Startup Leadership Program (SLP) is a 6-month program with the cohort-driven ecosystem that uses the collective energy of the group to help the talented pool of entrepreneurs to scale to greater heights. During the course, the fellows invite mentors, select topics of interest and build a network of trusted engaging entrepreneurs.
SLP is a highly selective, world-class training programme for outstanding founders, leaders, and innovators. SLP Fellows have founded nearly 1,700 successful startups and raised more than $650 million in funding. SLP has chapters in seven cities in the US, six in India, four in Europe, two in Australia, and five elsewhere in Asia. There are around 3000 fellows across the globe and 25 in Bangalore this year.
With the non-conventional school walls, there is a lot to learn from different aspects of the program that the entrepreneur can take away.
Power of Network
The power of communities is not unknown to humankind. The colonies of ants and bees build esoteric structures to mesmerise the landscape and why not. “it truly takes a village” to nurture, to enhance and to paint vivid dreams. With the cohort and the networking opportunity, the village is easily accessible.
Not just the cohort, but entrepreneurs from across the globe – current and the alumni network are reachable.
Community Driven
To create a well planned, structurally mesmerising piece of art in the form of hives is no joke. The bees build every corner of the architecturally and structurally marvellous honeycomb. Community-driven ecosystems work similarly, involves people from across the group. Right from choosing the syllabus to deciding the topics to inviting speakers is all run by the members of the cohort.
The cohort includes relevant topics and addresses the current issues faced by entrepreneurs during the sessions.
Diversity
The uniqueness in the coloured mosaic does not come from similar stones or pebbles. The random structures and different textures together portray the marvel.
With the selection criteria, the cohort has individuals from different age groups, various stages, varying domains and with different skill sets. Diversity puts together different voices that uniquely flatter and create pathways for amplified growth.
The culture of the inclusive and diverse troops builds strong complimentary perspectives that help the startups and their founders.
Learning
Schools are not the only place to learn from; teachers are not the only people imparting knowledge. The essence of education starts with peers and resonates by observing.
Throughout the program, the cohort has access to mentors and has access to each other that provides opportunities to find solutions to their business bottlenecks.
With intense discussions, access to best practices, business leads or to a different way of doing things is possible via peer learning.
With the structure of the program, a score-board with assignment score and attendance score makes learning fun and keeps the cohort engaged in gaining points – hence gamifying the learning paradigm.
Funding
Like finding a treasure, the sweet honey from the honeycombs can be relished after journeying into the maze.
With applied learning throughout the sessions, the entrepreneurs are motivated and groomed to pitch to an expert panel of investors that include VCs and Angels. Access to investors gives them an opportunity to demo, familiarise, seek advice and seek investments. The history of fundraising by SLP startups has been sweet as the entrepreneurs have raised over $650 million through the years.
