“… bringing the dimensions of I, We, It together”

The first program UDEL is over: how was it?
It was a success and at the same time very empowering. We worked together with a team of individuals who are looking for meaning and purpose to acquire new skills and to co-create. uDEL thus  provided a platform for reconnecting oneself with others to jointly engage in bringing something into the world. 

Did you meet all your objectives in your first class?
In a way: yes: all alumni would do it again, seem happier, went further on their life path, made new friendship, found a new community, which is deeply meaningful to them etc.

You had eight participants in the first group: what is there background in startups?
One of the eight participants is founder and CEO of a start-up, another one had some first experience with setting something up himself.

Have they founded a company already?
Yes, they teamed up in 2 teams, both of which have founded an association. One is GoMinSam, which is also launching its first event «Business as (un)usual! New ways of working and how to make it work» and the other is Kobolds, which is working on its first paid mandate from a customer.

What are you doing differently from other training programs on the market?
We are bringing the dimensions of I, We, It together. Although the «it», or venture creation is the vehicle for the process, we equally look at personal transformation and collaboration. Furthermore, we are following the approach of unschooling, thus being responsible for process and method: each participant brings in their own concern and we jointly and continuously define what they wish to learn and take out of this deep immersion experience.

What are your key learnings from the first class?
Find a new language – for instance, when you talk of presentations people are think of power point stand up presentation, whereas it could be also anything else. At STRIDE we had to rename to «show'n'tell». In addition, participants did not identify themselves as students; instead, we used the term STRIDER. From a business perspective, we realised that everything needs more time when doing it for the first time including recruitment of a class. We also pivoted a few times on different things. We are ourselves are in a continuous learning process.

Do the tuition fees sustain running the company?
That depends a lot on the class size, as education is a fixed cost business. Currently we are still paying ourselves far below market salaries and we got some external funding (grants) which we want to use to launch the other products of our think and do tank. One of the new programs has the working title "Professional Passages" which will be launched at the end of April. The program aims to accompany professional who are typically still in their position and who seek a transition into e.g. entrepreneurial action.

 The second STRIDE uDEL program is ongaoing and registration for the 2019 class if already open.