Technical skills & AI prototyping for Product Managers and Founders

4.9 (17)

·

3 Weeks

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Cohort-based Course

Two modern skills in one course: master tech to speak the same language with your team. Use it to AI-prototype features or a side project.

Students from

Microsoft
Stripe
Booking.com
Adobe
Miro

Course overview

Two modern skills in one course: tech and AI-prototyping

⚡️ TL;DR (a longer version below)

➡️ Tech skills enable PMs to speak the same language with their team, better estimate feature/product complexity, and deliver on time.

➡️ AI-coding skills allow turning ideas into clickable prototypes in minutes. And with enough passion, to build a full-stack side project or even a product MVP in a few days.

➡️ That's why I decided to combine these two skills in one course: Tech helps to quickly become a better PM, and as a bonus, also an AI-prototyping guru. Creation with AI, in return, allows one to understand tech even deeper and try ideas at light speed.


➡️ This course is 20% theory and 80% practice: you'll solve 200+ exercises yourself because that's the way to learn (check out two free lessons below: these are non-cut full exercise packs, and will teach you new skills even if you decide not to purchase the course).

➡️ 1500+ students have already enjoyed the course online and offline; see reviews below

➡️ As a bonus, all alumni receive a mini-simulator (SQL, ML/AI foundations, Product Planning, Product Discovery) worth ±$100 to continue practicing other core skills.


➡️ In 3 weeks, you'll learn all modern Tech and AI-prototyping. Schedule:

→ Live session #1 on Core Tech conceptions

→ One week of self-practice via immersive "Tech for PM" Simulator

→ Live session #2 on building a product architecture together

→ One week of self-practice via immersive "Full-stack AI prototyping" Simulator (check out the CostSplit webapp from the last lesson - you'll build it yourself: https://cost-split-mobile-demo-no-auth.replit.app/)

→ Live session #3 on building a full-stack product with AI together

→ Post-cohort: Advanced chapters for self-practice at your own pace


And now a longer version...


✅ WHY THIS COURSE

According to the survey (650 respondents), these are the top 3 reasons why PMs want to boost Tech skills:

- 56% want to speak the same language with their team: communicate effectively in the "devs" language, and understand what decisions the team makes

- 61% want to be able to pre-estimate features without being dependent on their team and, more generally, deliver projects on time

- 39% want to get a job in a BigTech company, where tech skills are a must, and 28% already landed a job with a product requiring tech skills

- and with the rise of AI-coding tools, there's one more reason: absolutely the same Tech skills allow one to prototype and showcase features in minutes/hours, and even build a full-stack product MVP and show it to real users.


That's why I decided to combine these two skills in one course: Tech helps to quickly become a better PM, and as a bonus, an AI-prototyping guru. Creation with AI, in return, allows one to understand tech even deeper and try ideas at light speed.


If you found yourself in one or more categories, this course will help you, as it has already helped 1500+ students on this and other learning platforms.


✅ WHO IS THE AUTHOR

I am a Lead PM @ Booking.com, started 10 years ago as one of the first Tech PMs in the company. Before that, I was a Software Developer / PhD in Computer Science. I have knowledge from both the tech and product worlds, and I am happy to share it with product managers worldwide.


In reviews, students say that they like my style: to-the-point, practical, engaging, and anti-hyped. I hope you will enjoy it too.


ONLY WHAT PM SHOULD KNOW, NOT MORE

Even though tech can be fun, it is not necessary (and sometimes harmful) to dive into "how" too much—this is the developer's territory. That's why, in my course, I only focus on "what/why" you need as a product leader. No GIT, no databases internals, no load balancers—you just don't need it to do your job, so kindly leave it for your team (or AI) and focus on what you should know as a PM—there is already enough to master.


THE COURSE STRUCTURE EXPLAINED


1️⃣ Live session: Tech 101s

We start with a Tech 101 live session. In 3 hours, we learn and immediately practice the most important tech topics: Frontend/ Backend, Services, APIs, and Testing. If you only do this single session, you already know the core.


