But how did it get started? What have we learned and where is it going from here?

A big thanks to Rick Rasmussen for the collaboration, Jolene Foo-Hodne , for brilliant design,  as well as Scott Newton , Elisabeth (Iren) Øvstebø Ljubisa Petrovic and Enrico Maset for the tireless work, contributions and support.

“Why is it that everyone is speaking, but no one seems to be speaking about the same thing?”

The feeling had been nagging me for weeks. The team at 2X Global had convened a truly impressive, 120+ people strong co-creation team. Global experts across the GP, LP and regulatory landscape came together online, in the middle of Covid, to co-create a structural solution to the gross imbalance around gender-financing and gender-smart funds.

How could we get many more women-led, women owned funds in the market?

These were serious experts. 20+ years experience, 35+ year experience. Former CEO’s of DFI’s, large capital allocators, emerging fund managers. Everyone was investing their time, coming together. But somehow, we were not speaking the same language.

A few months earlier I had been invited to work with the 2X Global team to help co-create and co-facilitate this global 2X design sprint. A superb task, with an impressive team. Now, we were in the middle of it, having run multiple sessions, started to fill up Miro boards and early sketches.

Yet, the conversations were also a bit all over the place. Some talked about capital formation, some talked about lack of exits. Some talked about access to LPs, or lack of, others talked about the challenges of building up a lasting GP team. Others again talked about the lack of working capital, while others talked about the challenges of creating liquidity in secondaries. Some talked about angel networks, while others was all over the challenges of working with DFIs. We were, if you will, speaking, but speaking all over a 10-15 year fund timeline.

It was almost as we were not even having the same conversations.

Then it struck me. We are completely lacking a basic, common visual language. Everyone is speaking from their own, expert position, based on what they see in the market. But we have, so far, not been able to ‘get on the same page, and speak the same language’. It was, what Dan Roam and Alex Osterwalder would call “Blah, blah, blah”. Not for bad will or lack of skills. No, the audience were all domain experts.

But we were lacking a common, visual canvas we could work off of.

We needed, a shared visual artefact.

This was the insight back in 2021, that would ultimately lead to the development of the VC Series, a collection of 115 visual canvases and the Fund Manager! simulation.

Today, these canvases are in use by 100’s of investors, angel networks, GPs, LPs and investment firms. They have been downloaded and shared 1000’s of times. The Fund Manager! Masterclass has been delivered in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas and widely used to teach a generation of new fund managers.

But, how did we get there?

Step one, developing the first VC Series canvases (March-April 2021)

The very first sketches starting come on paper in late March, early April 2021. It was early days, early sketches. Initially, we were just trying to develop something that would allow us to capture the conversation in the 2X Design Sprint.

Sketches would quickly turn into the First-time Fund Manager Map, Capital Landscape and My LP Map. Over the following weeks, more complex visuals, like the Fund Journey Map (my personal favorite), the LP Stack (most people’s #1) and Five Fundraising Tranches come to light.

Things started developing. At this point, I was having nearly daily working sessions with our dear friend, Rick Rasmussen, as we hashed out the concepts and iterated on design, use case and user friendliness. These sessions were instrumental to the work that would follow.

Today, the VC Series contains 115 canvases, used by 100’s of investment firms, fund managers and VC programs around the world (download – 100% free)

Part II: From Canvases To…. Something More Significant

The insights came from another deep discussion with the 2X Global team in the early spring of 2021. We needed something…. Something that could really help, even kickstart emerging fund managers.

But it was also bigger than that.

We needed something that would also help emerging LPs, people that have not previously invested into SME/PE/venture funds understand. Could we possibly build on our experiences with developing the Strategy Tools simulations, like Scale Up! And Transform!?

Could we develop a brand new, Fund Manager! simulation? Could we develop an immersive, experiential experience, putting people into the shoes of a first-time GP team, as emerging manager, and let them experience the full journey themselves?

