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  Apply for  AEIOU's Founding CohortÂ
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2026
The Year You Build Smarter.
Master the Real Rules of Innovation, Capital, and Business Creation.Â
AEIOU is a selective academy for founders, investors, and innovators who seek rigor, ethics, and real results.
Taught by the entrepreneurs who’ve actually built billion-dollar companies.
Request an Invitation____________________________________________________
Applications close January 15, 2025. Admission is selective.
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ACADEMYÂ OF ENTREPRENEURIAL INNOVATIONÂ
OPPORTUNITY & UNDERSTANDING™Â
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The Academy For Founders That
Play The Long Game.
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AEIOU is not another “startup school.”
It is where serious founders, investors, and innovators learn the enduring disciplines that compound over time
innovation that scales, capital that multiplies, and leadership that lasts.
Each course distills 25+ years of real venture experience.
Frameworks tested across billion-dollar exits, global markets, and boardrooms that demand results.
No hype. No shortcuts.
Just the real rules that separate those who endure from those who fade.
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Meet Your Founders
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 The Founders Behind AEIOU
Entrepreneurs, investors, and educators who’ve built what they teach, and teach what they’ve lived.
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Christopher Velis, NACD.DC
Co-Founder, AEIOU
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Mission-driven CEO, professional director, and venture builder with a 25-year record of turning breakthrough science into market-shaping companies. Founder of Auris Health, acquired by Johnson & Johnson for $5.75 billion, and creator of multiple dual-use platforms spanning healthcare, biotechnology, and national defense. His career integrates scientific insight with strategic capital, transforming innovation into scalable impact.
Known for building organizations that redefine clinical practice, command investor confidence, and deliver measurable outcomes from lab to market. He blends deep scientific fluency with governance and capital discipline, and is widely recognized for guiding entrepreneurs, founders, and boards through high-stakes innovation, regulatory complexity, and global market entry. His leadership has earned industry distinctions, including the Association for Corporate Growth’s M&A Transaction of the Year Award.
With experience on both sides of the table, as a former investment banker and as a founder leading companies through growth, governance challenges, and billion-dollar liquidity events — he brings a rare dual perspective to venture building.His work reflects the combined rigor of capital markets and the operator’s discipline required to scale real-world innovation.
He has negotiated more than $10 billion in transactions, raised over $550 million in private and institutional capital, and delivered top-decile fund performance (40.2% IRR; 23.1Ă— MOIC). His work spans advanced medical technology, life sciences, industrial robotics, and national-security applications.
Dr. Christos KelepourisÂ
Co-Founder, AEIOU
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Entrepreneur, educator, and investor with more than fifteen years of experience building ventures and developing founders across the United States, the Middle East, and Asia. Honored as a Fulbright Specialist and UAE–Stanford Innovation & Entrepreneurship Fellow, he has dedicated his career to advancing how entrepreneurs learn, grow, and scale.Â
A former Chief Academic Officer and Department Chair, he has led large-scale academic initiatives, guided institutional innovation, and created programs that connect education with real-world impact. His teaching has earned repeated distinction as an Instructor of Excellence at leading universities worldwide. His experience advising founders and investing in early-stage ventures across multiple regions brings a global, operator-focused perspective to how companies grow, adapt, and scale.
He teaches the architecture of scale — the systems, decisions, and disciplines that turn vision into enterprise and momentum into mastery, alongside AEIOU’s cornerstone modules in the entrepreneurial mindset and brand authority. Grounded in clarity, accountability, and authenticity, his work helps founders build companies that endure.
He holds one of the most comprehensive academic portfolios in the field — dual doctorates (JD and DBA), two LLM degrees, and master’s training in strategic management, real estate development, and related disciplines. This multidisciplinary foundation informs the disciplined, systems-level perspective he brings to entrepreneurial education and leadership.
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The Curriculum That Builds Real Entrepreneurs.
Not Just Startups.
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Each AEIOU course distills decades of hard-won experience into the frameworks that turn founders into leaders, and ideas into enduring enterprises.
Taught by builders, investors, and board directors, our approach fuses rigor, ethics, and execution, so every lesson compounds.
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Mindset:
The Entrepreneurial Mindset.
Learn how elite founders think, and how to align vision, risk, and decision-making under pressure.
Master cognitive strategy, pattern recognition, and the psychology of leadership that drives high performance.
Capital:
Funding, Finance, and Investor Strategy.Â
Understand the language of capital markets, valuation, and negotiation.
Learn how to raise intelligently from seed to scale, structure deals that attract long-term partners, and build investor confidence that lasts.
Brand Authority:
Establishing Brand Value.
Build a trusted brand that drives revenue, investor trust, and public-market engagement.
Learn how to create lasting equity through positioning, authenticity, and strategic storytelling.
Expansion & Scaling:
Growth From a Strong Base.
Learn how top-performing companies design systems for scaling revenue, operations, and leadership.
Develop the discipline to grow sustainably without losing agility or culture.
Negotiation:
Negotiating Contracts, Financing & Exits.Â
Master the negotiation strategies that build trust, close complex deals, and preserve relationships.
Learn how to protect your interests, avoid costly mistakes, and create win-win outcomes under pressure.
Boards & Governance:
Building and Managing Your Board.Â
Design high-functioning boards that accelerate growth and accountability.
Recruit strategically, lead with transparency, and apply best practices that elevate your company’s governance and investor confidence.
