CEO Start

Validate your business idea and get started in CEO Start

CEO Start is an 11-week group-learning opportunity that prepares aspiring and existing entrepreneurs with insights, relationships, and tools to turn their ideas into viable businesses.

Peer groups of 10 to 15 entrepreneurs will work through the nationally recognized curriculum focused on testing ideas and identifying key assumptions through interviews, peer-to-peer conversation, research, and facilitated discussions on key foundational elements. Professional pitch coaches will also guide participants as they prepare for a final presentation.

Participants who complete the program will walk away with a solid foundation of business skills, access to resources, a community of support, an understanding of their next steps, and the confidence to move forward with their idea.

This program is powered by CO.STARTERS, a tool from the Finsync Entrepreneur Ecosystem, in collaboration with Hennepin County and the cities of Brooklyn Park and Bloomington.

Registrations are now open for the next class of CEO Start. To express interest in this opportunity, sign up here.

A framework for validating business ideas

Through this hands-on workshop, entrepreneurs will turn their passion into a tested concept ready to launch.

In this training, a group of entrepreneurs will:

Build community and peer-to-peer relationships
Gain business knowledge and learn to keep it simple
Critically examine their idea through real-time collaboration and expert feedback
Follow an intensive path to develop and fine-tune their idea using the CO.STARTERS lean business model canvas

Participants will leave the program with a deeper understanding of how to create a sustainable venture, articulate their models, and repeat the process with their next great idea.

To be a part of CEO Start, participants must be willing and able to commit one evening in person and two to five hours of independent work outside of course time each week.

Eligibility

To qualify for CEO Start, participants must:

Be a resident of Hennepin County
Have an idea or an existing business in an early stage
Be willing to question, shape and fine-tune that idea
Be willing to talk about the idea with others
Have capacity to attend all classes and collaborate

Non-profit ideas and organizations are not currently eligible.

About the facilitation team

CEO Start is powered by the CO.STARTERS curriculum in collaboration with Hennepin County and the cities of Brooklyn Park and Bloomington.

CO.STARTERS, a tool from the Finsync Entrepreneur Ecosystem, is a nationally recognized community-based approach to economic development. The curriculum came tougher in 2008 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as part of a five-year revitalization project. Founders recognized a growing need to provide business support to entrepreneurs just getting started. Today, the CO.STARTERS network consists of thousands of success stories around the world.

National program results

24,700 entrepreneurs served
1,620 leaders trained
95% of participants continue working on their venture after one year
70% have generated a profit
150% increase in gross annual sales

Based on 2022 data from CO.STARTERS

Apply

Applications for the next CEO Start opportunity are now open, complete this form to express your interest in the opportunity.

Interested entrepreneurs can also sign up to receive updates for CEO Start and other opportunities by signing up for the business support newsletter below.