Application Deadline
1 May 2026
LEAD YOUR BUSINESS TO RECORD GROWTH.
Designed in Silicon Valley and delivered in Africa, the Stanford Seed Transformation Program prepares established CEOs to grow and expand their businesses with confidence. Led by Stanford Graduate School of Business faculty and local advisors, this 10-month journey, crafted specifically for busy leaders, extends into lifelong membership, unlocking continuous learning and business support.
LEAD YOUR BUSINESS TO RECORD GROWTH.
Designed in Silicon Valley and delivered in Africa, the Stanford Seed Transformation Program prepares established CEOs to grow and expand their businesses with confidence. Led by Stanford Graduate School of Business faculty and local advisors, this 10-month journey, crafted specifically for busy leaders, extends into lifelong membership, unlocking continuous learning and business support.
PARTICIPANT OUTCOMES
94%
credit business improvements to the Seed program
78%
increased revenue after the Seed program
29%
median change in revenue one year after completing the Seed program
61%
of companies report securing capital after completing the Seed program
2
Billion (USD)
collective capital secured through loans, equity, and grants after the Seed program
PARTICIPANT OUTCOMES
94%
credit business improvements to the Seed program
78%
increased revenue after the Seed program
29%
median change in revenue one year after the Seed program
61%
of companies report securing capital after the Seed program
2
Billion (USD)
collective capital secured through loans, equity, and grants after the Seed program
Stanford Seed. Three words: a quiet revolution. Some experiences leave a mark. Others transform you. Stanford Seed belongs firmly to the latter.”
Aniela Vé Kouakou
Founding Partner
AGILOYA AFRIQUE, West Africa
FORMAT
Part-time | Hybrid (in-person + online) | Designed for busy CEOs and founders
PROGRAM DATES
January – November 2027 | 10 Months
IN-PERSON CLASSROOM SESSIONS
Two one-week sessions for CEOs/founders with Stanford Graduate School of Business faculty
AFRICA
Week One
18–22 January
Accra, Ghana
Week Two
7–11 June
Nairobi, Kenya
TIME COMMITMENT
CEOs/Founders: 5–8 hours/week
Management Team: 2–4 hours/week
LEARN IN THE LANGUAGE YOU THINK BEST
Experience real-time and on-demand translation during live lectures and recorded sessions.
Available in 50+ languages, including Afrikaans, Arabic, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili and IsiZulu.
MANAGEMENT TEAM WORKSHOPS
Two online workshops and two on-site, full-day sessions hosted at your company.
Dates coordinated with you & your team.
LEADERSHIP LABS
Four structured peer roundtables focused on solving key business challenges.
Travel may be required.
CERTIFICATES
Receive two Stanford Graduate School of Business certifications—one for you and one for your company.
TIME COMMITMENT
CEOs / Founders: 5–8 hours/week
Management Team: 2–4 hours/week
MANAGEMENT TEAM WORKSHOPS
Two online workshops and two on-site, full-day sessions hosted at your company.
Dates coordinated with you & your team.
LEADERSHIP LABS
Four structured peer roundtables focused on solving key business challenges.
Travel may be required.
LEARN IN THE LANGUAGE YOU THINK BEST
Experience real-time and on-demand translation during live lectures and recorded sessions.
Available in 50+ languages, including Afrikaans, Arabic, French, Portuguese, Kiswahili and IsiZulu.
CERTIFICATES
Receive two Stanford Graduate School of Business certifications—one for you and one for your company.
PROGRAM FEE
Donor-Supported Rate
Due to donor support, this program is offered to you at a small portion of its actual cost.
USD 9,500*
Made possible by the generosity of founding donors Robert King (MBA ’60), Dorothy King, and many others, including the De Beers Group—for participants in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.
*Travel and lodging not included. Lunch and tea/coffee breaks provided throughout In-Person Classroom Sessions.
Scholarships Available
A limited number of additional scholarships/subsidies (up to 60% of the donor-supported program fee) may be awarded to those with unique caregiving responsibilities/women founders, social entrepreneurs, small enterprises, and founders operating in underserved or under-resourced markets. Scholarships are limited and not guaranteed.
Applicants who advance to the interview stage will receive details on how to apply. 
