• Ascent begins with the formation of the cohort and early engagement with each participating team. Through the initial discussions and application reviews, we select founders and businesses that align with the objectives of Ascent and who would work well together in a cohort of businesses of a similar stage and size.  
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  Upon acceptance, there are two engagement activities: an investment readiness assessment (addressed below) and DiSC personality assessments of the founder and leadership team. These, together with early interviews and site visits, provide an ongoing understanding of aspirations, needs, and characteristics that will inform early workshops and participant-specific program goals.
  

A key component of Ascent is a series of workshops that work through core business dimensions — strategy, sales, operations, and overall management — to define where and how to maximize growth potential and solve constraints to growth.

The first working session is held individually with each business’ leadership team. The DiSC assessment framework and results provide the context and content for working to enhance how the leadership team can work more effectively together. The work done here sets the direction for ongoing advancement of how the team can improve effectiveness in the coming months.

During the following months, we conduct a series of six multi-day workshops that bring cohort teams together with clearly defined objectives. Anchoring on a modified lean canvas structure and utilizing other frameworks, we will work with teams as they consider the “art of the possible” for their businesses, define and architect pathways to growth, and solve bottlenecks. These workshops also create space for peer-to-peer support and learning. Each team has the opportunity to provide constructive feedback and collaborate in the exploration of new ideas.

In these workshops, we also address how personal faith and values can factor into how businesses are built and led. How can brokenness in lives and communities be addressed through entrepreneurship? How can a business be an agent for transformational change? How could intentional consideration of these questions inform business design, decision-making, and stakeholder engagement? There are modules to explore these questions throughout.
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The following is the slate of workshops and their objectives:

• Develop mutual understanding and appreciation for relative strengths among the team members
• Begin exploring options for enhancing team effectiveness

• Sharpen and align on ideology for each enterprise team — values, purpose, vision, driving 10-year goal
• Foster team community

• Introduce business model as the means to identify and document the unique value proposition and supporting strategies which enable break-out growth
• Test and validate/pivot the business’ value proposition to achieve high growth traction
• Focus on high-value customers and advance strategies for achieving conversion and improving customer lifetime value

• Deepen understanding of cost dynamics and considerations in a high growth setting
• Review, challenge, revise pricing strategies

• Define/refine customer targets to achieve growth aspirations
• Develop actions and goals for scaling in next three years
• Identify/prioritize the key elements enabling — and inhibiting — growth realization

• Identify and prioritize key process inefficiencies/constraints/bottlenecks affecting growth
• Define and assess options for improving efficiencies
• Equip leadership with the right dashboard for effective performance management and monitoring

• Strengthen discipline of financial management
• Understand levers for cash flow management and begin improvement plan

• Assess and prioritize capital needs — for what, when, and the type of funding desired
• Understand investor expectations, and initiate development of compelling pitch deck
• Gauge level of investment readiness

In addition to the workshops, a series of four round tables are held during the initial seven months. These are designed for founders only, recognizing their unique responsibilities and challenges.

These sessions address leadership, culture, governance, and personal wellbeing. These times together are also intended to be energizing and reinvigorating. The founder’s journey is often a difficult and lonely one. We desire to foster honest discussion and sharing, which leads to the building of relationships that can be sources of support that continue beyond the program.

Below is the slate of founders’ round tables:

• Explore founder leadership orientations (insights from DiSC), desires, challenges 
• Identify personal growth needs to empower team and lead exponential growth
• Craft individual founder leadership models

• Identify disruptive innovations which lead to exponential growth
• Address constraints to innovative breakthroughs

• Understand value and core elements of effective governance and having an impactful board
• Develop governance strengthening plan

• Identify and prioritize capital needs
• Conduct Investment Readiness #2 (post workshops)
• Explore core obstacles and “must-haves” in raising capital
• Establish a construct for assessing the fit of investors with the founder/business

• During Ascent, participating founders have access to the program leaders and a mentor aligned with them. These individuals are themselves successful entrepreneurs who have been down the path of successfully growing businesses. They have endured the trials of charting new avenues for growth, the dilemmas of making hard strategic choices, and the ongoing tension of balancing personal, family, and business responsibilities. Given their experiences, they are well-positioned to be sounding boards, points of review, and counsel.

• Guidance – act as a sounding board, provide input and counsel
• Accountability – help ensure founders and teams are progressing
• Encouragement – support through times of difficulty, discouragement

• Experienced in building businesses, leadership, and management
• Passionate about entrepreneurs
• Desire to mentor others
• Active faith
• Sound judgment and good listening skills

• Curt Laird
  Founder of Re:Frontier, Xana Ventures, American University of Afghanistan Business Innovation Hub
• Prisca Muyodi
  Founder of Educor
• Joram Mwinamo
  ‍Co-founder of SNDBX, WYLDE
• Dave Payne
  Co-founder of Kentegra Biotechnology; Founder of OpenRise Advisory
• Dr. Louis Somoni
  Founder of Haltons Pharmacy

• The absence of capital is an increasing constraint on growth as a business advances. All too often, however, a firm’s readiness for investment does not advance together with its need for capital. Recognizing both dynamics, we initially work with founders to assess their investment readiness, identifying critical gaps and limitations. This informs points of focus to address through Ascent. An assessment is also conducted towards the end of the program to take stock of progress achieved and determine areas of continued work.
  
  Also built into the program is staged participation of select investors. Investors of all types commonly express the desire to be able to see potential investees before being asked for funds. There is an opportunity for them to understand both the business and the founder better and provide perspectives about areas of potential concern. These investors are keen to see growing businesses advance and are active in this stage.
  
  During the final months of Ascent work, we work with the business leaders to develop investment raise material, including investment memorandum elements, associated financial modeling, and a pitch deck.
  

• Ascent concludes with a live pitch day where investors will be present and for whom this will not be the first time of exposure to the cohort participants. We will support the engaged founders as discussions continue with interested investors after this event. Our goal in Ascent is to assist the participant in their progress toward investment readiness, to allow each the opportunity to engage with and ultimately pitch to investors, and to see some early success in raising capital.