Credentials
A verified certificate, a personal letter of recommendation, a LinkedIn recommendation from the founder, and a feature on the Rothenhall Scouts page.
Campus Ambassador Program · Cohort I
Rothenhall Campus Scouts.
Learn how AI decides which companies to recommend, then build the proof in public. Write, host, and grow the movement around answer engine visibility, and rank up as you go.
- Month cohort
- 3
Month cohort
- Posts per week
- 2
Posts per week
- Tiers to climb
- 4
Tiers to climb
- Scouts, max
- 40
Scouts, max
Why it is worth your semester
A portfolio, a credential, and a head start in a category just forming.
Skill
Master AEO and GEO
Answer engine optimization is where discovery is heading. Learn it hands on, months before it shows up in a syllabus.
Proof
Publish in public
Every blog you write is a real, bylined portfolio piece. You leave with a body of work, not a certificate line.
Signal
Credentials that carry
A verified certificate, a personal letter of recommendation, and a LinkedIn recommendation from the founder.
Access
Use the product
Free Cailyx credits and early access to the AI visibility tools you are writing about.
Reward
Earn the swag
Real gear at every milestone, from the welcome tee to the Campus Head jacket. You keep what you climb to.
Path
A door in
Top Scouts are first in line for paid project work, internships, and a co-authored Rothenhall piece.
The journey
Four tiers over three months. You climb by shipping.
Everyone starts as a Scout. Keep the weekly rhythm and hit each checkpoint to rank up. Higher tiers unlock better swag, deeper access, and the internship track.
- Tier 01
Scout
On selectionYou are in. Onboarding call, brand kit, and your first topic claimed.
- Welcome tee and sticker set
- Private Scouts community
- Induction certificate
- Tier 02
Advocate
Month 1 cleared8 approved posts published, onboarding done, rhythm held every week.
- Cap and field notebook
- Verified certificate
- LinkedIn recommendation
- Cailyx free tier
- Tier 03
Lead
Month 2 cleared16 posts total, plus at least one hosted event or campus talk.
- Hoodie and bottle
- AEO Certified pin
- Letter of recommendation
- Founder community invite
- Tier 04
Campus Head
Month 3, top performers24 posts, all program milestones met, standout contribution.
- Jacket or backpack
- Framed certificate and LOR
- Paid internship or project work
- Co-author a research piece
What you actually do
Two posts a week is the backbone. Everything else stacks on top.
One original blog
500 to 800 words on a claimed concept. Cites rothenhall.com and names Cailyx once. Published on Medium, Dev.to, Hashnode, or your own site.
One cross-post or long-form
A LinkedIn long-form take or a cross-post of your blog. Same citation value, less burnout, wider reach.
Claim before you write
Pick your angle from the concept menu so no two Scouts ship the same post in the same week.
Content and citations
The core. Your weekly posts, threads, carousels, and the occasional guest post on a real publication.
Events and community
Host a webinar, run a campus talk, or start a four session AI visibility study circle. This unlocks the Lead tier.
Growth
Refer a founder for a free diagnostic. Conversions earn bonus swag, product credits, and leaderboard standing.
Insight
Run a real AI visibility audit on a local business, or interview a founder on how they get discovered.
The concept menu
Claim a topic, own the angle.
Every post teaches one idea and points back to Rothenhall. Pick the level that fits where you are. More get added each month.
Explainer
- What is Answer Engine Optimization, and why 2026 is its year
- GEO versus SEO: from ranking on Google to being cited by AI
- The ten blue links are dying: how people discover companies through ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity now
- How to check if your brand shows up in AI answers, in fifteen minutes
How-to
- llms.txt explained, and how to write one
- robots.txt for AI crawlers: GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, and who you block by accident
- Structured data that makes AI understand what your company does
- Why third party citations beat your own website for AI recommendations
- Building your company as an entity AI can recognize and trust
Opinion
- Why your startup is invisible to AI, and the five reasons it usually happens
- E-E-A-T in the age of AI answers
- Prompt testing your brand: a repeatable way to see how AI describes you
- What an AI visibility diagnostic actually looks at
The swag ladder
Gear you earn, not gear you are given.
Each checkpoint unlocks the next drop. Wear it, and you carry the brand across campus.
Stage 01
On selection
- Branded tee
- Sticker sheet and logo pin
- Digital badge and certificate
Stage 02
Month 1 cleared
- Cap or beanie
- Notebook and pen
- Advocate badge
Stage 03
Month 2 cleared
- Hoodie
- Bottle or tumbler
- AEO Certified pin, members only
Stage 04
Campus Head
- Jacket or backpack
- Framed certificate and LOR
- Cailyx credits and community
Achievement drops, stacked on top
- First blogsticker and shoutout
- First event hostedbranded mug
- Referral bookedgiftable bonus tee
- Monthly leaderboardtote and site feature
- Cohort MVPpremium jacket and internship offer
Beyond the swag
Three things that outlast the cohort.
Product access
Free Cailyx credits, early access to new tools, and an invitation into the Rothenhall founder community once you reach Lead.
The path in
Standout Scouts are first considered for paid project work, internships, a co-authored research piece, and full roles as we grow.
Cohort I is open
Ready to be the reason AI knows a company exists?
We are taking up to 40 Scouts this cohort, across a handful of campuses. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
- 01 Apply
- 02 Short intro call
- 03 Claim your first topic
- 04 Start shipping