AI Can Turbocharge Entrepreneurial Skills and How They Are Taught

AI Can Turbocharge Entrepreneurial Skills and How They Are Taught
Author: Zach Kinzler
Published: June 30, 2025
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AI helps both current and future entrepreneurs accomplish tasks that would have been difficult or impossible before, clearing the way for higher-level thinking, strategizing and learning.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Many entrepreneurs are wondering what the rapid development of AI means for them. For insight on this question, EIX turned to Zach Kinsler, who has worked closely with people and organizations at all stages of the AI adoption and learning process.

An AI engineer and former technology consultant, Zach is Head of Academic Sales Strategies at BoodleBox, a collaborative AI platform that currently serves over 20,000 users. A native of Montana, Zach holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Business Analytics from University of San Diego.

EIX:  What does the emergence of AI mean for entrepreneurship?

We’re experiencing a new golden age of entrepreneurship, one reminiscent of the industrial revolutions of the past—only now the driving force is AI and data rather than oil and steel. Just as railroads connected distant towns and created new opportunities, AI connects entrepreneurs to resources, knowledge, and each other in ways that were impossible before. This democratization of opportunity means anyone with a laptop and ambition can create something remarkable, provided they leverage the tools at hand strategically.

However, it's crucial to recognize that in the AI era, the process of innovation matters more than the final product. Success today hinges on human creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking—the 20% of work that AI can’t replicate. Entrepreneurs who master how to combine AI's capabilities with these distinctly human strengths will lead the next generation of innovation.

EIX: You've talked about how AI enables entrepreneurs to "upskill" themselves. Can you elaborate a little on how they could do this?

Upskilling with AI means being able to accomplish tasks that would have been incredibly difficult or impossible before. Take coding, for instance. Historically, an entrepreneur wanting to build a website or integrate two systems had two choices: either spend months learning the necessary skills or pay someone else to do it. Now, using tools like BoodleBox, Perplexity, or Gemini, an entrepreneur can clearly state their problem, and the AI will guide them through solving it, completing about 99% of tasks effectively. The entrepreneur’s real skill becomes identifying and articulating the right problems for AI to tackle.

This capability is transformative. So many entrepreneurs have been held back by limited resources or insufficient time. Now, AI has dramatically reduced these barriers, allowing entrepreneurs to rapidly learn, execute, and test ideas, truly democratizing the potential for innovation.

EIX:  Much of your work is focused on AI and higher education. How can AI support entrepreneurship education, in particular?

I’d actually say 100% of my work focuses on AI and higher education—but my definition of higher education differs from the traditional understanding. In the age of AI, higher education is everything that happens after basic schooling, whether you’re enrolled at a university or already working professionally and looking to integrate AI into your workflow. It’s about continuously learning and adapting through practical experiences.

This idea directly ties into the earlier point about upskilling. AI makes entrepreneurship education action-oriented. Previously, students and faculty couldn’t realistically build a functioning MVP or draft a detailed business plan in a single semester. They focused instead on the theoretical aspects, creating rushed, hypothetical scenarios. Now, AI tools empower students to quickly prototype, test, and refine actual business concepts. Professors can shift their role from lecturers to facilitators, mentors, and incubator leaders—empowering students to build tangible businesses, not just theorize about them.

EIX: Your work has led you to interact with educators and entrepreneurs in many places around the world. What can you tell us about AI adoption and education in Africa, which seems to be one place you’ve made many connections?

I've been fortunate enough to collaborate with educators and entrepreneurs from Africa to Australia, and it's fascinating how the challenges and opportunities around AI in education are similar globally. Yet, what's particularly exciting is observing how differently students around the world adopt and utilize AI technologies.

In places like South Africa, Rwanda, Ghana, and Kenya, students have genuinely impressed me. Rather than relying on AI merely to assist with writing assignments, they’re harnessing it to build full-fledged businesses, launch consultancy groups, and achieve incredible feats through coding. Their intuitive grasp of AI’s potential for upskilling and creating practical value has consistently blown me away. It's a powerful example of how resourceful and creative students can be when provided access to innovative tools.

EIX: One area you're especially interested in is the environmental impact of AI. What should we know about that impact? Are there steps individuals and companies can take to use AI in a more environmentally responsible way?

The environmental impact of AI is a significant concern that deserves much more attention than it currently receives. Interestingly, AI’s environmental footprint is also highlighting the broader issue of how all our technology use—Netflix streaming, Google searches, digital data storage—affects the planet. It’s not just AI; all technology has hidden environmental costs.

There are definitely ways companies and individuals can make AI usage more sustainable. One key step is being proactive about understanding what the AI providers you use are doing environmentally. Visit their websites—if you don’t see clear references or commitments about sustainability, they likely aren’t prioritizing it. Companies can run AI technologies in ways that reduce their environmental footprint, such as utilizing renewable energy sources for data centers or optimizing software to consume less energy. Often, these sustainability measures may slow down immediate progress slightly, which is why many tech companies avoid them. But as entrepreneurs and responsible consumers, we should demand transparency and better environmental practices, holding companies accountable for their impact.


Zach Kinzler
Zach Kinzler
Director of Solutions Engineering / Boodle.ai
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Cite this Article
DOI: 10.32617/1268-68629eb8a95e5
Kinzler, Zach. "AI Can Turbocharge Entrepreneurial Skills and How They Are Taught." FamilyBusiness.org. 30 Jun. 2025. Web 1 Jul. 2025 <https://eiexchange.com/content/ai-can-turbocharge-entrepreneurial-skills-and-how-they-are-taugh>.
Kinzler, Z. (2025, June 30). Ai can turbocharge entrepreneurial skills and how they are taught. FamilyBusiness.org. Retrieved July 1, 2025, from https://eiexchange.com/content/ai-can-turbocharge-entrepreneurial-skills-and-how-they-are-taugh