Do I need an existing business idea to apply?

No. Many participants arrive with only a general direction or an interest area. The program helps you clarify your strengths, identify a problem worth solving, and shape a business concept.

Is this only for tech startups?

No. The Academy supports a range of business models: products, services, local/regional businesses, and tech-enabled ideas. If there's a customer problem and a path to revenue or impact, it can fit.

How is this different from learning on my own through free resources?

Participants can expect to leave with a defined business concept, target customer, a validation plan, prototype and next-step roadmap, practical execution skills (communication, decision-making, collaboration), an aligned funding pathway (not one-size-fits-all), and mentor feedback with a clear plan to move forward.

What will I have by the end of the program?

Participants can expect to leave with a defined business concept, target customer, a validation plan, prototype and next-step roadmap, practical execution skills (communication, decision-making, collaboration), an aligned funding pathway (not one-size-fits-all), and mentor feedback with a clear plan to move forward.

How much time does it take each week?

Time commitment depends on the cohort format. Generally, students receive one-two hours of live instruction, one hour of weekly live office hours, and can anticipate 5-10 hours of homework to complete the week's content.

Is the program live or self-paced?

Most cohorts include a blend of structured learning with guided sessions and mentor support. Exact delivery (online/hybrid, live session cadence) will be shared with the cohort details.

What do you mean by "mentor-supported"?

Mentors provide practical guidance and feedback on your concept, positioning, validation plan, and milestones. Mentor access may include group sessions, office hours, and targeted feedback checkpoints.

What kinds of mentors are involved?

Mentors typically bring expertise in entrepreneurship and go-to-market, operations and finance, product and prototyping, marketing and partnerships, and leadership and team execution.

Is funding for my concept included?

Funding is not guaranteed or provided automatically, but the Academy helps you identify realistic pathways - grants, microloans, crowdfunding, and partner options - based on your business model and readiness.

Is this a replacement for outplacement services?

No. For individuals, it complements career transition support by offering a structured entrepreneurship pathway. For partners, it can be an additional option they can offer clients exploring business ownership.

Can employers sponsor employees in transition?

Yes. Employer sponsorship is possible and is a strong fit for organizations supporting career transitions, severance packages, or redeployment alternatives.

What if I decide entrepreneurship isn't right for me?

That outcome is still valuable. The program helps clarify direction and builds durable skills - communication, planning, decision-making, and leadership - that apply to many career paths.

Is this the same as an accelerator?

Not exactly. The Academy is designed for earlier-stage clarity and build readiness rather than only for venture-backed startups. It supports multiple business models and funding paths.

Can I apply if I'm under 18?

The Academy is launching an adult program first. A youth program is planned for 2027.

How much does it cost?

Tuition and any scholarship/sponsorship options depend on the cohort and partner model. The initial pilot will run $5,000 for adult students.

What equipment will I need?

Students should have a working computer with which to access weekly remote instruction, and applications for creating documents, spreadsheets, and internet browser.

What skills should I have?

Students should be familiar with creating documents, spreadsheets, and slide decks and exporting them to PDF. Students should have some familiarity with using AI tools.

Turn career transition into a business launch.

CleanLeap's Entrepreneurial Academy is a structured, mentor-supported pathway from zero to execution. Move from "What's next?" to a validated concept, a tested prototype plan, and a clear funding strategy.

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From 0 to execution

Start from scratch or refine an existing idea -then validate, build, and launch

Expert guidance

Mentors with real startup experience providing feedback and accountability

Built for transitions

Designed for professionals ready to turn uncertainty into entrepreneurship

What is the Academy?

A structured pathway from zero to execution

The Entrepreneurial Academy guides participants through the complete entrepreneurship journey—starting from scratch if needed. From there, participants build and test solutions, gaining entrepreneurship fundamentals alongside essential leadership skills: decision-making under uncertainty, effective communication, and execution discipline. The program culminates in concrete outputs: a validated business concept, a tested prototype plan, and a roadmap to launch.

Participants may also apply these skills to nonprofits, social enterprises, or other ventures. Funding guidance includes grants, microloans, crowdfunding, partnerships, and venture capital—tailored to each founder's model and goals.

How It Works

Clarify strengths, goals, and direction

Identify a real problem and target customer

Learn core startup fundamentals (business model, pricing, validation, go-to-market)

Build a mentor-supported execution plan

Map funding pathways and near-term milestones

Who It's For

Designed for career transition and reinvention

Ideal participants include:

Professionals impacted by layoffs or restructuring

Mid-career leaders exploring a new direction

New college graduates

Aspiring founders who want structure, accountability, and mentoring

Inventors with an idea and little time for business school

Mission-driven builders (sustainability, community, economic resilience)

Not required: a technical background, a polished pitch deck, or a fully formed idea.

