Diagnose stage · 8 weeks · Two tiers from $30k

RoboCFO Academy

Cohort program for finance teams, built on The AI-Ready CFO curriculum.

Eight weeks. One cohort, weekly 90-minute live sessions, hands-on labs, capstone tied to your team's work, and a playbook the team uses afterward. Two tiers calibrated to cohort size and customization depth. Glenn Hopper leads delivery directly.

Schedule an Academy kickoff call See The AI-Ready CFO

Best for

Who this is for

Finance teams of 5 to 25 who want capability built across the team in one cohort. CFOs, Controllers, FP&A leads, AP/AR managers, financial analysts, finance ops. The cohort format works because finance teams learn faster together and the playbook gives the team a shared reference point afterward.

One cohort per Academy engagement. If you have a finance org large enough to justify multiple parallel role-specific cohorts (typically 30+ people across distinct role groups), the right shape is either multiple Academy engagements (sequential or staggered) or a Transformation that includes training as a workstream alongside other workstreams.

If you need training for one or two leaders only, an executive briefing or 1:1 advisory is a better fit than a cohort.

Tier comparison

At a glance

Detailed breakdowns of each tier follow.

Academy Standard

Starting at $30k

Best for
Small finance teams, single role focus, want capability without heavy customization
Cohort size
5 to 10
Curriculum
The AI-Ready CFO curriculum
Labs
Curated finance scenarios
Role handling
Single role focus
Playbook
Template
Capstone
Structured capstone exercise
Books included
Add-on
Slack channel
No
On-site option
No
Pre-engagement customization
None
Starting price
$30k
Range
$30k to $50k

Academy Custom

Starting at $50k

Best for
Mid-sized finance teams, multi-role mix, want customization tied to your tools and workflows
Cohort size
10 to 25
Curriculum
Customized to your tool stack and role mix
Labs
Built from your real workflows (anonymized)
Role handling
Multi-role with breakouts during sessions, async role-specific content between sessions
Playbook
Custom to your team's tools, workflows, and roles
Capstone
Tied to a real problem your team is solving
Books included
Included for each cohort member
Slack channel
Yes, dedicated for the cohort
On-site option
Available for kickoff or capstone (additional fee)
Pre-engagement customization
30 days
Starting price
$50k
Range
$50k to $90k

Tier detail

What each tier includes

Academy Standard

Starting at $30k

Best for: Small finance teams (5 to 10) running with a single role focus. Most often: an FP&A team building AI capability, a Controller's organization adding AI to close and reporting workflows, or a small CFO leadership team leveling up together.

What's included:

  • Cohort program built on The AI-Ready CFO curriculum, delivered as published
  • 5 core weekly 90-minute live sessions covering foundations through rollout
  • Capstone session and wrap session
  • Pre and post assessments using a standard question bank
  • Hands-on labs using curated finance scenarios
  • Playbook template (not customized to your tools)
  • Email support during the cohort, 1 business day response
  • 30-day post-engagement check-in session

What changes the price within tier:

  • Cohort size (5, 7, or 10)
  • Add-on: copies of The AI-Ready CFO for each cohort member
  • Add-on: on-site capstone session (additional travel and time fee)
  • Add-on: extended post-engagement check-in (3-month and 6-month follow-ups)

Academy Custom

Starting at $50k

Best for: Mid-sized finance teams (10 to 25) with multi-role composition. The customization depth is the differentiator: your team practices on your actual workflows, with content that addresses your tool stack, and walks away with a playbook tailored to how your team works.

Everything in Academy Standard, plus:

  • Curriculum customized to your tool stack (ERP, BI, planning tools, AI tools already in flight) so the content addresses what your team actually uses
  • Hands-on labs built from your real finance workflows (anonymized as needed) so participants practice on work that matters
  • Multi-role tracks with role-specific breakouts during sessions and async role-specific content between sessions, mapped to your cohort composition
  • Custom playbook tailored to your tools, workflows, and role mix, delivered as an editable document the team maintains
  • Dedicated Slack channel for the cohort during the program
  • Capstone tied to a real problem your team is solving
  • Copies of The AI-Ready CFO included for each cohort member
  • On-site delivery option for kickoff or capstone (additional travel and time fee)
  • 30 days of pre-engagement collaboration on customization (workflow review, lab development, role track design)

What changes the price within tier:

  • Cohort size (10, 15, 20, or 25)
  • Number of role tracks (2, 3, or 4)
  • Depth of curriculum customization
  • Number of custom labs developed from your workflows
  • On-site delivery (kickoff, capstone, or both)
  • Multi-entity scope if cohort spans business units

How it runs

Eight-week structure

Applies to both tiers.

WeekActivityDuration
1Pre-work assessment, async curriculum customization (Custom tier), cohort onboardingNo live session
2Session 1: Foundations90 min live
3Session 2: Use case identification90 min live
4Session 3: Building AI workflows90 min live
5Session 4: Governance and controls90 min live
6Session 5: Integration and rollout90 min live
7Capstone session2 hours live
8Wrap and handoff60 min live
Day 30 postCheck-in session60 min live

Total live time per participant: roughly 9.5 hours over 8 weeks, plus async work between sessions (1 to 2 hours per week).

What you bring

People-shaped inputs, not document-shaped

For both tiers

  • Cohort roster of 5 to 25 people (size determines tier).
  • Executive sponsor who anchors the cohort to business outcomes (typically CFO or VP Finance).
  • Calendar coordination for weekly sessions across the cohort.
  • 2 to 3 hours per week per cohort member for live sessions plus async work.

