This path is for the founder who needs a working AI product in users' hands this week, not another month of demos and debate. It assumes you are moving fast with modern builder tools and need judgment that prevents expensive wrong turns.
Work the stages in order once, then loop them with real usage data. The sequence is deliberate: problem quality before model quality, eval discipline before launch, and UX resilience before scale.
If you complete the capstone properly, you finish with proof, not vibes: one shipped feature, one real user outcome, one eval doc, and one cost-per-user number you can defend in any investor, cofounder, or team conversation.