PARTICIPANT REQUIREMENTS
Position
CEO or Founder of a for-profit business
Region
Primary operations in Africa
Team Size
Management team of at least three
(in addition to the CEO or founder)
Industry
Most industries are eligible
Annual Revenue
USD 300K–15M
PARTICIPANT REQUIREMENTS
Position
CEO or Founder of a for-profit business
Region
Primary operations in Africa
Team Size
Management team of at least three
(in addition to the CEO or founder)
Industry
Most industries are eligible
Annual Revenue
USD 300K–15M
Growing, but not there yet?
If your business’s annual revenue is under:
- USD 300K
explore Stanford’s programs for early-stage and small growing enterprises.
Growing, but not there yet?
If your business’s annual revenue is under:
USD 300K
explore Stanford’s programs for early-stage and small growing enterprises.
Hear from Past Participants
Meet entrepreneurs who have completed the Seed Transformation Program. Hear how they are growing their businesses and the impact they are having in their communities.
Hear from Past Participants
Meet entrepreneurs who have completed the Seed Transformation Program. Hear how they are growing their businesses and the impact they are having in their communities.
MEET THE FACULTY
Jesper Sørensen
Stanford Seed, Faculty Director, The Robert A. and Elizabeth R. Jeffe Professor, and Professor of Organizational Behavior
Baba Shiv
The Sanwa Bank Limited Professor of Marketing
Jonathan Levav
The King Philanthropies Professor of Marketing
Dan Iancu
Associate Professor of Operations, Information & Technology
Ron Kasznik
The Paul L. and Phyllis Wattis Professor of Management
Amit Seru
The Steven and Roberta Denning Professor of Finance, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Senior Fellow, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
Ashley Martin
Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior; Younger Family Faculty Scholar for 2025–2026
Brian S. Lowery
The Walter Kenneth Kilpatrick Professor of Organizational Behavior
Joseph Piotroski
The Robert K. Jaedicke Professor of Accounting
Amir Goldberg
Professor of Organizational Behavior
MEET THE FACULTY
Jesper Sørensen
Stanford Seed, Faculty Director, The Robert A. and Elizabeth R. Jeffe Professor, and Professor of Organizational Behavior
Baba Shiv
The Sanwa Bank Limited Professor of Marketing
Jonathan Levav
The King Philanthropies Professor of Marketing
Dan Iancu
Associate Professor of Operations, Information & Technology
Ron Kasznik
The Paul L. and Phyllis Wattis Professor of Management
Amit Seru
The Steven and Roberta Denning Professor of Finance, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Senior Fellow, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
Ashley Martin
Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior, Younger Family Faculty Scholar for 2025–2026
Brian S. Lowery
The Walter Kenneth Kilpatrick Professor of Organizational Behavior
Joseph Piotroski
The Robert K. Jaedicke Professor of Accounting
Amir Goldberg
Professor of Organizational Behavior
STP CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
The Seed Transformation Program offers a practical and rigorous leadership and business growth curriculum designed for CEOs/founders and their management teams. Through seven core modules, participants learn the essential skills needed to strengthen operations, improve decision-making, and scale an established enterprise. Faculty-led sessions include hands-on exercises and AI-supported tools that help leaders apply concepts directly to their businesses.
- Explore essential concepts and frameworks for AI-powered organizations in an opening AI overview session.
- Apply the Strategy Identification Framework to evaluate your firm’s competitive advantages. Use the Business Model Canvas (BMC) to map, test, and redesign how your business creates and captures value.
- Identify growth opportunities and set SMART, ambitious goals to scale sustainably.
- Deeply analyze your customers using the Jobs-to-Be-Done framework.
- Design your Value Proposition Canvas (VPC) to sharpen how you solve customer pains and create gains.
- Position your business effectively by comparing Points of Superiority, Parity, and Inferiority against competitors.
Operations & Financial Management
- Diagnose bottlenecks and redesign processes using operations and value chain analysis.
- Build financial fluency through the Leaders’ Financial Practicum, linking strategy to financial outcomes.
- Master core accounting tools—profitability analysis, working capital, and the Balanced Scorecard—to manage performance and resources.
