Want to learn how to operate your business as a professional CEO? Have a good idea for a business but are unsure of what you need to do?  Join the CEO Crash Course brought to you by the Water & Energy Technology Center at Fresno State and CleanStart! Applications are now being accepted for our 2024 Clean Tech CEO Crash!

The CEO Crash Course Is BACK!

Are you eager to operate your clean tech business with the precision of a professional CEO? Unsure about the steps needed to turn your innovative idea into a thriving venture? Join the CEO Crash Course presented by the Water & Energy Technology Center at Fresno State and CleanStart! This intensive course is tailored for early-stage clean tech companies that have a foundational business plan. Led by industry experts, including a five-time serial tech entrepreneur and a senior analyst specializing in clean tech, the course provides essential knowledge and skills crucial for the development of sustainable ventures. Participants will benefit from individualized mentoring, networking opportunities with industry experts, and a platform to showcase their ideas. Taught by a distinguished team, including a renowned Professor of Entrepreneurship at the USC Marshall School of Business, this program aims to shorten the time from initial investment to first profit by focusing on key tasks and avoiding common pitfalls. Graduates will leave with an upgraded business plan developed with peer and expert feedback. If you’re passionate about clean tech and ready to propel your business forward, this course is designed for you.

What you can expect to learn?

Participants in this CEO Crash Course can expect to gain a well-rounded skill set crucial for entrepreneurial success. 

  • Strategic thinking 
  • Sales techniques & market analysis 
  • Business model development
  • Team building
  • Customer research & validation 
  • Budgeting & forecasting 
  • Financial analysis & decision-making 
  • Identifying and optimizing revenue sources 
  • Grant proposal writing 
  • Funding identification 

Who is this course for?

This is an intensive course for early-stage companies that have already sketched out a business plan. Graduates of the course will finish with an upgraded plan that they will have developed with feedback from their peers and outside experts. The purpose of the course is to shorten a team’s time from first investment to first profit by focusing on key tasks and on avoiding common mistakes.

Important Dates and Information

  • Applications Due: December 24th, 2023
  • Start Date: January 16th, 2024
  • Duration: 16 sessions, 6:30 Pm to 8:30 Pm, ending March 12th

The sessions will be both virtual and in-person.  The in-person sessions will be held in both the Sacramento area and the Fresno area.  In addition, there will be exercises to be completed outside of the classes and submitted for evaluation. The CEO Crash Course is Free but requires a deposit that is returned upon completion of the course.  The deposit is $300.

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Feedback from past graduates

I appreciate the work that Clean Start has done so far with and for EV Life, your CEO crash course in the very beginning of my journey was really an incredible experience and really set us up to go tackle the first set of challenges with confidence.
So thank you.

-Kevin Favro, CEO EVLife

 

 

I completed CleanStart‘s CEO Crash Course, an 8-session course designed to give cleantech entrepreneurs an overview of topics from Customer Discovery through Finding Your Value Proposition, Building a Winning Team, Prototyping Your Product, Financial Management Best Practices, Forecasting, Growing Your Business, Raising Money, Valuation, and Planning a Good Exit. As much as it was learning from the instructors, it was great learning from fellow classmates and entrepreneurs. Thank you very much for offering up this very helpful resource!

-Cynthia Leung, Founder of Soluminos