Founding Cohort: 8 Seats Remaining Apply Now
AEIOU Academy
Founding Cohort ยท February 2026

Two Operators. One System.
A $5.75 Billion Exit as Proof.

The 7-course operating system for exceptional founders seeking institutional capital. Master capital structure, governance, negotiation, and exit architecture; taught by operators who've done it at the highest level.

7 Courses 4 Months 20 Founders Max AEIOU Founder Credential
ACG CNBC Wall Street Journal MedTech Breakthrough LSI

This System Has Been Taught to Founders and Executives Worldwide

Meet Your Instructors

Built and Taught by Two Operators

One built a $5.75B exit. One has trained founders on four continents. Together, they created this system.

Christopher Velis

Christopher Velis

The Operator | Strategist

Unicorn Builder. Built and sold Auris Health to J&J for $5.75B. Decades in tech, AI, robotics. Raised $1.7B+ in institutional funding. Multiple M&A Exits. Professional Venture Investor.

$5.75B Exit to J&J NACD.DC $1.7B+ Raised
Dr. Christos Kelepouris

Dr. Christos Kelepouris

The Professor | Entrepreneur

UAE-Stanford E&I Fellow. Fulbright Specialist. Real Estate Portfolio Builder. Twenty years building ventures and curricula accross the United States, M.E.N.A., Asia, Europe.

Fulbright Specialist UAE-Stanford E&I Fellow
The Structural Reality
42% of funded startups fail from capital and structural issues

What Most Founders Never See Coming

The difference between a life-changing exit and a devastating one isn't the exit price. It's the structure.

$336M
Raised

A founder raised $336M at a $1.2B+ valuation. Sold for $3.4M. Because of liquidation preferences, the founder's take-home was essentially zero.

$41.2M
Raised

Another raised $41.2M and exited for $270M. After preferences cleared, the founder received nothing. Investors got paid. Founder didn't.

These were normal deals that went sideways due to structure; not incompetence, not market failure.

Ask Yourself:

1

Have you ever accepted terms under time pressure that you didn't fully understand?

2

Do you know exactly what you gave up in your last round โ€” and what triggers let investors take more?

3

If your board decided to replace you as CEO in the next 18 months, would you see the signals early?

If you hesitated on any of these, you're not alone; and you're not safe.

See the 7-Course Solution
The AEIOU Operating System

7 Courses That Instill Structural Literacy

Each course builds a critical layer of founder capability; from mindset to exit.

Course 1

Resilient Founder Mindset

The edge most founders won't admit they need. Building resiliance that holds under pressure.

Course 2

Brand Authority & Positioning

Turn your story into leverage so investors, partners, and customers stop discounting you.

Course 3

Raising Capital & Cap Table

Raise money without handing your company away in dilution and hidden preferences.

Course 4

Negotiation Mastery

Walk into every deal knowing exactly where to push, where to walk, and how to keep power.

Course 5

Board & Governance

Turn your board from a reporting chore into a weapon that protects you and your vision.

Course 6

Systems for Scale

Scale headcount, revenue, and complexity without becoming the bottleneck or losing control.

Course 7

Exit & Succession

Design your exit so you keep real ownership, real options, and a legacy you actually want.

๐ŸŽ“

AEIOU Founder Credential

Complete all 7 courses and the comprehenive exam to earn the credential โ€” signaling to boards and investors that you understand the structural game.

Why These 7 Courses

Mapped to Your Actual Risk Stack

The 7 courses map directly to the 4 risk categories that determine founder outcomes.

