Ascend National Cohort Program September 2023 – April 2024

THE 2023-24 ASCEND NATIONAL COHORT WILL WORK TOWARDS GROWING 100 BUSINESSES OWNED BY PEOPLE OF COLOR WITH $2-9 MILLION IN REVENUES BEYOND THE $10 MILLION LEVEL.

Solutions-Oriented Approach
Businesses that participate in the Ascend National Cohort enter with a defined opportunity/challenge that, when addressed, leads to business growth. Prior business opportunities/challenges have included business acquisition, international expansion, reducing employee turnover, and reducing inventory and production costs, among others. The Ascend National Cohort becomes a tool through which businesses access a breadth and depth of resources unavailable in other programs to meet the challenge and grow their profitability.

The 2023-24 program follows a successful inaugural year that saw 48 businesses improve their operations, which has led to growth rates between 5% and 50% since September 2022.

Businesses that will benefit the most from the Ascend National Cohort are those MBEs that have revenues in the $2-9 million range and are seeking to grow to $20 million in the next two years. Businesses are typically nominated for this program by one of their clients or customers. Ascend focuses on businesses that target sales in B2B or B2G environments.

The Ascend National Cohort is built for leadership teams rather than for an individual. The company’s CEO plus up to 2 other people in their business are responsible for solving the problem or reaching the critical opportunity. They will attend the opening and closing residential sessions. While not required, this program builds on the assumption that CEOs have previously completed advanced business education through an MBA or executive education.

Hubs

Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University
Foster School of Business at University of Washington
Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
Meda & Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota
Morehouse College

Management Coaching & Consulting

Business Coaches: Will help the business translate business concepts taught by business schoolfaculty into practice to drive measurable improvement.
MBA Ascend Fellow: Will conduct analysis, complete research, or develop a strategic approachto improving the company’s performance.

Financial & Technology Coaching

Gain a Technology Edge provided by EY
Strengthen Financial Management Systems provided by RSM
Leverage the financing power of JP Morgan Chase

View Ascend National Cohort 2023-2024 One-Page Flyer and Overview Presentation for more information.

Apply for the Ascend National Cohort 2023-2024 here.