Executive Education Program

About the Program

Driving Innovation and Growth offers a multi-prong approach including the core program content of curriculum and project, coaching, the ecosystem experience, and community building.

• CURRICULUM

  The program is divided into two main areas: internal innovation and growth and market acceleration.  Key modules include the following:

  Internal innovation and growth:

  • Strategy, innovation and growth through uncertainty
  • Value creation and Value propositions
  • Models of innovation
  • Business model innovation
  • Overview of design thinking and UX
  • Overcoming the challenges of corporate innovation: Pathways to enterprise innovation
  • Getting ideas through internal blockers
  • Building a culture of experimentation

  Market Acceleration Program (MXP):

  • The market milestones to product-market fit
  • The customer buying process and experience
  • Market acceleration strategy
  • The integrated marketing and sales funnel
  • Designing the marketing and sales technology stack
  • Customer acquisition framework: Building your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
  • Conversational framework: Market messaging and outreach
  • Market results: Management and optimization

• PROJECT

  Each participant must bring an idea for a product, unit, or solution they want to grow in the market.  These can be an existing or in progress innovation or innovative idea or a new possible product line or venture.  Some time is dedicated in the first part of the program to idea generation and testing.

  We pair each participant with a project team, who will work with them on refining the idea, testing the idea, establishing market readiness and assessing for potential fit, defining realistic market milestones, and preparing for possible pathway launch and execution. By the end of the week, participants should have a developed roadmap for their innovative idea including tangible tests, which will be reviewed in the week-end presentations our panel of coaches judges.

• COACHING

  Participants get matched with one of the core faculty members for one-on-one coaching, as well as the ability to receive coaching and working relationship with entrepreneurs of companies within the GrowthX fund, our large mentor network including leading VCs and startup executives, and recent alumni of the GrowthX academy. The coaching includes:

  • Clarifying key growth and innovation approaches
  • Encouraging growth mindsets and experimentation
  • Help map the market development process to your project
  • Illustrate funnel dynamics and how to manage them
  • Break down key methodology steps around design strategies

• ECOSYSTEM EXPERIENCE & COMMUNITY BUILDING

  Network with top innovators at Silicon Valley’s most innovative companies.

  Immerse yourself in the GrowthX community based education approach. You’ll be gaining insights and knowledge from the brightest minds in the industry, and making lifelong connections. The GrowthX community consists of over 150 portfolio companies, current students and alumni of GrowthX Academy, over 150 mentors, founders and their teams, investors and our campus which houses over 200 startups and 3000 people working at the center of the tech community.

Who Attends?

This program is for leaders who want to move beyond idea generation and better understand the drivers of innovation and growth, and how they can lead them in their organization.

Participants should be leaders or managers with responsibility for a unit, functional area or team.  Participants do not have to have a specific innovation role, but applicants should have responsibility for new growth initiatives or products.