Stanford Seed East Africa

Stanford Seed Transformation Program (STP) East Africa

At Stanford, we believe that some of the most pressing problems we face today, including poverty, can be addressed through leadership and innovation in the private sector.

Building on Stanford's decades-long history of educating innovators in Silicon Valley, Stanford Seed is now bringing this innovative mindset and practical business training to entrepreneurs in Africa.

Stanford Faculty-Led Curriculum

The STP curriculum is customized to address the needs of founders and senior leaders of small and medium sized companies who are committed to growing their businesses.  

Over a period of six months, you will attend four highly interactive sessions—each lasting one week. Sessions cover tools and methodologies that you will use to grow and transform your business.

For example, you will learn about Design Thinking—an innovative problem-solving approach refined by Stanford faculty and its alumni—that is invaluable for identifying new products and services for your customers. 

STP topics include leadership training, strategy, organizational design, business model development, operations, accounting, marketing, finance/investing, value chain innovations, governance, business ethics, and product and service innovations. 

Learning by Doing

In seeking transformative growth of businesses, traditional classroom learning is not enough. That is why STP is designed to be highly interactive, and to allow leaders to both discover and apply the tools and methodologies that will help them transform their businesses.

Following each of the four, week-long curriculum sessions, you will share your learnings with your management teams through Seed-facilitated workshops.  Together with your team, you will work on projects designed to plan for the growth and scale of your company.  

By the end of the six months, you will have completed your Transformation Capstone: a plan for growth that is specific to your business.

Local and Regional Peer Networks

Bringing together founders and leaders from different countries and industries enriches your learning experience and helps you build relationships across borders and industries. 

Leadership labs and frequent breakout sessions provide opportunities to gather input from your peers and to work on problems that are unique to your situation. 

Together, you will begin to apply your learnings and practice applied skills such as negotiation, working in teams, public speaking, and develop the core components of your Seed Transformation Capstone, your master plan for scaling your enterprise.

Following completion of the six-month STP curriculum, you may choose to join a SeedPod—a select network of peers—to provide and receive continuous feedback as each of you begins to implement your Transformation Plan. 

Stanford Seed Coach Program

Those who have completed the Seed Transformation Program are eligible to apply for a Seed Coach. Coaches are executives from around the world who volunteer for up to six months, working closely with exceptional leaders and coaching them in positioning businesses for transformational growth. Separate application required.

STP Member Benefits

STP participants continue to stay engaged with Stanford Seed well past the Seed Transformation's completion. Together with current and former participants, you will become part of the STP network.

• Benefits of the network include invitations to participate in ongoing peer leadership groups, tactical training workshops, networking events, and other programs, including support from Stanford students.

• Network members are often invited to share the experiences of their own transformation journeys to incoming cohorts. 

Participant Commitment 

• Admitted founders/leaders must commit to the six month program duration.

• Mandatory attendance is required for the four sessions, each lasting one week. Sessions are held at Seed's East Africa center in Nairobi, Kenya, unless otherwise indicated.

• Attendance is also required at one Leadership Lab, held between the week-long sessions.

• You are also expected to work closely with your management team to share and apply your learnings and to develop a company-wide plan for transformation and growth of your business.

Cost to Participants

• STP participants are responsible for transportation to and from Seed's East Africa center located in Nairobi, Kenya, as well as for lodging during the sessions. 

• Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and some dinners will be provided during the program.

Program Fee

Instruction in the Seed Transformation Program is offered by Stanford Graduate School of Business faculty, leveraging expertise in executive education, training, and coaching. In order to partially defray program expenses and increase Seed's potential impact, there is a USD 5,000 fee for program participation. 

In our inaugural year in East Africa, Seed has reduced the fee to USD 1,500 per participant. 

Program Calendar

Seed Transformation Program sessions last one week and will be held in May, July, September, and November 2016.

Detailed program information, including faculty profiles, and daily schedules, will be forwarded to you after your admission.