Blackbird Founders Fellowship
Week 2 · Market Strategy & Growth
Wake up to
a plan, not a pile.
Build an AI agent in your own ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Grok. Each morning it reads the email, calendar and documents you choose to connect, plus any screenshots or notes you add, and turns the pile into a short plan: what to do next, most important first.
3:00–5:00 PM · Blackbird House, Culver City
Your pass also enters you in the drawing for a $5,000 Dossier on your business. One winner. Entries close Tuesday, October 13. See the drawing →
Bring a laptop and a charged phone.
Your pass gets you
- The ebook AI for Startup Founders, free by email
- An entry in the drawing for one $5,000 Dossier · How it works
Issued to
Week 2 partners
DropFly teaches Week 2 in partnership with Grid110 and Blackbird House. The Blackbird Founders Fellowship is a program of Blackbird Alliance, with programming by Grid110, hosted at Blackbird House in Culver City.
The drawing · Entries close October 13
One Dossier. One winner.
$5,000free to one registered fellow
One registered fellow gets a DropFly Dossier on their business, with a business plan and a marketing plan built on it. Free. Your fellow's pass is your entry.
Entries close Tuesday, October 13, at 11:59 PM PT.
What it is
A researched report on your business and market, plus a business plan and a marketing plan built on it.
Why now
Week 3 is Capital Readiness. Week 4 is The Art of the Pitch. Investors and judges will ask for facts and a plan.
How to get it
Register with the fellows' access code by Tuesday, October 13. One name is drawn.
Why now
Weeks 3 and 4 will ask what you know about your market.
- 21Wed · OctWeek 2 · this classMarket Strategy & Growth
- 28Wed · OctWeek 3Capital Readiness
- 5Thu · NovWeek 4The Art of the Pitch
Investors and judges ask the same questions. Who else does this? What do they charge? Who buys, and why you? A Dossier answers them with sources you can point to.
Facts you can defend.
Every claim is marked and linked. When someone asks where a number came from, you can show them.
Real competitor prices.
See what businesses like yours charge, with a link to each price, before you set or defend your own.
A plan for the next 30 days.
A business plan and a marketing plan that put your next moves in order, most important first.
What's inside
Your market, researched and checked.
- Competitors and their prices
- Who you're up against, what they charge, and a link to each price.
- Your customers
- Who buys, and why.
- Channels
- Where your buyers are, and how businesses like yours reach them.
- Your numbers
- What you choose to share, worked into the plan. With your data only.
- A business plan
- Built on the research above.
- A marketing plan
- Built on the same research, with your next moves in order.
- Every claim marked and linked
- You can tell a checked fact from our reasoning, and click through to the source.
How it's made
- Research agents gather it.
- A second agent tries to disprove each finding.
- A person at DropFly checks the important claims before you get it.
- Every claim is marked and linked.
Sample · Fictional business · Real competitor prices, checked October 7, 2026
Here's what the research looks like.
Marigold & Ash Spice Co. is a made-up spice brand we use as a sample. The five competitors below are real. We read each price from the brand's own online store on October 7, 2026. Prices change.
| Brand | Jar | Price | Marigold & Ash (fictional) $4.67Per ounce | Main channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station 1923 | 4.76 oz jar (Creole Smoke) | $11.00 | $2.31 | Own online store; 2-to-4-jar packs |
| Essie Spice | 5.5 oz jar (Mekko Dry Rub) | $14.99 | $2.73 | Own online store; two-jar bundles |
| Curio Spice Co. | 2.25 oz jar (Taco Seasoning) | $9.95 | $4.42 | Own online store and subscription |
| Diaspora Co. | 70 g tin, 2.47 oz (Hot Lime) | $14.00 | $5.67 | Own online store; wholesale through Faire |
| Healthy On You | 2 oz refillable jar (House of the Rising Spice) | $14.00 | $7.00 | California grocery and Faire |
The dark vertical line marks Marigold & Ash (fictional) at $4.67 per ounce.
Each brand name links to the product page we read. That is what "every claim is linked" looks like.
Where Marigold & Ash sits.
