DataNativ
Learn AI. Build Apps. Stand Out.
Stop using AI.
Start building it.
Almost every student knows how to prompt an AI for homework. A fraction of a percent knows how to build one.
DataNativ is where ambitious middle and high schoolers go from prompting ChatGPT to shipping real AI products — with a portfolio to prove it.
The Reality
Every kid uses AI.
Almost none can build with it.
That gap is the biggest opportunity in education right now. AI is reshaping colleges, internships, and careers — and the students who know how to build AI products and solve real-world problems will stand out in a way grades and test scores alone never could.
Coding is now a commodity
Coding was once a niche, high-value skill. AI commoditized it overnight. The future belongs to those who can build problem-solving skills, think critically, and use AI to create real solutions — not just write syntax. If you're only learning to code and think your future is secure, think twice.
Traditional curricula are struggling to keep pace
While schools are adapting to ChatGPT, very few are teaching the actual architecture behind it — like RAG, LLM orchestration, or AI product thinking.
Coding camps teach syntax, not thinking
Learning to print 'Hello World' in Python is not the same as architecting an AI product. We do the latter.
Portfolios beat certificates every time
Our students graduate with real deployed apps. That's a different conversation in any college interview or internship call.
Our Philosophy
Not a class.
An AI product lab.
You don't sit through lectures. You ship products. Every week. Students graduate DataNativ with real deployed apps, a portfolio of projects, and a deep understanding of how the architecture actually works.
Rapid Prototyping
During the summer Bootcamp, use the DataNativ Studio to visually build and validate AI concepts without getting bogged down in syntax. In the 16-month Builder Track, the training wheels come off — you will write code entirely from scratch to build and deploy production-ready applications.
Think Like a Founder
Learn to identify real-world problems and design AI systems to solve them, focusing on product strategy and AI architecture.
Taught by a real AI director
Ashwin Thota has built enterprise AI at scale. This isn't staffed by recent grads — it's the real thing.
College apps get interesting fast
'I built an AI product' is a different kind of application essay. Our students have something real to show.
The DataNativ Pathway
Two powerful programs.
Choose your starting point.
The AI Discovery Bootcamp: Our exclusive summer program. The perfect launchpad to learn product thinking and build your first prototypes.
The AI Product Builder: Our 16-month deep dive. Open to dedicated students ready to learn core engineering and build production-ready software from scratch.
The AI Discovery Bootcamp
6 Weeks
Master the DataNativ Studio, learn AI product thinking, and build your first prototypes. The foundation every builder needs.
- Build a real AI product from scratch
- Prompt engineering, RAG, semantic search & product thinking
- No prior coding experience required
- In-Person · Frisco, TX · Grades 7–12
- June 11 – July 16, 2026Every Thursday5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
The AI Product Builder
16 Months
Take off the training wheels. Learn core engineering and build production-ready software from scratch in a venture studio environment.
- Full AI portfolio: 8+ deployed products
- Decision science → AI engineering → product building
- Real-world capstone: build for a local Frisco small business
- A standout addition to any college application
- In-Person · Frisco, TX · 16 Months
Who's Teaching This
Ashwin Thota
Director of AI & Data Science
Ashwin is a Director of Enterprise AI and Data Science at a leading luxury retailer, where he leads the development of enterprise-scale data and AI platforms that generate measurable business value, including millions in revenue impact. His background spans financial services, banking, retail, and large-scale enterprise analytics and AI, shaping a perspective grounded in real-world execution, not theory.
He started DataNativ to bridge an important gap he sees emerging in the age of AI. As AI makes basic coding increasingly accessible, coding alone is no longer enough to stand out. The real differentiator now is the ability to solve complex problems, design intelligent products, and apply AI with structure, judgment, and purpose.
That philosophy is at the heart of both the AI Discovery Bootcamp and the AI Product Builder Fellowship. Students are introduced to the concepts that matter in modern AI product building - including AI product thinking, prompt engineering, RAG, and guardrails - through a hands-on experience centered on building, not just consuming.
DataNativ complements traditional education with something many students do not yet get access to: a practical, current, product-first way of learning how AI works in the real world.
6-Week Curriculum
Inside the AI Discovery Bootcamp
6 weeks of product thinking, AI architecture, and hands-on building. Zero fluff.
What you walk away with
A fully validated AI product prototype — with prompt engineering, semantic search, RAG grounding, and a recommendation engine. Built and presented by you. Live on the internet. Ready for your portfolio.
Summer 2026 · Limited Spots
Secure your seat in the
AI Discovery Bootcamp.
A premium, in-person program for ambitious students in grades 7–12. Applications reviewed on a rolling basis — spots go fast.
Payment collected after acceptance. No charge until you're confirmed.
Location
12800 Westridge Blvd, Frisco, TX 75035
Format
In-person · Summer 2026 · Cohort-based
Open to
Students entering grades 7–12 (Fall 2026)
- Build a real, deployed AI product from scratch
- Prompt engineering, RAG, embeddings & semantic search
- No coding experience required — just the drive to build
- Small cohort · direct access to your instructor
No coding experience required. Just bring curiosity.
What you'll walk away with
A fully deployed AI product — prompt engineering, RAG, semantic search, and a recommendation engine. Live on the internet. Ready for any portfolio or college application.
Premium Experience
- Taught by a working AI director
- Small cohort — not a classroom
- Real products, not toy exercises
- Pathway to 16-month program
Where This Leads
The AI Product Builder
Master the logic. Engineer the intelligence. Build the future.
Discovery Bootcamp graduates can continue into our 16-month deep-dive program — one of the most extensive AI education experiences available to high school students, and a genuine differentiator in any college application.
"The best AI builders aren't just coders — they're decision makers."
We strip away the hype and build the real foundation: logic. Students learn that AI is only as good as the thinking behind it. This phase is all about data-driven decision making — the foundational skill every AI engineer needs before writing a single line of model code.
Key Skills
Phase 3 Capstone · Final 3 Months
The Small Business Capstone
Students are paired with a real local Frisco small business to identify a genuine operational problem. They design, build, and hand off a custom AI solution — a real-world deployment that doubles as the most powerful item in their college application.