How It Started (Stavanger, Norway, April 2021)

The first working session, in our offices, took place Thursday April 29th.

The ideas had been maturing for a few days. It seemed pretty straightforward. Just structure a Fund Manager experience, based on our work with the Scale Up!, Transform! and Supercluster! Simulations. At  the time, we had been developing and running the first three Strategy Tools simulations for a couple of year, completing less than 200 sessions.

“Would it be possible, to develop a similar solution for venture capital and fund investors?”

The first sketches came to life pretty easy. The key building blocks with a board, boom, bust were well known from our initial sims. We needed LP cards, Super LPs, and deal flow, lots of deal flow. From day one, we were developing this with a global audience in mind, and the content had to reflect that.

During the first day, back on April 29th, the whole thing came to life pretty quickly, in between online Masterclasses, client calls and a late working session in Washington.

Then we waited.

Development did not happen instantly.

In June, we cracked the ‘how to win mechanism’. We brainstormed. We worked deeply on the 2X Design Sprint, now evolving into its second phase. I spent extensive time, working with, learning from and listening to all the key stakeholders, from GPs, LPs, domain experts and investment managers.

The writing really took off in September.

I had spent the summer reading, putting notes together. Thinking about the content in detail. By that point, we had 100’s of handwritten pages with content, concepts and cards.

The real work started in October this year. Together with Rick (content), Jolene (design) and Adelina (project), we rapidly developed 100’s and 100’s of cards.

Rick’s wealth of knowledge in all things venture capital proved to a goldmine. Months of working closely with the 2X Global team and the 120+ global experts provided a unique, no-bar-holds access to the deep end of bust scenarios for emerging managers.

We wrote and wrote. Jolene, at the time, had her hands full trying to design the elements that came flying her way at all hours.

Did you know, Fund Manager has more than 1.400 unique content cards?

First Digital Test Session (December 2021)

By December, we were ready. We pulled together the content on a digital platform, Miro. Rick, Enrico Maset, Nir Melamud and myself were the first first test drivers.

Would it work? Did we strike the right balance? Did it even make sense?

The first board was set up December 19th. My notes say I closed out the session at 3 am.

Our second test was held December 28th. This time, with Jessica, Javier, Ljubisa, Jay, Enrico, Nir, Rick and me. We were getting the hang off it.

World Premier – Boost (January 5th 2022)

On January 5th, we were ready to launch. On Miro. 100% digital. 25+ participants, world premier, during the 2022 Strategy Tools Partner Boost Summit. For most, this was the first  time they were exposed to the complex and fascinating world of venture financing.

Re: Fund Manager (A Must) (January 2022)

“Hi rock stars! Today we launched the new Fund Manager! simulation to the world….. you really need to try this out”, that was the gist of the e-mail I fired off to the team at 2X Global January 5th 2022.

It was live, it was time to give it a go. After all, the 2X Global team and size of challenge were were trying to tackle was a key source, maybe the key source of inspiration for starting the work that led to Fund Manager!.

Between January and May that year, we would run a series of discovery sessions and mini-bootcamps. After all, we still had to learn how to fly this plane we had built.

Unboxing, First Print Edition (Stavanger, Norway, March 2022)

Unboxing, is always a highlight. The same here. March 17th the 50+ kg of printed materials arrived at the office. From early sketches nine nearly a year ago, we had finally arrived at our first, printed, physical kits.

Of course, the big question was, where do we go from here?

First Run In The Wild (London, April 2022)

I had first gotten in touch with Eleanor in late January. We had a zoom call. Discussed Europe’s venture capital landscape. I introduced Fund Manager! She mentioned a team session they were planning to run.

The pieces came together quickly from there. Parts of Sifted’s London team would be our first ever Fund Manager! in the wild. In London. Scott and I would be running it. Yeah!

Eleanor made sure we understood.

There was zero chance of an article here. Even if this was good. Maybe, just maybe, if the found it up to Sifted standards, and then only maybe would they write a small piece on it. But only if it was interesting enough.