At $14 for a 3 oz jar ($4.67 per ounce), it's near the top on the sticker but in the middle per ounce: twice Station 1923's $2.31, and two-thirds of Healthy On You's $7.00.
The top growth move.
A holiday gift set. First step: a 3-jar set (for example $38, against $42 bought separately), on the online store and both market tables by the October 10–11 weekend.
What we couldn't verify.
Whether her cottage food permit covers sales to shops outside her county. The state's law page blocked our fetch, so we said so instead of guessing.
This sample is a short research report on a made-up business. A Dossier starts from the same kind of research and adds your customers, your numbers, a business plan and a marketing plan.
Real client work · details hidden
Pages from Dossiers we've delivered.
Client names, figures and sources are blurred. Tap a page to see it larger.
Some Dossiers arrive as a full designed issue, like these pages. Others arrive as a shorter report. Every one has the labels, the sources and the plan.
If you win
You choose how it's made.
With your data
Most accurateYou share what you choose: sales by channel, costs, prices, customer counts. We build the plan on your real numbers, not estimates. What you share is confidential and used only to make your Dossier. Timing depends on when you share it.
Outside-in
Public sources onlyYou share nothing. We work only from what's public: your website and social pages, competitors' stores and prices, and public pages like permit rules. Anything only you would know is listed as a question, not guessed.
Why more data means more accuracy
In the Marigold & Ash sample, the wholesale question stayed open. Every wholesale decision depended on the founder's cost per jar, and no public page shows what a jar costs her to make. With your data, a question like that gets a real answer.
Optional, in class: with your approval of each item, we may show a few non-sensitive findings in class on October 21. Never revenue, costs, margins, unpublished prices, or customers' or employees' names. You can say no to any of it, and your prize doesn't change.
How it works
Four steps, one winner.
Get your pass
By Tuesday, October 13, 11:59 PM PTEnter the fellows' access code and your details. Your pass is your entry, one per person.
One name is drawn
Planned for Week 1, Thursday, October 15At random, from every registered fellow. We email the winner, who has 48 hours to accept.
The winner chooses
Within 48 hours of the winner's emailWith your data, for the most accurate Dossier, or outside-in, from public sources only.
The Dossier arrives
Planned before Wednesday, October 21We plan to have it ready before class. With your data, timing depends on when you share it.
Entries close Tuesday, October 13, at 11:59 PM PT.
Get your passNo purchase necessary to enter or win, and buying doesn't improve your chances. One entry per person. Open to accepted fellows of the Blackbird Founders Fellowship who are 18 or older and live in the United States. Odds depend on the number of entries. Prize: one DropFly Dossier with a business plan and a marketing plan, approximate value $5,000. It can't be transferred or exchanged for cash. A prize worth $600 or more is reported to the IRS on Form 1099-MISC, so the winner sends us a Form W-9 and pays any taxes on it. If the form isn't working, email rio@dropfly.io before entries close and we'll register you by hand. Sponsored by DropFly Inc. Grid110, Blackbird Alliance and Blackbird House are not sponsors of this drawing. Dates are planned. Official rules.
The class
What you'll build on October 21.
A 2:00 talk on positioning comes first. DropFly picks up at 3:00.
You'll build an organizer agent in your own AI account and connect the email, calendar and documents you choose. Add screenshots or notes, and it sorts everything into five tiers, most important first.
Works in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Grok. A free plan is enough to build it.
Your brief, in this order
Most important first
- 1
Money in
Payments and money coming your way.
- 2
Customers and leads waiting
People waiting on a reply from you.
- 3
Growth deadlines
Dates that move the business forward.
- 4
Blockers
What's stuck and what it needs.
- 5
Everything else
The rest, in one short list.
Included
What every fellow gets.
The Prompting Pack
Prompts to use in class and after it.
Two one-on-ones
Two 30-minute calls, held by Saturday, December 5.
AI for Startup Founders
With your pass. A short, plain-language guide to why AI fits a small business, which work it suits, and how to bring it in safely.
Before and after class
The dates.
Pre-class questionnaireAbout five minutes, anonymous: no name or email. Tap your answers and submit. It closes Friday, October 16. Take the questionnaire →
Setup notesBy Monday, October 19, a short setup note for each of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Grok goes up on this page, so you can connect your accounts before class.