- Segment and target customers using the STP frameworks and real-world cases.
- Craft compelling positioning statements and design go-to-market strategies aligned with your sales funnel.
- Strengthen your sales engine by mapping the decision-making unit (DMU), quantifying customer pain, and building repeatable sales processes.
- Complete a 360° Leadership Feedback assessment to benchmark your leadership style.
- Build core competencies of the GSB Leadership Model: self-awareness, perspective-taking, context awareness, communication, and decision-making.
- Draft a Leadership Action Plan to guide your personal growth alongside business growth.
Growth, Financing & Governance
- Evaluate trade-offs between financing options—bank debt, equity, venture capital, and hybrids.
- Strengthen organizational alignment using the PARC framework (People, Architecture, Routines, Culture).
- Design performance-driven systems through strategic human capital planning and managerial performance measurement.
- Present your company’s Transformation Plan, a coherent, actionable roadmap for the next 2 – 3 years, which you will have developed throughout the program.
Transformation Plan
The program culminates in the completion of the company’s Transformation Plan—an actionable roadmap that synthesizes all learnings into a strategic blueprint for growth.
STP CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
The Seed Transformation Program offers a practical and rigorous leadership and business growth curriculum designed for CEOs/founders and their management teams. Through seven core modules, participants learn the essential skills needed to strengthen operations, improve decision-making, and scale an established enterprise. Faculty-led sessions include hands-on exercises and AI-supported tools that help leaders apply concepts directly to their businesses.
Transformation Plan
The program culminates in the completion of the company’s Transformation Plan—an actionable roadmap that synthesizes all learnings into a strategic blueprint for growth.
- Explore essential concepts and frameworks for AI-powered organizations in an opening AI overview session.
- Apply the Strategy Identification Framework to evaluate your firm’s competitive advantages. Use the Business Model Canvas (BMC) to map, test, and redesign how your business creates and captures value.
- Identify growth opportunities and set SMART, ambitious goals to scale sustainably.
- Deeply analyze your customers using the Jobs-to-Be-Done framework.
- Design your Value Proposition Canvas (VPC) to sharpen how you solve customer pains and create gains.
- Position your business effectively by comparing Points of Superiority, Parity, and Inferiority against competitors.
Operations & Financial Management
- Diagnose bottlenecks and redesign processes using operations and value chain analysis.
- Build financial fluency through the Leaders’ Financial Practicum, linking strategy to financial outcomes.
- Master core accounting tools—profitability analysis, working capital, and the Balanced Scorecard—to manage performance and resources.
- Segment and target customers using the STP frameworks and real-world cases.
- Craft compelling positioning statements and design go-to-market strategies aligned with your sales funnel.
- Strengthen your sales engine by mapping the decision-making unit (DMU), quantifying customer pain, and building repeatable sales processes.
- Complete a 360° Leadership Feedback assessment to benchmark your leadership style.
- Build core competencies of the GSB Leadership Model: self-awareness, perspective-taking, context awareness, communication, and decision-making.
- Draft a Leadership Action Plan to guide your personal growth alongside business growth.
Growth, Financing & Governance
- Evaluate trade-offs between financing options—bank debt, equity, venture capital, and hybrids.
- Strengthen organizational alignment using the PARC framework (People, Architecture, Routines, Culture).
- Design performance-driven systems through strategic human capital planning and managerial performance measurement.
- Present your company’s Transformation Plan, a coherent, actionable roadmap for the next 2 – 3 years, which you will have developed throughout the program.
The STP Described
In this film, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the structure and various components of this unconventional learning experience.
The STP Described
In this film, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the structure and various components of this unconventional learning experience.
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
Most programs end with a certificate. Seed builds lifelong connections. Following the completion of the 10-month Seed Transformation Program, CEOs join the Seed Transformation Network, a powerful and vibrant community of 1,500+ fellow Seed graduates from across Africa, South Asia, and Indonesia. In addition to ongoing learning and networking events through local chapters, Network members receive access to Seed Coaches, project-based Seed Consultants, and Stanford student interns.
