Who should attend
The program is designed for those ready to build something of their own.
Module dates:
Oct 10-11 | Nov 7-8 | Dec 12-13
Format
3-4 weekends in Bucharest + online
From Corporate to Founder
The pre-accelerator for professionals ready to build something of their own
You are good at what you do. The results are there. The career has moved in the right direction. And still, underneath all of it, there is something that keeps surfacing, the sense that you should be building something of your own, not just executing within someone else’s structure.
From Corporate to Founder is a three-month pre-accelerator designed for ambitious professionals who want to build something of their own – a business with real growth potential, launched in 2027.
The program works across three areas: understanding yourself and your competitive advantage as a founder, finding and sharpening a real business opportunity, and figuring out with whom and with what you build it, including co-financing options for teams ready to make the move.
About the program
From Corporate to Founder is designed to help you make a real, informed decision about entrepreneurship. Instead of focusing on certificates or theoretical concepts, the program gives you clarity, strategic thinking, evidence-based insights, and a concrete action plan.
You’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of entrepreneurship through practical, real-world content that covers all the fundamentals, not just the race to building a prototype. The skills you develop will remain valuable regardless of whether you decide to launch a business or not.
Delivered in Bucharest, the program offers the quality of leading international entrepreneurship programs at roughly one-fifth of the cost, making world-class education far more accessible.
More than just a learning experience, the program is designed to help participants take action. It includes support for company incorporation and offers an optional co-financing mechanism for teams that are ready to move forward with their ventures.
Who is this program for?
From Corporate to Founder is designed for professionals who feel the ambition to build something meaningful and create a business with real growth potential.
The program is particularly valuable for those evaluating the transition from corporate leadership to entrepreneurship, seeking to build a high-growth venture, or exploring new products, services, and business models with greater potential for scale.
From Corporate to Founder - The Learning Journey
Three dimensions are addressed in three complex modules, from self-awareness to a launchable venture.
Module 1 - Why This, Why Now, Why You: Self & Context Module
- This one focuses on the transition from a corporate career to entrepreneurship. Participants develop the mindset required to embrace calculated risk, examine the realities of failure and uncertainty, and understand when and whether the move into entrepreneurship is the right one.
Module 2 - A Real Problem Worth Solving: Business Opportunity Module
- The module is dedicated to identifying opportunities grounded in genuine market needs. Participants learn how to assess customer pain points, analyze market potential through frameworks such as TAM, SAM, and SOM, and evaluate whether an opportunity is commercially viable. It also introduces practical AI tools and provides an overview of industries and sectors where high-potential opportunities may emerge.
Module 3 - With Whom and With What: Business & Resources Module
- Participants build complementary founding teams through cohort matchmaking, receive one-to-one mentoring to refine their opportunity and value proposition, and define long-term strategic objectives, including potential exit scenarios. They also develop tailored sales, marketing, and scaling strategies, build and test prototypes, gather market feedback, explore venture financing options, and conclude the program with a structured roadmap for launching their business.
Lecturers
Andreas Antonopoulos (PhD, MBA | Rector & Professor of Entrepreneurship, University of New York in Prague | Partner, Venture Growth Partners | Visiting Professor @ BISM)
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Andreas has started or invested in 18 ventures (5 failures, 2.5 exits to date) and brings battle-tested honesty into the room rather than motivational clichés. His career spans Bell Labs/Lucent Technologies, Nortel Networks, British Telecom, and RHK, with consulting work across 30+ companies. He has taught entrepreneurship at 9 universities and sits on 4 portfolio-company boards.
Guest lecturers: Mircea Drăghici and Radu Atanasiu, with likely involvement from accelerators and downstream investors during the business-opportunity assessment phase.
Calendar
When? This fall, Oct 10-11 | Nov 7-8 | Dec 12-13
Sessions: 3-4 weekends in Bucharest + online
Total time: 40–45 hours combined
Fee: 3700 EURO + TVA
- 20% discount for BISM Alumni
Next steps
Sit with it and weigh whether this change is right for you. If it speaks to you, apply today.