October 2026
December 2026
Founder rate · Ends October 31
One fellow wins it. Every fellow can buy it for $2,500.
$2,500the Dossier costs $5,000 · fellows pay $2,500 · through Saturday, October 31
The same Dossier, business plan and marketing plan the winner gets. $2,500 for fellows of the Blackbird Founders Fellowship, through Saturday, October 31, 2026.
The founder rate ends Saturday, October 31.
Dossier, business plan and marketing plan
$2,500 founder rate (the Dossier costs $5,000)
- Inside
- Competitors and their prices, your customers, channels and your numbers, plus a business plan and a marketing plan built on them.
- Ends
- Saturday, October 31, 2026
- Your choice
- Made with your company's own data, or outside-in, from public information only. The more you share, the more accurate it gets.
- For
- Fellows of the Blackbird Founders Fellowship
- Separate
- This is between you and DropFly only. Grid110, Blackbird Alliance and Blackbird House don't pay for it or endorse it, and saying no changes nothing about what you receive.
Or tick the founder-rate box on your pass, and Rio will email you.
How it's made: research agents gather it, a second agent tries to disprove each finding, and a person at DropFly checks the important claims before you get it; every claim is marked and linked.
DropFly runs it for you.
Questions
Good to know.
What is a Dossier?
A researched report on your business and market: competitors and their prices, customers, channels and your numbers, plus a business plan and a marketing plan built on it. Research agents gather it, a second agent tries to disprove each finding, and a person at DropFly checks the important claims before you get it. Every claim is marked and linked.
Why would I want one before Weeks 3 and 4?
Week 3, on Wednesday, October 28, is Capital Readiness. Week 4, on Thursday, November 5, is The Art of the Pitch. Investors and judges ask for market facts and a plan. A Dossier gives you both, with a source for every claim.
If I pay the founder rate, does that help me win?
No. Buying doesn't improve your chances. Your pass is your only entry, and it's free.
What does the winner need to do?
Accept by email within 48 hours, choose with your data or outside-in, and send a Form W-9. The prize is worth more than $600, so it's reported to the IRS on Form 1099-MISC.
Who can register?
Accepted fellows of the Blackbird Founders Fellowship. You'll need the fellows' access code. No code? Email rio@dropfly.io.
Does the drawing cost anything?
No. No purchase is necessary. Registering with the access code is your entry, one per person. If the form isn't working, email rio@dropfly.io before the entry period ends and we'll register you by hand. The official rules have the details.
What's the difference between with-your-data and outside-in?
A Dossier made with your data uses information about your company that you choose to share with us. An outside-in Dossier uses public information only. Both are made the same way. The more you share, the more accurate it gets.
If I win, what gets shown in class?
Only if you agree: a few non-sensitive findings from your Dossier, and only the items you approve one by one. You can say no to any of it, and saying no doesn't affect your prize.
Is the questionnaire anonymous?
Yes. It asks no name, email or business name, and we don't link answers to your pass. We use the totals to set up the room and write the setup notes. Grid110, Blackbird Alliance and Blackbird House see totals only, with any group under three merged.
Do I need a paid AI plan?
No. A free plan of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Grok is enough to build the agent.
What is AI for Startup Founders?
A short, plain-language guide to why AI fits a small business, which work it suits, and how to bring it in safely, told through three founders' stories. Every fellow who registers for a pass gets it free by email.
What happens to my information?
We don't sell it or add you to a newsletter, and we don't share it with Grid110, Blackbird Alliance, Blackbird House or anyone else, except to ask Grid110 to confirm that the drawing's winner is an accepted fellow. It's stored with the services that run this page: Vercel (hosting), Supabase (database) and Resend (email), and a copy goes to Rio's DropFly inbox. We use it to send the ebook, run the drawing, email you about this class, and email you about the founder rate only if you ask. Ask rio@dropfly.io and we'll delete it. More in our privacy notice.
Your pass is your entry.
One Dossier, one winner. Entries close Tuesday, October 13, at 11:59 PM PT.
Get your fellow's passQuestions? Email rio@dropfly.io.