Ignite Tech Academy
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COHORT 01 · NOW ENROLLING
Hybrid · Live Saturdays 12 Weeks

Real engineering.
Real projects.

Learn to build the technology inside robots, AI gadgets, and smart devices — by actually making them. Real projects every week, guided by a working engineer who does this for a living.

Apply to Cohort 01 → See the curriculum
Apply by [TBD Application Deadline]
First Cohort
Embedded Software The tech inside robots & AI devices
Duration
12 Weeks ~ 8–10 hrs / week
Format
Hybrid Videos + live Saturday lab
For
Grade 10+ Basic programming OK
01 /Why Ignite

Three things we don't compromise on.

Other programs hand you slides and call it a curriculum. We hand you a circuit board, real components, and a working engineer to build with.

01
Taught by working engineers.
Your instructor builds AI hardware for a living — the kind of technology powering the next generation of robots and smart devices. Not a TA. Not a content creator. An engineer who ships real products every day.
02
Something real to show every week.
From your first blinking LED to a voice-controlled AI assistant you built from scratch — every week ends with something working, demo-able, and yours to keep.
03
Built for portfolios, not certificates.
College apps, internships, scholarships. Admissions officers and recruiters want to see what you've actually built — we design every project so you can show exactly that.
Apply to Cohort 01 → Seats are limited — applications reviewed on a rolling basis.
02 /The first cohort

Embedded Software
Bootcamp.

12 weeks of hands-on building — starting from zero and finishing with a working AI personal assistant you programmed yourself. This is the cohort we're launching with.

Cohort 01 · Now enrolling

From your first circuit
to a working AI assistant.

Learn to program hardware from scratch — the same skills that power robots, drones, and smart devices. Build 11 hands-on projects and finish with an AI personal assistant you designed and built yourself.

Starts
TBD
Tuition
$2,995
Format
Hybrid · 12 wks
Apply to Cohort 01 → See curriculum
12 weeks · 12 projects
  • WK 01–02C Programming Essentials
  • WK 03Computer Architecture & RTOS
  • WK 04GPIO, Timers, PWM & Interrupts
  • WK 05UART · Serial Communication
  • WK 06I2C & Sensors · Weather Station
  • WK 07SPI & LCD Display · Retro Game
  • WK 08I2S Audio · Voice Recorder
  • WK 09Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
  • WK 10WiFi & Networking · IoT Dashboard
  • WK 11Cameras & Imaging
  • WK 12Capstone — AI Personal Assistant
03 /How it works

A weekly rhythm built around shipping.

8–10 hours a week. Most of it spent building, not watching. The format is designed for students who already have school, sports, and a life.

1–2 HRS / WK

Short, focused videos.

10–15 minute videos on each concept — designed for reference and review, not lecture. Watch on your time, rewatch before lab.

2 HRS / SAT

Live Saturday lab.

Theory recap plus hands-on building with George and the cohort. This is where you get unstuck, ask the real questions, and ship together.

5–6 HRS / WK

Weekly project, shipped.

Every week ends with something working — a CLI, a weather station, a Pong clone on an LCD. Real builds, demo-able, portfolio-ready.

Apply to Cohort 01 → 8–10 hrs/week · hybrid format · Grade 10+
04 /The instructor

You won't be taught
by a teacher. By a builder.

Every cohort is led by working engineers. The first one is led by George — embedded software lead at a fast-growing AI silicon startup, two-time founder, and former D1 athlete who learned to teach by mentoring engineers on his own teams.

George Mansour, Lead Embedded Software Engineer and Ignite Tech Academy lead instructor
George Mansour
Lead Instructor
Lead Instructor · Embedded Software

George Mansour

Lead Embedded Software Engineer at AON Devices

AON Devices builds ultra-low-power AI processors for voice, audio, and sensor recognition — the kind of silicon that goes inside the next generation of wearables and ambient devices. George leads the embedded software work shipping that platform to tier-one IoT partners.