Custom tier additionally

  • Role mix specified for the cohort (e.g., "1 CFO, 3 Controllers, 6 FP&A, 5 AP analysts").
  • Tool stack documentation so the curriculum addresses what your team actually uses.
  • Real finance use cases for the labs, with sample data (we anonymize).
  • Engagement during the 30-day pre-engagement customization phase (interviews, workflow review, lab development collaboration).

How we know it worked

Success criteria, locked at kickoff

Measured at week 8 and again 30 days later.

For both tiers

  • Capability gain measurable in the pre/post assessment, with the cohort moving up at least one level on the role-specific competency rubric.
  • Cohort completion with attendance and capstone delivery.
  • Playbook delivered and adopted as the team's ongoing reference for AI in finance work.
  • Retention measured at 30 days through the follow-up check-in.

Custom tier additionally

  • Capstone exercise produces a viable use case the team can put into production or pilot.
  • Custom playbook adopted as the team's authoritative AI workflow reference.
  • Workflow-specific competency evident in capstone presentations (members applying AI to their actual work).

Where this fits on the spectrum

Before and after the Academy

Starts with

No required entry point. Most often follows a Sprint when the team needs broader capability beyond the project the Sprint identified, or follows a Pilot when the production team needs to scale capability across the broader finance organization.

Leads to

Operations Essentials or Operations Standard for ongoing curriculum updates, refresher cadence for new hires, and continued advisory as the team's AI footprint grows. Some clients run the Academy annually as new cohorts come into the finance org. For larger orgs (more than 25 people, or separate role-specific cohorts in parallel), the right shape is either multiple Academy engagements (sequential or staggered) or a Transformation that includes training as a workstream.

FAQ

Common questions

How is this different from The AI-Ready CFO book or LinkedIn courses?

The book and LinkedIn courses are self-paced learning for individuals. The Academy is a cohort program for your team specifically, with role-specific work, hands-on labs, and a capstone tied to a real problem you have. The book is the curriculum source and great supplemental material; the Academy is structured group learning with accountability.

What's the time commitment per cohort member?

90 minutes of live session per week plus 1 to 2 hours of async work. Total is roughly 2.5 to 3.5 hours per week for 8 weeks. Less than most certification programs, more than a one-off workshop.

Can we run multiple cohorts in parallel?

Not in a single Academy engagement. The Academy is structured around one cohort. If you have a finance org large enough to justify multiple parallel role-specific cohorts (typically 30+ people across distinct role groups), the right shape is either multiple Academy engagements (sequential or staggered, so the cohort dynamic and Glenn's facilitation work for each) or a Transformation that includes training as a workstream alongside other workstreams.

Why a single cohort per engagement?

The cohort dynamic depends on shared context built over weeks of working together. Splitting a finance org into multiple parallel cohorts works for some training contexts but undermines the small-cohort dynamic the Academy is built around. We'd rather run a sequential second cohort cleanly than two parallel cohorts with diluted facilitation.

Can people join mid-cohort?

Strongly discouraged. The cohort builds shared context across weeks, and joining late breaks that. If you have late additions, schedule a follow-on cohort rather than diluting the original.

Do we get the curriculum after the engagement to retrain new hires?

The playbook is yours to keep and reuse. The full live curriculum is not transferred (it's our IP and is delivered as a service). New hires can be trained through a follow-on cohort, through The AI-Ready CFO book, or through abbreviated onboarding cohorts we run for batches of new hires.

Standard vs Custom: how do we choose?

Three questions decide it. First, how many people are in the cohort? Under 10 is Standard, 10 to 25 is Custom. Second, do you need the curriculum and labs tied to your specific tool stack and workflows? If yes, Custom; if curated finance scenarios fit, Standard. Third, do you need a custom playbook your team will use afterward, or is a template enough? If custom, Custom; if template, Standard. The three usually align on the same recommendation.

Remote, hybrid, or in-person?

Standard is fully remote. Custom defaults to remote with optional on-site delivery for kickoff or capstone (additional travel and time fee). Fully in-person engagements are available for an additional travel and time fee.

What's the cohort size minimum?

Five members is the floor for the cohort dynamic to work. Below five, an executive briefing format or 1:1 advisory is a better shape. The Sprint may also be a better fit for very small finance teams.

Do CPE credits count?

The curriculum is structured to be CPE-eligible through your organization's CPE provider relationship. We do not issue CPE credits directly. Most finance organizations can claim CPE based on participation hours and the curriculum syllabus we provide.

Ready to build AI capability across your team?

Schedule a 30-minute kickoff call. We'll talk through your team composition, learning goals, and which Academy tier fits. If the Academy isn't the right fit after the call, we'll point you to the one that is.

Schedule Academy kickoff Or read The AI-Ready CFO to see the curriculum

Explore other engagements

Other stages on the spectrum

RoboCFO Sprint

$15k–$25k·3–4 weeks

Directional read on AI maturity and 90-day path

RoboCFO Governance Pack

$25k–$45k·4–6 weeks

Defensible AI policy, vendor review, rollout plan

RoboCFO Pilot

Starting at $60k·8–12 weeks

Ship one AI use case end-to-end with measured ROI

RoboCFO Transformation

Starting at $500k·6–18 months

Multi-workstream AI program for finance at scale

Operations Retainer

Starting at $5k/month·Monthly recurring

Three tiers: Essentials, Standard, Embedded

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