Outcomes

Leave with clarity, validation, and a plan to build

A validated business concept with a clearly defined target customer

A tested prototype plan and step-by-step roadmap to launch

Entrepreneurial skills to execute: decision-making, leadership, communication, and follow-through

A funding strategy tailored to the specific business model—not generic advice

Confidence to build something real, backed by mentor feedback and validation work

Get Started with Your Application

Curriculum

Pre-Work Week 1

Founder-Market Fit & Ideation (intro)

Pre-Work Week 2

Customer Discovery (early interviews)

Week 1

Founder-Market Fit & Ideation

Week 2

Customer Discovery & Assessing When to Pivot

Week 3

Value Proposition & MVP Design

Week 4

Financial Core: Pricing & Accounting

Week 5

Legal Foundations, IP & Entity Structure

Week 6

Digital Ops & Scalable Tech (Operational Infrastructure)

Week 7

Prototype Build Sprint

Week 8

Financing & Capital Strategy

Week 9

Sales Execution & Revenue

Week 10

Growth Marketing & User Acquisition

Week 11

Founder Storytelling & Brand Narrative

Week 12

Lab: Digital Presence & Launch

Week 13

Resilience & Post-Program Roadmap

Week 14

Demo Day Prep & Program Synthesis

Dead Week

Final polish, pitch refinement, 1:1 support

Demo Day

Demo Day & Graduation

What Happens After Graduation

The ecosystem continues beyond graduation. Ongoing support helps you execute and scale.

Participants receive continued access to:

Ongoing mentorship and advisory support as you build and scale

Introductions to accelerators, incubators, and next-level entrepreneurship programs

Continued funding guidance—from early-stage capital to growth financing

Access to a growing network of founders, operators, investors, and strategic partners

Resources and connections to support your entrepreneurial journey—whether launching a startup, scaling a business, or exploring new ventures

Mentors

Porter Wong

Porter Wong is Founder of CleanLeap, the U.S. national partner of Climate-KIC, and a Partner at Network VC. He mentors startups across programs including Cleantech Open, Plug and Play, and leading university and national lab initiatives, and advises Google’s Startups for Sustainable Development. He has served as a jury member for EBRD’s Smart Cities challenges and holds advisory and board roles with multiple tech startups. Previously, he was Executive-in-Residence at Alley/Verizon Ventures and a consultant to the U.S. Department of Commerce MBDA and California’s GO-Biz program. He has also held leadership roles with USPAACC and IEEE. Earlier in his career, he held senior positions at four successful tech startups, including IPOs (Altera, Alchip) and acquisitions by Qualcomm and Nvidia.

Mena Blue

Mena is a technology executive, entrepreneur, and nonprofit leader with over two decades of experience launching and scaling software platforms and impact-driven ventures. Her work spans early-stage ideation through successful exits, with deep expertise in product development, customer acquisition, operational infrastructure, and go-to-market execution. She brings a cross-disciplinary background in economics, human capital strategy, IT systems, finance, legal operations, and M&A.

Shannon Theobald

Shannon is an expert in building operating infrastructure that enables organizations to scale while maintaining effectiveness. Her core expertise includes operating model design, cross-functional execution, stakeholder alignment, and scaling systems in complex, high-growth environments. She has led large-scale operational initiatives, including a $10B+ national robotics deployment at Kroger, served as interim COO and CEO for early stage SaaS companies, and advised the World Bank on climate-adaptation investment strategy. She also brings deep experience in market entry design and execution across multiple geographies.

Gino Thiers

Gino is a results-driven, direct, channel, and partner-focused sales executive with 20+ years' experience in enterprise sales, strategic business development, and sales operations in the computer software industry. He brings strong professional skills in BI, Analytics, Application Platforms, K8's, Orchestration, Automation, RDBMS & Distributed Databases, Infrastructure, Ingest/ETL, Data Integration, Data Authorization, DataOps, DevOps, Cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP), Big Data, Hadoop, Spark, Kafka, Partner Management and Business Development.

Pedro Blas

Pedro is a global LP allocator focused on fund selection, due diligence, and portfolio construction across Latin America and other emerging markets. At IDB Lab, he evaluates and underwrites commitments to early-stage VC funds, assessing investment theses, portfolio strategies, governance, and track records. He has analyzed 400+ funds and collaborated with DFIs, sovereign investors, and institutional LPs through approval and closing. Previously at IFC (World Bank Group), he supported portfolio oversight for infrastructure advisory projects. His earlier experience includes angel investing, venture building, and investment banking.

