Back to School: Recapping Endeavor’s Executive Education Programs at Harvard and Stanford Universities

This August, Endeavor wrapped up its two executive education programs: the “Endeavor Innovation and Growth Program” at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business (GSB) and “Endeavor: Scaling Entrepreneurial Ventures” at Harvard Business School (HBS).  The two week-long courses convened 109 overall participants from 21 countries, including Endeavor entrepreneurs and their key staff as well as a handful of mentors and Endeavor staff members.

Prior to the Stanford program, a handful of attendees enjoyed a conversation with Stripe’s Chief Business Officer, Bill Alvarado, and a visit to Singularity University. A full day hike of Bootjack Trail in San Francisco’s Muir Woods tested participant’s physical capabilities before coursework began the next day. Led by Stanford GSB Professor George Foster and several other professors, the program focused on innovating within, and included workshops on design thinking, market entry, and managing the launch of new products.

Across the country in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the HBS program began with a visit to the offices of Onapsis to meet with Mariano Nuñez, an Endeavor Entrepreneur from Argentina who scaled Onapsis into an internationally-renowned cyber security company.

The next day was all fun, as participants took a ferry across Cape Cod Bay to Endeavor mentor Geoff Wooley’s Provincetown home for a New England BBQ and a tour of one of America’s oldest and most cultural towns.

It was then time to hit the books, as the week of courses featured HBS’ famous case study methods, where attendees debated business decisions from hiring and company culture to sales strategy and customer experiences.

Reviews for both programs were extremely positive. Endeavor Entrepreneur Abhishek Shah, CEO of RSA Logistics in UAE, who attended the Stanford program, marveled at being at the center of Silicon Valley.

“It was a dream to be at the epicenter of modern innovation. I had high expectations and thankfully Stanford did not disappoint,” he said. “My key objective was to come up with 2-3 takeaways that I am able to implement over the next 12 months. My two key takeaways from this program were: continually hire the best people and keep them; and to always be asking my team this question – ‘what is it that we uniquely offer that people desperately want?’”  

Andy Eastes of Skuvault in Louisville attended the HBS program and gave the course a 10/10 rating.

“I enjoyed the experience, and the content was very useful. The insights into strategy were great to get at this stage of our growth. We are planning to add a new but related product and are currently designing how the team will be structured around existing business units. The advice and experience should save us a lot of headache.”

For entrepreneurs interested in finding out more about these programs, please contact [email protected] .

Please note that spaces are limited. Endeavor Entrepreneurs who register for this program will be guaranteed their spot on a first-come, first-serve basis after payment. This year, we have also reserved a select number of spots for qualified non-Endeavor Entrepreneurs (key Endeavor Entrepreneur staff and Endeavor network members).

To be eligible for this program, non-Endeavor Entrepreneur applicants must have business-level fluency in English; be a C-level executive or founder; possess full understanding of Endeavor’s model; be able to describe a compelling career inflection point or why they need this program. If accepted, they must commit to attend all classes and non-class activities and complete assignments in a timely manner.