JOIN OUR LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
In this program, you will learn about yourself and your relations to others. It is all about the psychological aspects of leadership. The program activities cover a series of intentionally designed experiential learning activities rooted in leadership organizational psychology and group relations conferences that aim to help you to build and expand your leadership foundation through reflection and experience and from there grow as a founder and leader.
KEY PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
Workshop Days x 2
The program kicks off and ends with a full workshop day with the entire cohort of founders where you will get to engage with experts/researchers, coaches and peer-founders with handpicked concepts, model and tools in exercises, that will help you fast-forward your journey and foundations as a leader in a startup.
Offsite Retreats x 2
Together with your cohort of like-minded and same-stage founders, you will go away on an intense and richly designed 2-day retreat at different venues in Denmark. Here you will participate in immersive group exercises and workshops facilitated by coaches trained in organizational psychology.
Group dynamics and personal roles are among the things you will explore as part of Founder to Leader. The awareness of self and others is a key cornerstone of leadership and being able to successfully motivate and mobilize other people to work effectively on the task. Founder to Leader is a training lab to build those competencies and the social and emotional intelligence of a leader.
Individual coaching session with a leadership coach x 4
During the 3.5 months of each cohort, founders will get 4 times 1:1 coaching sessions with a seasoned executive coach. These sessions offer a safe and supportive space where founders can take a step back from the daily grind and let their brave masks fall for a minute as they reflect on how they are currently facing their biggest struggles.
Coaching will help you to see clearly through your inner and outer blockers and support you in identifying your own realistic actions and solutions.
Founder Network
In the Founder to Leader Program, we make a big effort to curate the cohorts so participants are matched to get the most out of the intense time they spend with each other on the offsite retreats and workshop days. As a result, you become a part of a unique and tight-knit network of founders carefully selected for eligibility and potential high impact is the platform for much of the learning.
As a founder, finding yourself with a group of like-minded people in a similar situation like yourself can have a healing effect on many battle scars of the founder’s journey.
LEARNING FORMATS
+ Tools & Framework
Sessions delivered by researchers and organizational consultants introducing useful concepts in leadership.
+ Group Coaching
Practical dilemmas from home organization are explored with diversity of perspectives.
+ Role analysis
Develop a deeper understanding of how roles have been given and taken up before and now.
+ Process Groups
Group dynamics and the practice of here-and-now are explored.
+ Organizational exercise
Explore dynamics in the structure of an organization.
+ Systems Psychodynamics
A comprehensive toolbox and vocabulary to understand the complex interplay of individuals, groups, emotions, rational problem solving and unconscious dynamics that collectively form organizational life.
For founders, in the context of high-performance pressure, there is little time and space for thinking, feeling, and reflecting while steering their business. Systems Psychodynamics will deepen the ability to access mental and emotional resources and mentalization under pressure.
UPCOMING COHORTS 2025
The application deadline for Cohort 8 is on on Sunday, August 3, and we do interviews on a rolling basis.
COHORT 8
Kickoff Day
September 3, 2025
CBS, Copenhagen School of Entrepreneurship
Porcelænshaven 26, 2000 Frederiksberg
Retreat 1
September 19-20, 2025
Offsite venue: Konventum, Helsingør
Retreat 2
October 24-25, 2025
Offsite venue: Konventum, Helsingør
Bootcamp Day
November 20, 2025
CBS, Copenhagen School of Entrepreneurship
Porcelænshaven 26, 2000 Frederiksberg
You can apply to the program here.
APPLICATION PROCESS
STEP 1
Submit your application through our system. You will receive a receipt by email to confirm that we have your application.
STEP 2
Upon submission, selected applicants will be invited to participate in a 25 minute interview.
*Please not that we do not accept applications by email.
STEP 3
Invitation to attend the program. Please note that each cohort has a limited number of seats available, and admission to the program is not guaranteed for all applicants.
Copenhagen Business School
Porcelænshaven 26, 2nd Floor
2000 Frederiksberg
CONTACT: foundertoleader.cse@cbs.dk
