About

We help Southwest Florida solve real problems, by adapting to AI.

We embed a faculty‑led student team inside your business, find where AI gives your team hours back, and build the skills and tools they keep using long after we’re gone.

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The founding gift

Named for Mark Ain.

In 2023, Mark Ain, co‑founder of Kronos, committed a $2M gift to establish the Ain Hub within FGCU’s Daveler & Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship, to give students real‑world experience by serving real clients.

“I was using my extra time and effort looking for an idea around which to invent a product and start a company.”Mark Ain, on the years before founding Kronos

That same spirit drives the Hub today: students gain real experience serving clients while keeping their eyes open for the opportunities that could become their own ventures.

Who runs it

Faculty‑led. Student‑powered.

The Hub is a team. FGCU students do the work, bringing current AI fluency, while Faculty Fellow Mark Bole guides every engagement and your team brings the domain expertise that makes it useful.

Mark has taught AI at FGCU since 2023, after a career as a corporate executive, co‑founder, and CEO. His approach is simple: you learn by doing, which is exactly how the students learn, and how we help your team.

“Make AI understandable, show where it fits in real business, and measure the impact.”Mark Bole, Faculty Fellow

Meet the team

The people doing the work.

Mark Bole

Faculty Fellow

Faculty-led

Brian Rist

Ain Hub Advisor

AI-Native

Brennen Bohannon

AI Solutions Engineer

AI-Native

Makenzi Mickley

AI Program Manager

AI-Native

Lauren Belanger

AI Creative Designer

AI-Native

Ari Wilson

AI Strategy Analyst

AI-Native

Francesca Cumins

AI Growth Strategist

AI-Native

Tate Moody

AI Researcher

AI-Native

Scroll to meet them↓

How we got here

From websites to workshops to integration.

Two years, one through‑line: do the hard thing by doing it, and bring the region along.

2023

A founding gift

Kronos co‑founder Mark Ain commits $2M to establish the Ain Hub within FGCU’s Daveler & Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship.

2024

Five students, real clients

The Hub opens doing what it could teach immediately: websites and online marketing for local businesses, an in‑house student agency.

2025

Eight people to a packed room

Hands‑on AI workshops grow from eight people with no projector to a 185‑person seminar. Brian Rist opens the door to Sanibel’s businesses, rebuilding after Ian.

Today

Full AI integration

We capture workflows, automate the busywork, and build the internal tools teams actually use, with Lee County’s 2,700 staff next.

An Ain Hub student helping a business owner one on one

Student‑powered

A feature, not a discount.

Mark oversees every engagement. Our students work right alongside your domain experts. They bring current AI fluency, your team brings the expertise that makes it useful. It goes both ways, and the capability stays with you.

Where we’re headed: students as full “agents of change,” placed inside companies to drive adoption. That’s the vision we’re building toward, our way of helping Southwest Florida solve problems by adapting to AI.

What we value

How we work.

Excellence

Professional‑quality work, held to faculty standards, at student‑friendly pricing.

Community

We’re here to help Southwest Florida businesses grow and adapt in a fast‑changing digital economy.

Human‑first

AI augments people; it doesn’t replace them. We find where it saves an hour or two a day for the work that matters.

Where we started

Our very first client.

Executive coach Rod Buchen took a chance on a brand‑new student team. We’ll always be grateful, and the trust he showed is the standard we hold ourselves to with every client since.

“We will always be grateful for your trust, kindness, and guidance.”The Ain Hub team, to Rod Buchen

Want to work with us?

Start with a workshop, or tell us about the workflow that’s eating your team’s time. No lock‑in, just a conversation.

Talk to us What we do