I help people learn Claude Code and build real things with AI. Not by teaching you to code, but by showing you what you can build.
The gap between having an idea and making it something real is smaller than it's ever been.
Get your playbookIt started one person at a time. A classmate wanted to build a tool but assumed they'd need to hire a developer. We sat down together and built it in an afternoon. Then another classmate. Then a study group.
Now I'm working to get all 300 of my MBA classmates at Berkeley Haas using Claude Code by the time we graduate in a few months. Every time, the same thing happens. People walk in thinking this technology is for "technical people." They walk out realizing it's for anyone with a problem to solve and the willingness to describe it.
That's what the Activation Playbook is about. I've helped dozens of people get activated so far, from MBA classmates to undergrads to nonprofit leaders. Each person gets something different because each person needs something different. But the through-line is always the same: you can build way more than you think you can.
I'm Colton Hess. I'm a startup founder building a health tech company. I'm finishing my MBA and MPH at UC Berkeley, where I'm part of the inaugural class of Haas's AI for Business Certificate program. I'm a yoga instructor and endurance athlete. And I'm someone who genuinely lights up when I get to help people discover what they're capable of.
I learned to use these tools while building my own startup and product from scratch -- and I was so blown away by what became possible that I couldn't stop showing other people. That's how this started.
I've spent the last year going deep on AI as a builder, not just a user. I use these tools every single day to build products, write strategy, run operations, create content. And the thing I keep coming back to is that the biggest unlock isn't the technology itself. It's watching someone realize they can build things they never thought possible. My favorite moment is when someone sees a website they created pop up in their browser for the first time. The look on their face. Every single time.
Helping people unleash their full creative potential. That's what this is all about.
Claude Code is a tool from Anthropic that lets you build real software by describing what you want in plain English. You type what you want to create, and it writes the code, runs it, and shows you the result. No coding experience required.
No. Most of the people I work with have never written a line of code. That's the whole point. If you can describe what you want to build, you can build it. The technical barrier is gone.
I sit down with you (in person or over Zoom), get you set up with Claude Code, and we start building something you actually care about. I'm there to hype you up, troubleshoot with you, and get you to that moment where a website or tool you described pops up in your browser for the first time. That's the moment. Once you feel it, you never go back to thinking you're "not a builder." You walk away with a real project and a completely different sense of what's possible for you.
Completely. Almost everyone I work with is carrying some mix of anxiety, fear of falling behind, grief for how things used to work, or the feeling that they're "not a builder." Those feelings are real, and I don't ignore them. But they shift fast once you see what you're actually capable of creating.
No. I started with my MBA classmates, but I work with anyone who wants to build. Founders, nonprofit leaders, corporate teams, undergrads, career changers. If you have a problem to solve and you're willing to describe it, this is for you.
I'm open to running workshops for student orgs, startup teams, nonprofits, and companies. I'd tailor each one to your team's domain and the problems you're actually trying to solve. Reach out and let's talk about what would work.
A laptop (Mac or Windows) and a Claude Pro subscription ($20/month). That's it. I handle the rest during our session.
However you learn best, there's a way in.
I sit down with you, build a personalized page with project ideas based on your work, and hold your hand through getting set up. By the end of the session, you've built something real and you feel empowered to keep going on your own.
I'm open to running workshops for student orgs, cohorts, and teams. I walk through the concepts live, do a real build in front of the room, then help everyone get set up and start building their own projects.
Dedicated sessions for nonprofits, companies, and teams that want to bring AI fluency to their people. Tailored to your team's domain and the problems you're actually trying to solve.
"Before my activation I didn't understand that the only limit with AI is my MIND. I am literally building an APP right now!!"
"I never thought I'd be able to build my own website in one day!"
"Colton made something intimidating into an exciting learning opportunity!"
"This is unlike anything I've ever experienced. Colton doesn't just teach you AI -- he shows you what's possible for you."
Whether you want to build a website, a tool, or something you haven't imagined yet -- I'd love to help you get there.
Get your playbook