GEC Catalyst Programme

Participants test assumptions and validate them through an intense customer discovery process.

Rapidly iterate product strategy to address customer’s needs. Obtain real customer feedback to iterate (small adjustments) or pivot (substantive changes) faster. 

Substantive changes to business model hypotheses before spending millions of dollars and years of work. Fail faster. These changes avoid future dead-ends or costs and can be as small as changing position in the value chain to rethinking core technologies. 

• This class is not about lectures but a hands-on experience. We fit guidance within startups’ real world: chaos, impossible deadlines, conflicting input, etc.

Every team member participates in customer discovery activities. You may not delegate customer discovery. 

Participants prepare at home. These lectures and additional reading contain the information that is needed to complete that week’s assignment. 

Online lectures are often supplemented by a deep-dive, in-class socratic-type lectures and guest speakers from industry, investor groups and NGOs. 

Each week participants present a 10-minute summary of their assignments. 

The class is a learning cohort. Each participant is responsible for help each other and learn from one another’s experiences. In addition, there are weekly sessions (“neighborhood chats”) with team interactions to share perspective and advice. 

Our GEC speakers and mentors give Catalyst classes and are mentors for our transformative entrepreneurs. They inspire and guide our impact community. 

Showcase your venture in fall at the GEC Forum and based on individual GEC investor matchmakings. 

At the beginning and throughout the program the GEC performs with you your venture’s impact assessment and report on the developments.

At the end of the course program your developments will be assessed according to GEC’s methodology.