Developing Your Exit:
Building With the Liquidity In Mind.Â
Plan your company’s future from the start.
Learn how to align structure, operations, and timing for successful liquidity events, whether acquisition, IPO, or strategic merger, while preserving your legacy and investor trust.
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Every course is designed to compound mastery.
You will learn where mindset, capital, brand, and execution converge to build enduring enterprises.
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What You’ll Gain Inside AEIOU.
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The Certified Entrepreneur Path
Over seven courses, master the disciplines that define modern entrepreneurship.Â
Built by founders and board directors who’ve led billion-dollar ventures, not theorists.
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Private AEIOU Network
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Join a private alliance of entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators committed to mastery, integrity, and long-term value creation.
Access live roundtables, strategic collaborations, and curated opportunities beyond the classroom.
 Certification | Ongoing Access
Earn your Certified Professional Entrepreneur™ credential, a signal of rigor, credibility, and discipline.
Enjoy access to advanced modules, new frameworks, and alumni events designed to keep your edge sharp.
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Our program is designed for transformation, not information.
With guided pre-session exercises, live discussions, and personalized mentorship, you’ll leave aligned, confident, and ready to build at the next level.
Aligned. Ready. Unstoppable.
Built and led by founders backed by Kleiner Perkins, Miraki Innovation, and Highland Capital Partners.
Apply to Join the Founding Cohort
Program Structure
A world-class curriculum designed for founders who want depth, discipline, and meaningful
transformation.
AEIOU’s Certified Professional Entrepreneur™ program is a fully virtual, four-month experience
built for founders who want real strategic growth without pausing their business.
Format
100% virtual — designed for founders, executives, and investors who need flexibility without
sacrificing rigor.
Duration
Four months of immersive, high-accountability learning.
Weekly Commitment
3–5 hours per week, intentionally structured for busy, high-performance founders.
Live Sessions
Two live, founder-led sessions per month with Christopher J. Velis and Dr. Christos Kelepouris.
Coursework
Asynchronous modules completed on your own schedule — designed for practical use,
real-world application, and immediate impact.
Assessment & Certification
Earn the Certified Professional Entrepreneur™ (CPE) credential upon successful completion
of the comprehensive final exam.
AEIOU Founder Network Membership
Completing the program grants a full year of complimentary membership in the AEIOU Founder
Network — a private community built for ongoing founder development and elite peer support.
The private AEIOU founder community
Monthly virtual roundtables and expert discussions
Collaboration and high-trust connection opportunities
Alumni-only access to exclusive events
Apply to the Founding CohortFounding Cohort Tuition
$4,250
Exclusive rate for the inaugural cohort. Limited founding seats.
Designed by Award-Winning Founders
Taught by Top Entrepreneurs
Standard Tuition
$5,000
Applies to all future cohorts beginning in 2026.
Key Program Dates
Application Deadline: January 15, 2025
Program Start: February 2025
Program Length: 4 months
Cohort Size
Enrollment is intentionally limited to protect the quality of founder access, small-group interaction, and personalized feedback throughout the program.
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Apply to the Founding Cohort Who This AEIOU Is Built For.
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AEIOU was designed for a select group of founders, investors, and leaders who want to master the disciplines that build enduring companies, not just launch them.
If you’re ready to elevate from operator to architect,  to lead with clarity, rigor, and results, this academy was built for you.
Founders
For entrepreneurs ready to scale beyond product-market fit, seeking structure, strategy, and sustainable growth.
You’ve built momentum; now you’re building mastery.
Management Teams
For leadership teams of early-stage and growth ventures who want to reduce risk, improve alignment, and execute with precision.
Learn to think like a board, and act like a founder.
Lawyers, Accountants & Angels
For professionals who advise or invest in founders and want to deepen their understanding of capital, structure, and entrepreneurial psychology.
Transform insight into influence — and clients into long-term partners.
Executives & Innovators
For experienced leaders entering the entrepreneurial arena with the ambition to build something enduring.
Apply your discipline and experience to create ventures that matter.
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Applications for the Founding Cohort are limited.
If this sounds like you, apply early.
Global Lectures & Entrepreneurial Impact
From Boston to Dubai, Singapore to Los Angeles, AEIOU’s founders have shared the stage with world leaders, innovators, and investors shaping the future of entrepreneurship.
This academy is built from that lived experience — not theory.
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Real Outcomes. Real Entrepreneurs.
AEIOU graduates don’t just launch ventures; they lead organizations that earn investor trust, attract talent, and create measurable impact.
Our founders and faculty have raised and deployed capital alongside the world’s leading venture firms, including Kleiner Perkins, Highland Capital, Lux Capital, and ICD, and have founded companies acquired by Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, and other global leaders.
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Capital Raised
Our founders' companies have raised more than $1 billion in equity capital for ventures they built, and countless millions more for affiliate companies and clients.
M&A & IPOs Completed
We have led over two dozen successful M&A transactions and IPOs, not as advisors behind the scenes, but as the deal leaders and negotiators driving outcomes.
Assets Under Management
As partners in venture capital and private equity funds, our founders have managed over $500 million in institutional assets on behalf of major investors and family offices worldwide.
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All the Tools You Need to Build an Enduring Enterprise
AEIOU’s founders have collectively raised over $1 billion, generated more than $4.25 billion in exits, and completed dozens of M&A transactions and fund structures.
Our framework blends the rigor of institutional investing with the creativity of real-world entrepreneurship — designed for those who lead, build, and execute at the highest level.
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