Stanford Ignite is a certificate program that teaches innovators how to formulate, develop, and commercialize their ideas. Participants learn core business skills and experience working on a team to develop a business plan around a new product or service for an existing organization or a new venture.
Stanford Ignite classes are taught by the same Graduate School of Business faculty who teach in our MBA program. Prominent executives and corporate, venture, and angel investors participate as guest speakers, expert panelists and business mentors to provide candid feedback on team projects. Stanford Ignite is a full time program, and runs for four weeks from mid-June to mid-July.
This program is designed to expose individuals without formal graduate business training (e.g., an MBA) to a full range of business skills and concepts. Participants will:
- Learn core business skills such as marketing, operations, strategy, accounting, finance, and economics
- Practice interpersonal skills such as negotiation, teamwork, public speaking, leadership, and pitching ideas
- Learn approaches to product design and prototyping
- Work in teams to develop a plan for commercializing a new product or service, either for an existing organization or a new venture
- Hear and get feedback from prominent executives and corporate, venture, and angel investors who participate as guest speakers, expert panelists, and business mentors
Stanford Ignite differs from other SGSI courses in several key ways:
- It is run by Stanford's Graduate School of Business
- It is held at a different time (see below)
- It has a different application deadline - in mid or late March. Admissions is done on a rolling basis so early applications are encouraged
- The summer Stanford Ignite has a fee of $1,450 for Stanford students and postdoctoral fellows (see above)
- Stanford Ignite also offers a part-time Winter quarter program, though tuition for this program is not subsidized by the VPGE office
Cost: $1,450 for Stanford students and postdoctoral fellows, substantially subsidzed by the VPGE office (the fee for non-Stanford participants is $14,500). For applicants with limited funds, additional financial aid for the balance of the tuition may be available through the Graduate School of Business.
More information, including the application link, is available on the Stanford Ignite - Graduate School of Business web site.