Before AON, he founded two startups: a youth sports platform connecting players, coaches, clubs, and college recruiters; and an ML-powered soccer training app that wrote custom workouts from match footage. Both crossed six-figure monthly revenue and 100k+ active users.

Now
Lead Embedded SWE
AON Devices (SoCal)
Education
B.S. Electrical Engineering
UC Irvine
Built
2× founder · 100k+ MAU
6-fig monthly revenue
Off the clock
D1 college soccer · UCI
Pro · Belgium & Jordan
Apply to Cohort 01 → Learn directly from an engineer building AI hardware today.
05 /Outcomes

What you walk away with.

Real projects in your portfolio. The confidence to build things that actually work. And a clear answer to the question every curious kid asks: "How does this thing actually work?"

For the student

You'll leave with a portfolio that opens doors.

  • 01
    11 real projects — a new build every week, each one photographed, demo-able, and ready for your portfolio.
  • 02
    An AI personal assistant — your capstone. A working device with a camera, microphone, and wireless connection that you programmed from scratch and present on Demo Day.
  • 03
    The skills behind robotics and AI devices — learned by doing, not by watching slides. You'll understand how the hardware and software inside robots and smart gadgets actually work.
  • 04
    A certificate signed by a working industry engineer — and, more importantly, the projects to back it up.
For the parent

A serious head start on engineering — before college.

  • 01
    College-app material that stands out — not just another club or AP score, but a real AI device they built from the ground up.
  • 02
    Direction. By the end, your kid knows whether building technology is for them — without spending a semester (and thousands of dollars) figuring that out in college.
  • 03
    Mentorship from a real engineer — not a graduate student or an online course. Someone who builds AI hardware for a living and cares about every student's project.
  • 04
    A real demo day. Come watch them present the AI assistant they built. Ask them how it works. We're proud to show our work — and so will they be.
Cohort 01 · Now enrolling

Ready to start building?

Applications are open now. Cohort 01 is intentionally small — the sooner you apply, the better your chances.

Apply to Cohort 01 → See the curriculum
06 /FAQ

Questions, answered.

If your question isn't here, email us at hello@ignitetech.academy — we'll answer within 24 hours.

Do I need to know how to code already?

Basic programming knowledge helps — if you've taken AP CSP, or played around with Python or JavaScript, you'll feel right at home. We don't expect any embedded or C experience. Weeks 1–2 get everyone fluent in C before we touch hardware.

What hardware do I need? Is it included?

TBD — confirm with George   Our default plan is to ship every student a kit with the ESP32 dev board, sensors, LCD, mic, speaker, camera module, and a bag of components — included in tuition. You bring a laptop (Mac, Windows, or Linux) and a USB-C cable.

What does "hybrid" actually mean?

Most of the week is asynchronous — short videos, weekly project work, and a private Discord for the cohort. Saturdays are live for 2 hours: theory recap, hands-on building, and direct time with George. The format is designed for students with school, sports, and other commitments.

Will this help with college applications?

Yes — and not in a vague way. You'll finish with 11 portfolio-grade projects and a capstone device. Engineering admissions officers want to see what you've actually built. We design the work to be photographable, documentable, and demo-able.

What's the time commitment?

About 8–10 hours per week. That breaks down as ~1–2 hours on videos, 2 hours of live Saturday lab, and 5–6 hours on the weekly project. Plan for it like a serious AP course or a varsity sport.

How big is each cohort?

TBD — confirm cohort cap   Cohorts are intentionally small so George can know every student's project. Once we lock the cap we'll update this page; in the meantime, applying early is the safest way in.

What if I fall behind?

The Saturday lab is the catch-up valve. Videos are designed to be rewatched. And our Discord has George and TAs answering questions all week. The goal is for every student to ship every project — not to filter.

Apply to Cohort 01 → Still have questions? Email hello@ignitetech.academy

Skip the theory.
Ship the project.

Cohort 01 · Now enrolling · Apply by [TBD]
Apply to Cohort 01 →