42%
have done business with a fellow program participant
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
Most programs end with a certificate. Seed builds lifelong connections. Following the completion of the 10-month Seed Transformation Program, CEOs join the Seed Transformation Network, a powerful and vibrant community of 1,500+ fellow Seed graduates from across Africa, Indonesia, and South Asia.
In addition to ongoing learning and networking events through local chapters, Network members receive access to Seed Coaches, project-based Seed Consultants, and Stanford student interns.
42%
have done business with a fellow program participant
The network…is just such an incredible community. Together, believing in each other and supporting each other… coming together not for what they can get, but for how that can be part of a community is really incredible, beautiful and very unique.”
Joanna Maiden
CEO & Founder
SOKO Kenya
The network…is just such an incredible community. Together, believing in each other and supporting each other… coming together not for what they can get, but for how that can be part of a community is really incredible, beautiful and very unique.”
Joanna Maiden
CEO & Founder
SOKO Kenya
This is My Tribe
Seed Transformation Network: A global fabric of like-minded entrepreneurs, providing support, collaboration, and opportunities for business growth.
This is My Tribe
Seed Transformation Network: A global fabric of like-minded entrepreneurs, providing support, collaboration, and opportunities for business growth.
Application & Selection Timeline
1
Application
18 February – 1 May
Submit your written application. We’ll review for core criteria including revenue thresholds and leadership role.
2
Deep Dive
1 April – 22 May
Selected applicants submit a video interview and financial documentation for comprehensive review.
3
Live Interviews
1 July – 26 August
Top candidates participate in live interviews with our selection committee.
4
Final Selection
2 – 11 September
Our admissions committee curates the final cohort to ensure diverse perspectives and peer compatibility. We review applications on a rolling basis. Early submission is encouraged.
Decisions Announced
16 September 2026
Commitment Deadline
29 September 2026
1
Application
18 February – 1 May
Submit your written application. We’ll review for core criteria including revenue thresholds and leadership role.
2
Deep Dive
1 April – 22 May
Selected applicants submit a video interview and financial documentation for comprehensive review.
3
Live Interviews
1 July – 26 August
Top candidates participate in live interviews with our selection committee.
4
Final Selection
2 – 11 September
Our admissions committee curates the final cohort to ensure diverse perspectives and peer compatibility. We review applications on a rolling basis. Early submission is encouraged.
Decisions Announced
16 September 2026
Commitment Deadline
29 September 2026
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
For in-depth discussions, schedule office hours with a Seed Program Advisor.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
For in-depth discussions, schedule office hours with a Seed Program Advisor.
By the time the program was done, I was running a processing plant more than 20 times the size. I grew from 40 employees at that time to close to 200. Right now, it is 300. So it was a rapid growth. I would say our success is traceable to the Seed program.”
James Ogbe
CEO
PESO Energy Services, Nigeria
By the time the program was done, I was running a processing plant more than 20 times the size. I grew from 40 employees at that time to close to 200. Right now, it is 300. So it was a rapid growth. I would say our success is traceable to the Seed program.”
James Ogbe
CEO
PESO Energy Services, Nigeria
About Stanford
Stanford University, founded in 1885 in the heart of Silicon Valley, California, is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading centers for innovation, research, and entrepreneurship. The Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), established in 1925, is consistently ranked among the top business schools globally and is known for its rigorous curriculum, world-class faculty, and deep focus on leadership and social impact. Its graduates go on to lead major companies, build influential startups, and shape industries around the world.
Stanford Seed, a philanthropic institute within the GSB, brings this expertise to Africa, South Asia, and Indonesia. Seed partners with entrepreneurs across these regions to strengthen companies, accelerate growth, and help build enterprises that transform lives and communities.
About Stanford
Stanford University, founded in 1885 in the heart of Silicon Valley, California, is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading centers for innovation, research, and entrepreneurship. The Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), established in 1925, is consistently ranked among the top business schools globally and is known for its rigorous curriculum, world-class faculty, and deep focus on leadership and social impact. Its graduates go on to lead major companies, build influential startups, and shape industries around the world.
Stanford Seed, a philanthropic institute within the GSB, brings this expertise to Africa, South Asia, and Indonesia. Seed partners with entrepreneurs across these regions to strengthen companies, accelerate growth, and help build enterprises that transform lives and communities.
