Application Deadline: May 31st 2016
Seed’s regional center in West Africa was launched in 2013. To date, more than 130 company leaders from Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, have taken part in Seed’s Transformation Program.
The center recently admitted its 6th cohort of founders/leaders, and is looking to start recruiting for its 7th cohort, who will enter STP in September of 2016.
Building on Stanford’s decades-long history of educating innovators in Silicon Valley, Stanford Seed is now bringing this innovative mindset and practical business training to entrepreneurs in Africa.
Program Eligibility
The Stanford Seed Transformation Program is delivered by Stanford University Global LLC, and is specifically intended for founders/senior leaders who lead and want to grow their established businesses in the West Africa subregion.
Applicants must demonstrate commitment and potential to grow and scale their companies, thereby creating jobs, products, or services that benefit those living in poverty.
- Applicants must be founders/senior leaders of for-profit companies.
- Applicants lead organizations with an annual revenue range between USD 150,000 and USD 15 million.
- Applicant’s company must be headquartered, legally registered, and currently operating within West Africa.
- Applicant must have English language proficiency.
- The program is open to all industries. The following sectors have been represented in past cohorts:
- Agriculture and Food Processing
- Construction, Civil Engineering, and Real Estate
- Education
- Energy
- Financial Services
- Healthcare
- Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)
- Retail & Product Manufacturing
- Tourism
- Transportation and Logistics
- Water and Sanitation
- Other sectors qualify as well
Stanford Faculty-Led Curriculum
The STP curriculum is customized to address the needs of founders and senior leaders of small and medium sized companies who are committed to growing their businesses.
Over a period of six months, you will attend four highly interactive sessions—each lasting one week. Sessions cover tools and methodologies that you will use to grow and transform your business.
For example, you will learn about Design Thinking—an innovative problem-solving approach refined by Stanford faculty and its alumni—that is invaluable for identifying new products and services for your customers.
STP topics include leadership training, strategy, organizational design, business model development, operations, accounting, marketing, finance/investing, value chain innovations, governance, business ethics, and product and service innovations.
Participant Commitment
- Admitted founders/leaders must commit to the six month program duration.
- Mandatory attendance is required for the four sessions, each lasting one week. Sessions are held at Seed’s West Africa center in Accra, Ghana, unless otherwise indicated.
- Attendance is also required at one Leadership Lab, held between the week-long sessions.
- You are also expected to work closely with your management team to share and apply your learnings and to develop a company-wide plan for transformation and growth of your business.
Cost to Participants
- STP participants are responsible for transportation to and from Seed’s West Africa center located in Accra, Ghana, as well as for lodging during the sessions.
- Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and some dinners will be provided during the program.
Program Fee
Instruction in the Seed Transformation Program is offered by Stanford Graduate School of Business faculty, leveraging expertise in executive education, training, and coaching. In order to partially defray program expenses and increase Seed’s potential impact, there is a USD 5,000 fee for program participation.
In this initial cohort with fees in West Africa, Seed has reduced the fee to USD 1,500 per participant.
Apply Now for the Stanford Seed Transformation Program – West Africa
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the Stanford Seed Transformation Program – West Africa