nobody honest would.
You leave with a live product and a story for every interview. From there, there are two paths. Our strongest fellows get selected for paid forward-deployed internships on real client projects. And if your product shows real demand, we help you test it with the market and work out how to make money from it. Neither is guaranteed. Both depend on what you ship.
No, and be careful of anyone who does. Build Theory gives you a live product, real users and a story for every interview. That makes you a much stronger candidate, but the offer still depends on you and the company.
Build Theory is a program of EduPodX by Poditivity Advertising and Education Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad, founded by Prashanth. Cohort 01 had 24 fellows across 14 teams, and 7 products went live.
- Fill a short application. About 5 minutes, no payment. Start your application.
- Prashanth calls you within 24 hours to talk through your idea and see if it's a fit.
- If it's a fit, you confirm your seat with ₹500. It's adjusted against the fee and non-refundable.
Not sure yet? Start with the free readiness score.
Placement season will ask what you’ve built. Start now.
Free readiness score. 2 minutes, all taps. Plus free career direction from Prashanth if you want it.
Get my readiness score