2️⃣ Practice Tech (200+ exercises)

Time to roll up the sleeves. I have a story full of exercises based on real job situations. You will build a Taxi startup, evolving it with a Food delivery department, a Scooter rental app, and even a music streaming service like Spotify! Check the course's table of contents: one by one, you will master these topics with virtual colleagues like the CEO Daniel (he is bossy), Principal PM Jane (she guides), Jr. PM Ivar (he always needs help himself), your Engineering Manager Helen, and so on.


If you want to determine if this format suits you, get the Free Resource below; it is one of the lessons from the API chapter. Now, imagine you need to solve 200+ such exercises. Sounds like fun?


3️⃣ Live session: building a product architecture together

After you have mastered the theory and practiced yourself, we meet again, choose a product (e.g., a social network for car owners), and build an architecture, API, etc., in groups of PMs. Students love this part!


4️⃣ Practice AI-prototyping (50+ exercises)

Time to roll up the sleeves again. Meet another simulator - now on AI-prototyping.

- You start with simple “clone this” prompts, then add a UI feature, then another

- Then comes the database - suddenly the app starts to feel real

- Then you layer in backend logic, making it smarter

- Then, integrate with an external API like OpenAI - the app becomes more useful 

- Check out the CostSplit webapp from the last lesson - you'll build it yourself: https://cost-split-mobile-demo-no-auth.replit.app/


Want to try? Check another free resource below - this is the full lesson on UI feature creation.


5️⃣ Live session: building a product from scratch using AI

I explain what we build, and we split into groups. Step by step, we bring the app to life: first, the UI, then the backend and databases, then APIs, and so on. It's going to be a lot of fun.


6️⃣ Advanced chapters and more

- You get the advanced chapters of the Simulator so you can go further at your own pace.

- You also get free access to more practical mini-simulators worth ±100$ for free. Choose from SQL, ML/AI foundations, Product Planning, or Product Discovery.


PREREQUISITES

- No prior tech or AI knowledge needed

- If you want to participate in the AI-prototyping part, you need a Replit account (20$ for a month should be more than enough)

- You should be able to dedicate 3 hours for Saturday's workshops and 2-3 hours during the week for self-practice

Who is this course for

01

Non-tech Product/Program Managers: to effectively communicate with the team and assess the complexity of projects

02

PMs, designers, and marketers to prototype features in minutes/hours or even start their side project.

03

Entrepreneurs/founders: to build confidence in a world of technology, build your MVP solo (it is possible!) and then hire the right team.

What you’ll get out of this course

Speak the same language with your development team

Understand all core concepts of tech and lead the team with "what/why" without getting into "how" of development

Better estimate projects/features and meet deadlines

Build a skill to estimate the development complexity of the features and products you deliver

Become more confident with technical interview

Prepare to answer BigTech's PM interview questions like "Can you build the architecture of a Taxi app?"

Be able to showcase your ideas as working, clickable prototypes

Clone the UI of your product, add a "fake UI" feature, and then bring it to life with the backend logic, without writing any code.

Build an MVP of your start up or start a side project

AI allows you to build full-stack apps (UI, backend, databases, and API integrations) in hours/days. Without code.

What’s included

Vladimir Kalmykov | Lead PM @ Booking.com

Live sessions

Learn directly from Vladimir Kalmykov | Lead PM @ Booking.com in a real-time, interactive format.

Lifetime access

Go back to course content and recordings whenever you need to.

Community of peers

Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.

Certificate of completion

Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.

14 chapters of "Tech for PM" simulator

A comprehensive set of exercises that force you to solve product problems and learn more effectively.

8 chapters if "Full-stack AI prototyping" simulator

A comprehensive set of exercises that force you to solve product problems and learn more effectively.

Maven Guarantee

This course is backed by the Maven Guarantee. Students are eligible for a full refund up until the halfway point of the course.