Matt Belachew

Matt is an AI/MLOps engineer with a founder’s DNA. Whether in space communications, AI-driven hardware, or edge computing, Matt is obsessed with building technologies that bridge the physical and digital worlds through AI, computer vision, and next-gen manufacturing. With over 18 years in hardware architecture and product innovation, Matt has worked across smart apparel, aerospace systems, medical tech, and entertainment devices, often serving as CTO or Chief Engineer in fast-paced, zero-margin-for-error environments. I thrive where others see risk — at the intersection of hardware, AI, and scalability.

Andrew Bargielski

Andrew is a seasoned CRM strategist and lifecycle marketing expert who helps organizations turn customer relationships into sustainable growth. With deep expertise in personalization, automation, and data-driven optimization, he has guided B2C and B2B brands across corporate, nonprofit, startup, and consulting environments. He specializes in translating complex data into actionable insights, simplifying challenges, and driving collaborative, high-impact solutions. His experience includes leading digital transformation initiatives at United Airlines and delivering customer-focused innovation at Oracle.

Yamilca Rodriguez

Yamilca Rodriguez is the CEO and Founder of Bespoke Branding, a boutique consultancy helping thought leaders and organizations build magnetic brands through archetypes, storytelling, and strategic identity design. A former Brand Leader at Procter &Gamble, she helped shape some of the world’s most iconic billion-dollar brands. She is the author of The Brand Archetype and has been featured on TEDx, Amazon Prime’s Speak-Up series, and Forbes. Yamilca also teaches design thinking at the University of Louisville, where she guides emerging leaders to think more expansively about identity, innovation, and impact.

Walter Wu

Walter is a partner of an international law firm. Walter specializes in patent prosecution and portfolio strategy for emerging companies in the life sciences, and patent due diligence for life science investors. His clients and target companies are active in the digital health, medical diagnostics, bioinformatics, ophthalmic, wound care and ENT fields.

Terence M. Kelly

Terry is a partner of an international law firm. Terry acts as outside general counsel to emerging companies and has extensive experience advising clients in connection with formation, financing, and mergers and acquisitions across various industries. Terry has represented a variety of clients in industries including hardware, software, SAAS, mobile, crypto, semiconductor device, equipment and design, and life science.

Pilot Program Pricing

Investment

Standard Tuition

$10,000 USD

Regular program investment

Pilot Offer

SAVE 50%

$5,000 USD

Special pricing for founding cohort members

Pilot program benefits: As a founding cohort member, you'll help shape the program while receiving the same comprehensive curriculum, mentor support, and outcomes at half the standard investment.

Apply for Pilot Pricing

For Outplacement & Workforce Development Partners

A high-value option for clients exploring entrepreneurship

If you support individuals in career transition, the Academy can serve as a structured entrepreneurship pathway that complements your existing services.

An actionable "next chapter" option for clients

Clear program milestones and measurable outcomes

Cohort-based support and mentoring

A scalable option for employer-sponsored transitions

Explore Partnership Options

How is the Entrepreneurial Academy different from learning entrepreneurship through free online resources?

Free online resources are great for learning concepts. The challenge is turning that information into a real business. The Academy is built to help you execute—with structure, validation milestones, mentor feedback, and ongoing support that extends beyond graduation.

A structured path from 0 to execution

Instead of sorting through endless resources, follow a proven process: discover problems worth solving (or refine your idea), validate with real customers, build a testable solution, and create a launch plan.

Built-in accountability

It's easy to stall when working alone. The cohort structure, weekly milestones, and mentor check-ins ensure consistent progress toward a real launch.

Real feedback on actual work

No more guessing. Get direct input from experienced entrepreneurs on what's working, what needs refinement, and what to validate next.

Build something real, not just a plan

Create tangible outputs: customer interviews, value proposition testing, prototype iterations, and a validated go-to-market strategy.

Support when things feel unclear

Starting something new comes with uncertainty. The program helps make decisions and prioritize, even without all the answers.

Skills that actually carry through

Beyond tactics, build the habits and skills that matter day to day, including communication, follow-through, resilience, and planning.

A community for support

No one does this alone. Learn alongside peers, meet potential collaborators, and connect with mentors.

Practical funding guidance

Not every business needs venture capital. Explore funding options that fit the goals, whether that's grants, small loans, partnerships, or something else.

In Summary:

Free resources give you information. The Academy helps you build and validate a real business—with structure, expert feedback, and a support ecosystem that continues after the program ends.

Join the Next Cohort