LearnAIR + Andrew & Mike Deal · Veterans + AI Initiative
Two stacks of 90 days. The path to a veteran vertical that generates meaningful revenue for LearnAIR by end of 2026.
April 2026 · v7 consolidated · Andrew & Mike Deal
The north star
"If this doesn't turn into a powerful revenue vertical for LearnAIR by end of year, then we mis-stepped somewhere."
Justin Coats, April 15 call
Everything in this proposal works backwards from that single bar. What we're asking for is 90 days of engaged partnership, built on a roadmap that rolls into a second 90 days, which together get the veteran vertical to a revenue path LearnAIR can count on by year end.
Part I
What we're building, why veterans, and where the funding comes from.
The thesis
"You're not training people to use AI. You're training leaders to command AI-enabled systems."
Nobody is training the person who sits between the AI system and the business outcome and makes sure it actually works. That's the supervision gap. That's what military planning trained veterans for. That's the role employers are hiring for right now.
The supervision gap, measurable
Oracle employees cut via a single 6 AM email to fund $156B in AI infrastructure.
Polymarket / CNBC, Mar 31
Of Block's workforce eliminated to replace management coordination with AI.
Block, Feb 2026
Growth in AI-related trade in 2025, 6x faster than global average.
McKinsey Global Institute, Mar 2026
MIT researchers proved mathematically that AI systems cause users to spiral into false beliefs. The bot doesn't lie. It selects which true facts to present based on what the user wants to hear. The supervision skill isn't just "can you evaluate AI output." It's can you maintain truth in a system that's structurally incentivized to agree with you. Almost nobody is teaching this.
Chandra et al., "Sycophantic Chatbots Cause Delusional Spiraling," MIT CSAIL, Feb 2026
The bridge
The AI supervisor role requires a specific cognitive approach: set clear intent, delegate execution, validate outputs, adapt as conditions change. That's mission command. Every level of the military leadership ladder maps directly.
Field Grade · O4–O6
AI Ecosystem Director
Enterprise orchestration, strategic intent, cross-org alignment
Junior Officer · O1–O3
AI Ecosystem Orchestrator
Workflow design, decision authority, cross-functional coordination
Staff NCO · E6–E9
AI Ops & Reliability Lead
System stability, QA frameworks, workforce execution
NCO · E4–E5
AI Workflow Operator
Task orchestration, direct supervision, prompt execution
The bridge from military to AI isn't a metaphor. It's the organizational model that the biggest companies are already building. Jack Dorsey and Sequoia published a manifesto last month calling for ICs, DRIs, and player-coaches. Veterans have been operating in that structure for decades.
The concept
Four elements, one system. Each feeds the next. Funding is the piece that just changed.
01 · The Veteran
Veterans possess the foundational skill set to command AI. In the military, it's called mission command: defining boundaries, setting the zone of autonomy, validating outcomes, driving results through ambiguity.
02 · The Program
Applied experiential curriculum that bridges mission command to AI ecosystem supervision. Designed to inform and adapt LearnAIR's proven training methodology for the veteran population.
03 · The Employer
Every industry deploying AI at scale needs people who can manage what AI produces and own the outcome. The employer pipeline validates the curriculum and creates placement signal in parallel.
04 · The Funder (newly unlocked)
WorkSource Oregon confirmed this week that veterans transitioning can be covered at the state level. That sits alongside DOL grants, GI Bill pathways (where accredited), SkillBridge, and employer training budgets. The intent: veterans train at no cost to themselves.
The reframe
Before you frame walls or set a roof, you agree on the foundation. The 90 days proves the foundation is sound. The desired end state: LearnAIR and the Andrew + Mike unit have approved the architectural foundation of the Veterans + AI Initiative, and are ready to continue under a longer-term contracting relationship.
Three foundational columns
01
Recruit and engage veterans across existing networks and TAPS / veteran-org pathways. Build the audience the curriculum serves.
02
Build the employer pipeline and network relationships that validate the curriculum in market. Every employer conversation is evidence for the 90-day review.
03
Design and begin evolving the Evergreen curriculum. Topical, model-agnostic, and architected so it doesn't expire when the next model drops.
Part II
Two stacks of 90 days, working back from meaningful revenue by end of 2026.
The arc
The path to a revenue-generating veteran vertical is a 180-day arc, not a 90-day one. Stack 1 proves we can source veterans, teach them, and learn what resonates. Stack 2 parlays that proof into an official distribution channel and the first paid conversions. Together the two stacks get LearnAIR to the end-of-2026 revenue bar.