40-50%

Capital & Terms

Courses 3, 4

Liquidation preference math Walk-away points before negotiation Down round survival strategies Cap table protection across rounds
15-20%

Board & Governance

Course 5

Information asymmetry management CEO replacement warning signals Consent rights and control mechanisms Board composition power mapping
20-25%

Strategy & PMF

Courses 1, 2, 6

PMF validation beyond vanity metrics Strategic dead-ends and unwinding Positioning and market selection Unit economics that compound
10-15%

Exit Architecture

Course 7

Waterfall modeling for realistic outcomes Timing risk: too early vs. too late M&A dynamics and founder leverage Building transferable value
The Transformation

From Structurally Exposed to Structurally Literate

Before AEIOU

โœ•Can't model take-home at different exits
โœ•Accepted terms under pressure without understanding
โœ•Board dynamics feel opaque and unpredictable
โœ•Negotiations without defined walk-away points
โœ•"My lawyer handles that" as governance strategy

After AEIOU

โœ“Complete clarity on waterfall at any exit
โœ“Every term evaluated against decision framework
โœ“Power map visible: who controls what and when
โœ“Walk-away points and scenarios pre-built
โœ“Structural literacy as founder core competency
From Founders We've Trained

What Happens When You Understand Structure

Results from our teaching, advisory, and mentorship work.

Saved 8% Dilution

The negotiation framework saved us from accepting terms that would have cost millions. We rejected the first offer and closed better.

Mark Johanson, CEO
Audax Biomedical, Inc., Series B
10x Faster Board Prep

Board prep went from 10+ hours of scrambling to a 45-minute update. We closed at a higher valuation because numbers matched story.

Founder & CEO
Healthcare Company, Series A
Protected Exit Options

Entered partnership negotiation with the walk-away framework. Rejected first offer and secured terms that protected future exits.

Michael McCurdy M.D., Founder
BOA Biomedical, Inc.
Aligned Leadership

We finally had a shared language for strategy, capital, and execution. Team stopped arguing opinions and started working from one system.

Co-founder
Deep Tech Robotics Startup

Results from prior teaching and advisory. Details verified.

Before You Apply

Who This Is NOT For

Founders who believe investors will always act in their interest.

Investors have fund timelines and fiduciary obligations that may not align with yours.

Founders who think governance is a legal formality.

Board composition and consent rights shape every major decision.

Founders who assume exit math will work itself out.

Liquidation preferences and seniority stacks determine who gets paid.

Executives at large companies, lifestyle business owners, or pre-product founders.

This is for founders with, or expecting, a board and cap table worth protecting.

AEIOU is for founders who understand the meta-game exists โ€” and want to master it before it masters them.

Program Format

How It Works

๐Ÿ’ป

100% Virtual

Join from anywhere

๐Ÿ“…

4-Month Cohort

Structured progression

๐Ÿ“š

7 Courses

9 live sessions

โฑ๏ธ

3โ€“5 Hours/Week

Designed for founders

20 founders max per cohort Global cohort AEIOU Academy membership Lifetime Founding Cohort discounts
Program Investment

Join the Founding Cohort

Applications Close January 30, 2026 ยท Class Starts February 4, 2026

Founder Seat

Full 7-course system for one founder

$4,250

Founding rate ยท $5,000 after

All 7 courses over 4 months
Complete framework library
Applied excercises
Founder discussion access
Credential eligibility
Apply as Founder

Founder + Advisory

7 courses + private strategy

$11,250

Program + private sessions

Everything in the Founder Seat
2 private strategy sessions
Pitch deck or term sheet review
Priority access
Credential guidance
Apply for Advisory

No payment required to apply. Tuition due only after acceptance. Most expense the program as executive education.
Questions? EMAIL US

The Application Takes 3 Minutes

Start Your Application
Quick Answers

Common Questions

Business schools teach disconnected theory. Incubators focus on early traction. AEIOU teaches one integrated 7-course system for structural mastery โ€” capital, governance, negotiation, and exits โ€” built from a $5.75B outcome.

Most participants aren't actively raising. Structural literacy applies to partnership negotiations, board management, strategic hires, and operational decisions. Best to learn before you need it.

3-5 hours per week over 4 months. Live sessions are recorded, but the cohort is built for active participation.

Yes. Most participants expense AEIOU as executive education. We provide template language for your CFO or board after acceptance.

Response within 72 hours. If there's fit, we may schedule a brief call. No obligation until you accept and submit payment.

Two Operators. One System.
Your Next Chapter.

Founding cohort starts February 2026. 20 seats total. The founders who complete these 7 courses will operate differently for the rest of their careers.

Start Your Application

No payment required ยท No obligation until acceptance