You build for clients, but someone else talks to them.
In this program
Learn to diagnose problems, navigate stakeholders, and deploy solutions yourself.
Vietnam Chapter · Starts 6 Dec
Learn to build and ship inside someone else's systems.
Five days in Vietnam, ten weeks online, and a 36‑hour build in Bangalore.
A structured way into the FDE role.
Taught by engineering leaders from companies building with AI
Is this you?
The FDE Cohort is for you, if
This program assumes you are fluent: at least a year writing and shipping production code, and comfortable in Python.
You're a good engineer who wants more than the IC ladder.
In this program
24 technical sessions of real systems, with practical sessions on how to work in client environment.
You've only ever shipped into systems you own.
In this program
Work with legacy databases, enterprise auth and cloud.
Turn that instinct into a structured skill set.
In this program
Turn your technical influence into the job itself.
The Deployed journey
Start in the industry. Build online. Finish under pressure.
Phase 01 · Vietnam · 5 days
Five days in Vietnam. This is where it starts.
Understand the FDE role, build for a day, meet your cohort, and establish your technical baseline.
Day 01
The FDE role
How the FDE role works inside a real company, and the cohort in one room.
Day 02
Build day
Scope an idea in the morning, ship it to a live URL by dinner. What you can't explain becomes the syllabus.
Day 03
Industry Exposure
A day out in the field, seeing what the industry is building right now.
Day 04
The baseline
Production engineering in Python, then a lab.
Day 05
The diagnosis
Diagnose the real problem, scope the right solution, and frame it for the client.
Phase 02 · Online · 10 weeks
Build the system.
Ten weeks to turn a prototype into a system with data, integrations, agents, evals and a security pass behind it.
- Weeks 02–03
Data pipelines, APIs and access
Pull in data from APIs, webhooks and files. Build a versioned API in FastAPI. Secure it with OAuth, SSO and role-based access.
Client & Business Engagement session · Week 03 · Stakeholder management - Weeks 04–05
Client systems and cloud
Connect to legacy SQL databases and SOAP services. Design the deployment, then deploy it on AWS or Azure.
Client & Business Engagement session · Week 05 · Objections and bad news - Weeks 06–07
Shipping and the model layer
Containers, CI/CD and Terraform. How LLMs work, how to choose one, and how to get reliable output from it.
Client & Business Engagement session · Week 07 · The compliance conversation - Weeks 08–09
Retrieval and agents
RAG with citations and evals. Agents that use tools over MCP, with limits and approval steps.
Client & Business Engagement session · Week 09 · Handover and ROI - Weeks 10–11
Security, monitoring and cost
PII handling, guardrails and tenant isolation. Logging, tracing and alerts. Load testing and cost per client.
Client & Business Engagement session · Week 11 · Pricing and negotiation
Phase 03 · Bangalore · 3 days
Step into a real engineering challenge. A real company problem.
Take on a real-world problem, build a solution with your team, and compete for a spot in the top 5.
Day 1 · The Brief
Understand the problem
Get the company problem statement, define the scope, and plan your approach.
Day 2 · The Build
Build the solution
Build, test, iterate, and refine your solution with your team.
Day 3 · The Final 5
Present. Connect. Learn.
The top 5 selected teams present their solutions to the companies, followed by an AI Conference featuring industry leaders and builders.
The faculty
Learn from people who build.
Practitioners working across AI, cloud, machine learning, and product engineering. With mentors on the floor during the Bangalore takeover.
Aditya Birla Group
Pankaj Rai
Group Chief Data & Analytics Officer
Thomson Reuters
Shirsha Ray
Senior Director, Applied Research
Simplismart
Shubhendu Shishir
Head of Engineering
Microsoft
Deepak Kasera
Senior Engineer, Cloud & AI
Intuit
Saksham Arora
Backend Engineering Lead, Identity
PayPal
Mohit Uniyal
Senior ML Engineer
Google
Aditya Rane
AI & ML Technical Solutions Consultant
Microsoft
Vandita Kamath
AI Deployment Strategist
PromptQL
Gourav Kushwaha
Forward Deployed Engineer
LuminAI
Rushikesh Akhare
Forward Deployed Engineer
Valiance Solutions
Vishnu Sanketh Bonthu
Forward Deployed Engineer
Ericsson
Amit Singh
Google Authorized Trainer
The 36-hour hackathon
The hardest thing an FDE does: take over a system they did not build.
The top 5 selected teams present their solutions to the room, followed by an AI Conference.
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HR / 36
The gate
What it takes to qualify for Bangalore.
Score at least 45% across the three evaluations and attend at least 65% of the sessions. Everyone who meets both criteria will receive an invitation to the hackathon in Bangalore.
Overall score ≥ 45% Attendance ≥ 65%
How to apply
₹999 to apply. You pay nothing more unless you're selected.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and seats are limited.
- Step 01
Submit your application
Pay ₹999 (non-refundable) and tell us about the systems you've built and shipped.
- Step 02
Applications are reviewed
We look at how well you code, how you work with people, and whether this is the right next step for you.
- Step 03
Attend your counselling
If selected, talk to the team about the programme, the travel and the commitment.
- Step 04
Reserve your seat with ₹10,000
Non-refundable, but adjusted against the full program fee. Seats are limited and released in the order they are blocked.
- Step 05
Complete your enrolment
Pay the balance and that's it. You get access to the cohort and pre-reading material.