Course syllabus

3 live sessions • 23 lessons

Week 1

Aug 16—Aug 17

    Aug

    16

    Workshop #1: core Tech topics

    Sat 8/162:00 PM—5:00 PM (UTC)

Week 2

Aug 18—Aug 24

    Module 1: Product Architecture

    4 items

    Module 2: Product APIs

    3 items

    Module 3: Tech Stack

    1 item

    Module 4: Product Monitoring, SLIs and SLOs

    3 items

    Module 5: Product Quality: Testing and Security

    2 items

    Module 6: Checklist for Product Complexity and PRD-writing

    1 item

    Module 7: Final exam case: Music Streaming service

    1 item

    Aug

    23

    Workshop #2: building an architecture together

    Sat 8/232:00 PM—5:00 PM (UTC)

Week 3

Aug 25—Aug 30

    Prototyping simple UI-only features

    2 items

    Making a product smarter with logic backend and databases

    3 items

    Advanced topics

    1 item

    New CEO's idea: one more end-to-end use case

    1 item

    Aug

    30

    Workshop #3: Use tech skills to build a full-stack app AI

    Sat 8/302:00 PM—5:00 PM (UTC)

Post-course

    Advanced topics from two simulators

    1 item

4.9 (17 ratings)

What students are saying

Free resource

API for Product Managers

Learn what a PM should know about APIs in 5 examples: understand the concept and main terms (input, output, potential errors), and call a Taxi Order API yourself from your browser and even from Postman.


This is a full lesson, not a cut version.

Get this free resource

Free resource

AI-prototyping: creating UI-features without code

A full lesson on creating features with AI. You clone an existing product interface and bring a few ideas to life. You can immediately apply it to your own job, even without completing the full course. Enjoy!

Get this free resource

What people are saying

        Many thanks to the whole team! This course helped me see the world of PM from the inside in no time. I had studied in another PM course for almost a year, and it wasn’t even close to such practical assignments as yours. You are the best!
Alevtine

Alevtine

Product Manager @ Microsoft
        The course is truly engaging, providing inspired content with detailed examples from real products. Each lesson feels like a new episode of The Penguin, keeping me eagerly anticipating the next chapter every evening.
Artyom

Artyom

Sr. Product Manager @ E-commerce
        "Vladimir, I want to say a huge thank you for the course. This is exactly what I needed, because I had not interacted so closely with the tech and, in fact, NO ONE ever advertises this aspect of product management. But in fact, it is very important and affects the level of professionalism.
Oxana

Oxana

Product Manager @ TikTok
        "Guys, it’s a very, very cool course: I haven’t seen anything comparable in content. I’ve attended many different courses, and I gotta say, this one is the best. I liked that you give a theory (how the api works, how architecture is created), and specific tools (sequence diagram, PRD templates) - I use them every day.
Max

Max

Head of UX @ Acronis

Meet your instructor

Vladimir Kalmykov | Lead PM @ Booking.com

Vladimir Kalmykov | Lead PM @ Booking.com

Lead PM @ Booking.com, PhD, 1500+ PMs learned Tech with me

  • PhD in Computer Science, Former developer
  • 10+ years in product management
  • Leads a department
  • 1500+ "Tech for PM" alumnis on various educational platforms
  • Author of hands-on courses on productdo.io

Career highlights

  • One of the first Tech PMs at Booking.com


  • Successfully delivered from 0 to 1 the Central Payments Platform in Booking.com (as a Sr. PM)

  • Currently responsible for the Connected Trip Platform for Booking.com (as a Group PM)

Course schedule

4-6 hours per week

  • Live workshop 1: Tech 101s

    Saturday 16:00 - 19:00 GMT+1

    Tech 101s: we'll get to know each other and master the tech basics.

  • Self-paced work

    2 weeks between 2 Saturdays

    Solve 200+ exercises and practice on 5 use cases.

  • Live workshop 2: architecture of a start-up

    Saturday 16:00-19:00 (GMT+1)

    Now, after you have practiced enough, we will meet as a group and build a start-up's architecture from scratch.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Join an upcoming cohort

Technical skills & AI prototyping for Product Managers and Founders

Cohort Aug'25

$790

Dates

Aug 16—30, 2025

Payment Deadline

Aug 15, 2025
Get reimbursed

$790

4.9 (17)

·

3 Weeks