The AI Wave Showed Up With a Check. I Was Already in the Water.

Let me tell you something that had me sitting at my desk like… wait a minute.

On May 12, Workday, Anthropic, and LISC announced a new AI-focused Solopreneurship Accelerator. Fifteen solopreneurs. Ten thousand dollars each. Claude AI credits. AI business curriculum. Coaching. The first cohort starts in July 2026.

And I just found out about it this week.

Not last month. Not when the application was floating around. Not when the opportunity first hit the internet.

This week.

An entire accelerator program backed by the company that makes the AI tool I use almost every day to help run my business, and somehow nobody in my feed, nobody in my inbox, nobody in my algorithm said a word.

That right there is the information gap in real time.

Because while everybody is arguing about whether AI is good, bad, lazy, scary, fake, too much, or “not for them,” institutions are quietly building programs around it.

And not just cute little webinars either.

They are putting money behind it.

The program is called the Workday Foundation Solopreneurship Accelerator Program.

It is a partnership between Workday Foundation, Anthropic, and LISC, which stands for Local Initiatives Support Corporation.

Here is the part that got my attention.

The first cohort will include 15 aspiring solopreneurs who are focused on building and scaling small businesses. Each participant receives a $10,000 grant from Workday Foundation to help cover business expenses. They also get access to Claude AI credits from Anthropic, an AI-first entrepreneurship curriculum designed by LISC, and coaching through LISC’s network of business development organizations.

That is not “download this free checklist and good luck.”

That is money, tools, training, and support.

The curriculum is supposed to help solopreneurs use AI for the real business stuff. Strategy. Marketing. Fulfillment. Customer relationship management. Financial management. Basically, how to operate like you have more hands than you actually have.

And I read that like…

Well, look at that.

Because that is exactly what I have been figuring out over here.

I am not bringing this up because I think you need a grant or accelerator to learn AI.

You do not.

You can start learning right now with what you already have access to. That is the whole point.

But this announcement matters because it confirms something I have been saying and living for a while now.

AI is not just a tech thing anymore.

It is becoming a business infrastructure thing.

A “tech thing” is something people play with when they have time.

Business infrastructure is something people build systems around. Something funders support. Something companies package. Something nonprofits teach. Something small business owners either learn how to use or eventually get left trying to catch up.

And that is why this caught my attention.

Because while some folks are still treating AI like it is just for making captions or cheating on homework, the people with the money are treating it like a business operating system.

When I started using Claude to help me with my newsletter, content research, business planning, idea development, workflows, and daily brief style content, nobody handed me a curriculum.

Nobody gave me a neat little roadmap.

I was not sitting in some fancy accelerator.

I was sitting at my desk trying to figure out how to make my brain, my business, my responsibilities, and my real life fit inside the same 24 hours.

Because let’s be honest.

A lot of us are building without a team.

We are the content department, admin assistant, strategist, researcher, marketer, customer service rep, product developer, and sometimes the whole emotional support department too.

And when your life is already full, you cannot afford to spend five hours doing something AI could help you organize, draft, research, summarize, or systemize in less time.

That is not laziness.

That is leverage!

And now major organizations are saying the same thing with a budget attached.

So listen…

If Workday, Anthropic, and LISC can see that solopreneurs need AI skills, capital, and support, then maybe we need to stop acting like what we know is small.

Because some of y’all are sitting on real skills and still pricing yourselves like you are just “playing around online.”

You are not.

You are building!

Now, I do want to be clear because I do not want anybody confused.

From what LISC has posted, this first cohort is not open for random applications. The solopreneurs are being identified through a nomination process with LISC’s business development partners. The grants, Claude credits, and coaching are limited to those 15 people.

But the curriculum is expected to be made publicly available later this year, and people can register to be notified when it is ready.

Because even if you are not one of the 15 people getting the grant, you can still get close to the information.

And sometimes that is the move!

No, you may not be in the first room, but you can get on the hallway list.

You can watch the organizations involved.

You can pay attention to who they partner with.

You can study what they are teaching.

You can get ready for whatever opens next.

Because one thing about institutional programs, especially pilots, is this: if they work, they often create a blueprint for what comes after.

So I am not looking at this like, “Oh well, I missed it.”

I am looking at it like, “Okay. Now I know where the doors are starting to show up.”

The timing is interesting too!

Anthropic also announced Claude for Small Business on May 13, the day after this accelerator announcement. That package is designed to connect Claude with tools small businesses already use, including QuickBooks, PayPal, HubSpot, Canva, DocuSign, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365.

That tells me something.

This is not random.

This is not one cute announcement floating by itself.

AI companies are moving toward small business owners, solopreneurs, and operators.

Not just big corporations.

Not just tech teams.

Not just people who code!

They are looking at the person running the business alone, doing the books at night, creating content before breakfast, sending invoices, chasing leads, answering emails, and trying to make the whole thing look professional with limited time and limited support.

That is who this is starting to be built for.

And that is exactly why we need to pay attention!

I went to the LISC page.

I registered to receive the curriculum updates because I am not about to watch something built for solopreneurs using AI and pretend it has nothing to do with me.

I also signed up for Verizon Small Business Digital Ready, which is another free small business training platform connected to LISC.

Because my philosophy is simple.

If institutions are finally building doors for solopreneurs, I am going to pay attention to every door I can find.

And if the door is not open yet, I am going to stand close enough to hear the lock click.

Because why would I ignore the exact kind of information I keep telling people they need?

If you are building a business by yourself, whether that is tax prep, insurance, notary work, real estate, content creation, consulting, digital products, bookkeeping, dispatching, or anything else, you need to understand what is happening.

AI is not just for people who want to “go viral.”

It is for people who need to build systems.

It is for the woman who has the skill but not the staff.

It is for the service provider who knows what she is doing but needs help organizing the backend.

It is for the creator who has ideas but needs a workflow.

It is for the solopreneur who is tired of everything depending on her memory, mood, energy, and available time.

And no, AI does not replace your judgment.

It should not replace your experience.

It should not replace your voice.

But it can support your business if you learn how to use it with some sense.

The people who know how to use AI as a business tool are going to move differently from the people who only use it when they need a caption. All I’m saying is, do not wait until everybody else catches on and then act surprised when the price of the room goes up.

First, go look up the Workday Foundation Solopreneurship Accelerator Program through LISC. Even if the first cohort is already being selected through nominations, register for curriculum updates so you know when the public resources become available.

Second, sign up for Verizon Small Business Digital Ready if it makes sense for you. It is free small business training, and if you are building alone, free education that helps you sharpen your business is not something to ignore.

Third, take your AI skills seriously.

Not in a “let me call myself an expert after three prompts” kind of way.

I mean take the actual skill seriously.

Learn how to use AI to research better, organize your ideas, build workflows, create client-ready materials, make better decisions, and save time without handing over your brain.

Because if major organizations are now funding people to learn the same kinds of AI workflows some of us have been figuring out from the kitchen table, that is a sign.

Not a little sign either.

A big, flashing, “pay attention” sign.

The wave is not coming.

The wave is here.

And some of us were already in the water.

Disclosure: I publish this newsletter on Beehiiv and use AI tools like Claude to help manage parts of my research, writing, and workflow. Some links I share may be referral links. I only recommend tools I actually use, test, or believe are worth paying attention to.

Your AI Auntie note: I talk about AI, money, business, digital tools, and the systems women need when they are building on their own terms. If this helped you, forward it to somebody who is building alone and needs to know she is not behind. She may actually be early.