- Step 06
06 Dec 2026
Phase 1 begins: five days in Vietnam, then ten weeks online, then 3 days in Bangalore.
The fee
What you put in.
One fee, paid in stages. You pay nothing beyond ₹999 unless you are selected.
₹1,95,000 +GST
₹999 application *₹10,000 seat reservation *Balance before you start
Included
- Accommodation during the scheduled Vietnam and Bangalore stay: shared rooms and all scheduled meals.
- All practitioner and mentor sessions across twelve weeks.
- Templates, runbooks and learning materials.
Not included
- Travel to Vietnam and Bangalore, and commute to the venue.
- Passport and visa costs.
- Cloud and model credits, hosting and APIs during the online phase.
- Laptop and working setup.
*The ₹999 application fee and ₹10,000 seat reservation are non-refundable.
The ₹10,000 seat reservation is adjusted against your full programme fee. Refunds follow the Refund & Withdrawal Policy.
FAQ
Questions worth answering before you apply.
What exactly is the FDE Cohort program?
FDE Cohort is a hands on program focused on equiping you with technical and soft skills required for you to excel in an FDE role.
It is designed to challenge you with real life problems and scenarios that an FDE faces in their work.
Who is this program for?
Minimum fluency in programming is pre-requisite for the course.
As a proxy, at least one year of technical experience in software, data, programming or a similar hands-on technical role is required.
But if you think you still have the basic foundations required, we encourage you to go ahead and apply.
Do I need to know coding before joining?
Yes. You should already be comfortable writing code. The program builds further into production systems, integrations, infrastructure, AI and client environments.
I use AI tools but I’m not a strong programmer. Can I apply?
You can apply, but prior technical experience and comfort with code are important.
Is this a placement program?
No. The program builds technical skills, real-world exposure, and problem-solving ability that strengthens your readiness for FDE roles across domains.
Does everyone join the Bangalore phase of the program?
No. The participation in the Bangalore leg of the program is subject to a minimum qualification criteria. All participants who qualify the criteria are eligible for the Bangalore phase. The criteria is detailed in 'The gate' section.
How is the program structured?
Three phases: A residential phase in Vietnam, ten weeks of online learning and building, followed by the final residential phase in Bangalore and final presentation.
What happens during the online phase?
You work across technical and client-facing FDE skills. Technical areas would cover APIs, authentication, legacy systems, infrastructure, agents, security, observability.
Do recorded sessions count toward attendance?
Yes. Watching the officially provided recording counts toward your attendance percentage, subject to the program’s attendance tracking process.
Do I need my own laptop?
Yes. Bring a personal laptop capable of running the required development environments and program tools.
Are paid AI tools, cloud credits or subscriptions included?
No. Any paid AI tools, APIs, cloud credits or software subscriptions required for your build must be arranged and paid for by you.
Is the residential phase mandatory?
Yes. The residential components are an integral part of the program and include immersive learning, build days, industry exposure and the final engineering challenge.
What happens during the first residential phase?
First residential phase covers the FDE orientation, technical problem diagnosis frameworks and industry exposure, your first MVP build and networking with your fellow builders.
Will I get time to explore during the residential phase?
The official schedule will be structured and intensive. Any free time outside it is yours to use independently and at your own expense.
What happens during the final residential phase in Bangalore?
The final on-site experience includes a 36-hour hackathon, followed by solution presentations.
What is the 36-hour build?
Your final engineering challenge - Hackathon: understand a problem, build, integrate and present a working solution under real-world time and system constraints.
What is Demo Day?
Demo Day is where you present and defend your solution not just what you built, but why you made the engineering decisions behind it.
Are airport transfers included during the residential phases?
No. Travel to and from the residential venues in Vietnam and Bangalore, including airport transfers, is not included in the program fee.
Who arranges my passport and visa?
You do. A valid passport, appropriate visa, supporting documents and compliance with immigration requirements are entirely your responsibility.
Will Masai help me apply for my visa?
No. Masai does not provide visa consultancy, application support or visa guidance. Please rely on official embassy, consulate or immigration sources.
What if my visa is delayed or rejected?
Visa decisions are made solely by the relevant authorities. Program fee and refund policies continue to apply, so we strongly recommend applying well in advance.
Is accommodation included during the official residential dates?
Yes, during the officially communicated residential dates. Additional nights before or after the program dates are not included.
Can family or friends join me?
They may travel independently, but companions are not included in program accommodation, activities, transport or other arrangements.
Will local transport be provided?
Transport will be arranged for scheduled program activities mentioned in the official itinerary. Personal travel outside the itinerary is not included.
Do I need to submit medical information before travelling?
Yes. A Medical Fitness Certificate issued by a registered medical practitioner is mandatory before the residential phase. It helps confirm that you are fit to participate and ensures any relevant medical needs are disclosed in advance. Any medical consultation, treatment, medication, hospitalisation or related expenses incurred during the residential phase will be borne by the participant and not covered in the program fees.
Do I need travel or medical insurance?
Yes. You must arrange suitable travel and medical insurance before travelling and is not covered in the program fee.
What food options will be available during the residential phase?
Meals will follow a pre-defined menu, with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options available. Any special meal requirements outside the standard menu will need to be arranged and managed by the participant at their own expense.
Application window open Apply Now
Can you take over a system you have never seen?
Twelve weeks. Real systems, real constraints.
Starts 6th Dec 2026. Every application is reviewed personally.