Boston, MA — As part of AscentIncubator.com’s expanding reach across Latin America and the “100 Entrepreneurs Call” campaign in Colombia, we sat down with founder Andres Perea to explore the educational foundation of the incubator and its AI-powered methodology. From tailored content to the exclusive Pentathlon Framework, Perea breaks down how the program guides entrepreneurs from raw ideas to investor-ready ventures.
Q: Andres, let’s talk methodology. What makes the structure of the Ascent Incubator program different from others?
Andres Perea:
Ascent was designed from the ground up as a structured educational journey—not just a dashboard of tools. Entrepreneurs move through a clear path, module by module. In each lesson, they read a short, tailored article to learn a concept, then immediately apply that knowledge by completing assignments using AI, including tools like ChatGPT. This interactive format ensures they’re not just absorbing theory—they’re building real startup components in real time.
Our approach is grounded in guided experimentation. You don’t need a background in business. You need willingness, curiosity, and a problem you want to solve.
Q: You mention that Module 1 is foundational. Can you expand on that?
Andres:
Absolutely. Module 1 is the heartbeat of the incubator. Before we ask founders to commit time or money to one idea, we walk them through a disciplined exploration process called the Pentathlon Framework.
This framework helps entrepreneurs generate and evaluate multiple business ideas across five key dimensions:
- Desirability – Is this a problem people truly want solved?
- Feasibility – Can I actually build a solution with the skills and resources I have?
- Marketability – Will people pay for it?
- Differentiation – What makes it stand out?
- Scalability – Can this grow beyond me?
We believe most incubators skip this step and lock founders into their first idea. We do the opposite—we help them find the right idea before going deep.
Q: What happens after the entrepreneur selects their most feasible idea?
Andres:
Once Module 1 identifies the most viable concept, every following module builds around it. Module 2 dives into the Market research. Module 3 covers the MVP strategy and customer research. Module 4 creates the operating model. Module 5 builds the business model and financial projections. And Module 6 wraps it all into an investor-ready pitch deck. Entrepreneurs will develop and learn about their business idea and test it in different iterations to assess its potential. They will learn by doing, by putting their hands on and building the various components of a business.
The process is logical, repeatable, and entirely self-paced. You move when you’re ready. And the AI helps personalize your outputs—from business plan drafts to revenue models.
Q: What about mentorship—Is the program entirely self-directed, or will entrepreneurs work with a mentor?
Andres Perea:
That’s a great question, and it’s one we get often. The short answer is: yes, there is mentorship—just structured differently.
The program itself is a mentorship system. From day one, entrepreneurs are guided step by step. Every lesson includes specific reading, clear expectations, and action-oriented assignments using AI-powered workflows. It’s not passive learning—it’s active building. What we ask from entrepreneurs is a commitment to allocate time to read, reflect, and implement. That’s the core discipline.
Now, when it comes to human mentorship, that begins at the end of Module 2. By that point, the entrepreneur has already explored and evaluated several ideas using our Pentathlon Framework and chosen the most viable one. They also complete a self-assessment that maps their personal strengths and limitations—whether they’re solo founders or planning to build a team. This clarity is essential before speaking to a mentor.
That’s when we initiate a 1:1 mentor session, tailored to the entrepreneur’s chosen idea. And this is deliberate. That moment—right before MVP development—is where mentorship makes the biggest difference. The mentor becomes a thinking partner, someone who helps the founder plan, execute, and stay accountable as they build their MVP.
So no, it’s not just self-learning. It’s guided learning that becomes human-guided execution—when it matters most.
Q: Since the program is AI-powered, what’s the risk that it just becomes a collection of auto-generated answers—and entrepreneurs don’t actually commit to learning and applying?
Andres Perea:
That’s a very real concern—and it’s exactly why we’ve designed Ascent Incubator to actively prevent that from happening. The risk isn’t in the AI. The real risk is that some people might see AI as a shortcut rather than a collaborator—and in doing so, they miss the entire point of the journey.
The program is not about having ChatGPT write your business plan for you. It’s about using AI as part of your co-founder toolkit—to accelerate what matters, reduce inefficiencies, and help you think critically. Think of it this way: the AI helps reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks like formatting a strategy or running a basic competitor scan. But the insights, the judgment, the choices—those still have to come from the founder.
To reinforce this, the program includes quizzes in every lesson and graded checkpoints in every module, all based on original articles from our blog and tailored startup materials. We’re measuring comprehension, not just completion. So no, it’s not possible for someone to coast through the program without putting in real thought and effort.
We are trying to build a new mindset: Entrepreneurship + AI = a smarter, faster, more resilient team. That’s the model we believe in, and it’s the mindset we want every founder in our ecosystem to adopt.
Q: What’s your message to someone who wants to learn more or test it out?
Andres:
Try it for free. Enroll in the program using our 30-day trial. You’ll immediately get access to Module 1 and begin crafting and scoring your own business ideas using the Pentathlon Framework. It’s practical, intuitive, and designed for real entrepreneurs—not just business school grads.
This isn’t a course. It’s your co-founder—powered by AI.
Become part of the movement. Register today at www.ascentincubator.com
Spanish version available at www.ascentincubator.com/es
Press Contact:
Andres Perea – https://www.linkedin.com/in/andresperea/
Innovation Ascent LLC | Boston, MA