Stack 1 · Days 1–90
Distribution Validation
Prove we can source, teach, and learn.
Stack 2 · Days 91–180
Distribution + Revenue Validation
Parlay proof into a channel and first paid conversions.
Stack 1 · Days 1–90
Goal
Prove we can source veterans, get them through the curriculum, and learn what resonates.
Tactics
Success bar at Day 90
Stack 2 · Days 91–180
Goal
Parlay Stack 1 testimonials into an activated official channel and demonstrate the first free-to-paid conversions.
Tactics
Success bar at Day 180
April 7 reconciled
The April 7 concept brief proposed three tracks in the order Track 1 creates pull, Track 2 proves outcomes, Track 3 drives revenue. What we learned today (no TAPS connections yet, state funding newly unlocked, Mike's network as fastest first path) led us to re-sequence. The tracks still exist. The order in which we ship them has changed.
Track 2
4-week transitioning veteran intensive
Lands in Stack 1. We use LearnAIR's existing curriculum as the chassis, not a custom build from scratch. This is where we prove outcomes and earn testimonials.
Track 1
2-to-3-hour feeder intro
Lands in Stack 2. Built on Stack 1's proof points, designed for deployment into an official channel (TAPS, SEPS, NGO). This is where we create pull at scale.
Track 3
In-employer upskilling
Moves to a post-180 opportunity. Leverages LearnAIR's existing employer pipeline (finance, HVAC, and adjacent verticals) once the veteran vertical is proven. This is the Q4 2026 and 2027 unlock, not on the hook for the first 180 days.
Part III
Two ways we proceed. Both are a yes for us. We're asking which one fits where you and Teresa are.
The engagement
Both shapes cover the full 180-day arc. The difference is capacity, and what that capacity changes about when the veteran vertical hits a revenue path.
Option A
Rate
$4,000 / month / contractor
Structure
1099 contractor, Andrew + Mike as a single unit
Capacity
Approximately 10 hours per week each
Stack 1 delivers
One veteran cohort. Testimonials. Military overlay v1. Channel map. At least one official channel in active pursuit, not yet activated.
Stack 2 delivers
One official channel activated. First paid conversions demonstrated at small volumes. Track 1 feeder designed. Early revenue signal visible.
Budget
$8,000 / month combined
$24,000 per 90-day stack. $48,000 across both stacks.
Option B
Rate
$150 / hour / contractor
Structure
1099 contractor, full-time commitment, Andrew + Mike as a single unit
Capacity
Approximately 160 hours per month each
Stack 1 delivers
Stack 1 absorbs the "land a channel" work that sits in Option A's Stack 2. By Day 90 we've run cohorts, collected testimonials, activated at least one official channel, and begun the Evergreen Module 1 build.
Stack 2 delivers
Stack 2 shifts from validation to monetization and scale. Sustained paid conversions. Multiple channels. Module 1 transferred. Module 2 in development. Revenue visible rather than projected.
Budget
Approximately $48,000 / month combined
$144,000 per 90-day stack. $288,000 across both stacks.
The specific roll-up of Stack 2 work forward into Stack 1 under Option B is a scoping conversation with LearnAIR leadership in week 1, based on where the highest-leverage acceleration sits.
Both are a yes for us. Which one fits where you and Teresa are?
We're asking for a decision by Friday EOD.
What we need from you
These are unblockers, not negotiation points. They need to resolve before the work starts, regardless of which shape we land on.
01
Curriculum access
Full access to LearnAIR's existing curriculum by week 1 so Mike can begin the military overlay work. This is the single biggest unblocker.
02
IP framework
Our working proposal: co-developed materials built on LearnAIR content are shared IP. Architectural frameworks, proprietary tooling, and unreleased module designs are Andrew and Mike's IP. To be agreed in writing by week 1.
03
Cohort entry point
Which upcoming LearnAIR cohort is the right place for Mike to embed, and when does it run. Needed to sequence Stack 1 tactics against a real calendar.
04
Enterprise tools and accounts
What LearnAIR accounts are available to Andrew and Mike during the engagement: email, project management, CRM, shared drives, any other working infrastructure.
Teresa asked: "Are you wanting to come underneath the LearnAIR umbrella to go ahead and really truly assess this entire program out, build alongside us and go? Or is this something that you're wanting to go and do on your own?"
Not a parallel track. Inside the existing program, evolving it together. The first 90 days is how we prove the foundation is sound for both sides. The next 90 builds the revenue path.
April 2026 · v7 consolidated · Andrew & Mike Deal