Startup Leadership Program is inviting applications!

About SLP

Our goal is to build the build the best education program and peer-to-peer network of startup CEOs in the world.

The Startup Leadership Program (SLP) is a highly selective, world-class training program for outstanding founders, leaders, and innovators who want to become top startup CEOs. SLP Fellows (participants) have founded 1,500 startups including Brightbytes, Gray Orange Robotics, ixigo, RxApps, Runkeeper, Shareaholic, Ubersense, Voicetap; these startups have collectively raised more than $550 million in funding. 50 plus startups have been acquired including Savored (Groupon), Momelan (KCI) and TomNod (Digital Globe).

Our education program is unique. We train fellows through the use of simulations, walking entrepreneurs through real-life cases, add in-depth boardroom-like discussions from mentors, organize in-depth product sessions, and ensure that the feedback and education is delivered in a closed, “safe” environment. In addition to the learning experience, entrepreneurs become part of a lifelong global community of successful and talented fellows, experts, advisors and investors, who can help them every step of the way.

The program runs once a year generally from September to March around the world.

Some Highlights

  • SLP picks entrepreneurs, not their current startups. We believe great entrepreneurs will create great companies (even if the right one will not be the right one).
  • We are focussed on providing a great formal + peer-to-peer education for startup CEOs with a focus on issues that are required to lead companies.
  • Fellows can transfer, visit, attend class anywhere in the world. Even when they graduate, they stay connected to the network, join our global Webex calls, mentor, get feedback or questions answered and even become angel investors to other startups.
  • The criterias are leadership caliber, startup or innovation experience.
  • We are building very detailed databases to capture a lot of information on our entrepreneurs.
  • Our Fellows have won nearly every global entrepreneurship award (We have several MIT100K, Red Herring Global 100, MITTR35s for example).
  • We are complementary to accelerators. Our Fellows have been admitted to most leading accelerators and incubators including Techstars, Azure, Wayra, DreamIT, Startup Centre etc.
  • We believe very strongly in the value of diversity so we put CEOs from technology, lifesciences, cleantech, education, consumer – all in the same classroom (and share specific knowledge virtually instead).
  • Gender diversity is very important. We are building one of the most valuable global women entrepreneur networks with a strength of  600 women out of 2,500 Fellows.
  • Started in 2006 in Boston by Anupendra Sharma (VC in Lifesciences, BITS Pilani alum) and Puran Dang (Entrepreneur, IIT Kharagpur) with 7 lifesciences entrepreneurs in Boston.

Key Statistics

  • 23 cities with chapters in 12 countries panning across USA, UK, Europe, Middle East, Asia, India, Japan and Australia.
  • 2,500 innovators & entrepreneurs called “Fellows”, who have 1,500 current startups at various stages.
  • More than $550 million raised by companies founded by our Fellows.
  • The majority of our Fellows have graduate degrees (Masters, MBA, MD, PhD); 80 per cent have engineering or science backgrounds.

Cost, Benefits and Expectations

The philosophy of the way the school is run was inspired by the John Wood, Founder of Room to Read, an organization building schools and libraries all over the world. The entrepreneurs build and run the ‘school’ and have a big say in the education process, what is taught, who is invited to be a mentor. This is what creates a passionate sense of ownership in the program and makes for a highly relevant education. So we require our Fellows to volunteer 20 hours of their time to help organize our community.

SLP is a not-for-profit that costs an entrepreneur very little to accommodate even the earliest stage startups (one time payment of between $250-550 depending on the country). We take no equity from the startups. In return, Fellows receive a high quality education, have access to our materials, have access to our global directory of CEOs, mentor, vendor and investor databases, return to present at our demo days, go to our reunions, and get help from the network for life.

The true mission behind Startup Leadership

There is a social mission behind what we do. When we start the program, we remind our Fellows of the privilege of being entrepreneurs, of being able to chase one’s own dreams at a time when 7 million children die for preventable causes. So we seek a commitment that they will ultimately use their knowledge, wealth or resources to change the lives for those less fortunate at some point in their own lifetime, whether their entrepreneurial dreams succeed or not. We do things that reinforce this and pick Fellows who seem to want to build and sustain communities and do good). We have a closing class called “Reflections and How I will change the world” where people reflect on their journey, what they hope to do, and how they will make a difference in the world.

How to Apply

Entrepreneurs must apply to join by visiting http://startupleadership.com/pages/admission/#apply and fill out an application form. This year 450+ Fellows, who have graduated from the program, form the investment committee and chose the incoming Fellows based on a) Caliber b) Leadership Potential c) Entrepreneurialism and d) Evidence of being a contributor to communities. Only a small group of 25 people are chosen in every city. There is a big emphasis on diversity of gender and experience.

Logo

The Startup Leadership Program logo is inspired by skydivers who are in formation. These skydivers are representative of SLP Fellows – a group of risk-taking entrepreneurs, joining hands to form a global network that allows them to do amazing things. If they run into difficulties (like the parachute doesn’t open), the network is there to help. As to why they skydive? Entrepreneurs cannot explain why they are willing to take these risks!