When “Can you teach VC? Two dudes with a board and some card think you can” came out in April, it instantly circulated across social media.

This is also where it got picked up by our friends in Egypt, but that comes later.

Getting Going (Multiple Online Fund Manager! Bootcamps)

April turned into May, we were starting to move with this thing. In May we launched the pre-session Fund Manager Mini Bootcamp video.

Fund Manager Mini Bootcamp: Intro

We were starting to run multiple sessions per month. It was working.

People were intrigued, engaged and utterly competitive when it came to building and leading VC firms, even if it was just a simulation.

First Ever 2X Ignite Fund Manager Bootcamp (July 2022)

Our journey came full circle in July that year. 20 participants from the 2X community signed up for our first ever 2X GP Sprint dedicated program. After all, this was the reason we started this thing to begin with.

We  knew this would be a tough crowd. Experienced. Would we be able to live up to their expectations? At the same time, we had come to learn that anything that helps emerging managers build insights around LP fundraising and strengthen the value creation-to-exit focus would be valuable.

The feedback was clear. It worked. Understanding the full fund manager journey. Thinking exits and paths to liquidity. These were things people really appreciated. Feedback was also becoming consist, “we need more time” and “the platform is challenging”. Would this be better if we focused on running it in in person?

Picking Up The Pace  (London, September 2022)

September took us back to London. Scott and I were working with Founder’s Intelligence. For the first time we ran two boards, two rooms, 8 teams. After all, we did print two sets, right?

An incredible engaged crew at Founder’s Intelligence outperformed our wildest expectations. “Hey, we truly can teach VC with a board and some cards”, we thought. The FI team also seemed to appreciate it. We have been with them twice since.

Hello, Middle East  (November 2022)

We did not know it at the time, but our first ever collaboration with Falak Startups, Hazem, Tarek and the team, would be the start to a great, long-term collaboration. We first started talking just after the Sifted article came out. Things took its time. But there was genuine excitement in the air to get this done. Cairo, Egypt, Fund Manager.

Rick and I would be going. The dates were set for December 2022. It was still year one, but we had managed to run a significant number of sessions already. But Egypt, this was new.

It was loud. It was busy. It was warm. Our setup on the rooftop venue (mostly glass) on the top floor of the Consoleya in old town, Cairo, was unique. We would pack two tables, two setups, nearly 50 people into one, single room.

But it worked. In fact, it more than just worked. The feedback was superb. We want more. I learned so much. Amazing. Later we would learn that the Falak team had run a pretty active Instagram, something that would lead us to Dubai in less than a year.

Wrapping Up 2022

We closed out 2022 on a high note. Thanks to our early work with 2X Global, 100’s of hours spent with Rick, Jolene, Adelina and Scott, we had developed Fund Manager!, as far as we knew, the best and only VC simulation in the world. Things were working. It was still just year one.

It was impossible to know as we closed out the first year, but 2023 would bring us to Singapore, Dubai and London.

From Pilots To Classroom (London, June 2023)

During the first half of 2023 we spent significant time to develop the teaching content, the pre-work,  case studies, toolkit and handbooks. This become key when the team at Newton Venture Program invited us to run the first ever NVP in-person Fund Manager at London Business School’s Marylebone campus.

Again, Scott and I packed up our bags and flew in. Only thing, as this was the middle of summer and school holiday, I also brought along our Fund Manager Summer intern, my 11-year old son Alex. Who says VC skills can’t be developed early in the career?

Again, our setup was 1,5 days, with 8 teams in two classrooms. This gives us an incredibly fast-paced format, as we need to truly sprint through the 10+ year fund journey. Despite the pace, the format worked as we continued to iterate on content and tweak the format. By now we had run enough sessions to find the flow and get teams into high-performance mode, fast. (Truly appreciate the collaboration with Newton Venture Program. We’ve now run 4-5 sessions together and can’t wait for the next ten!. If you are new to the world of VC, check out their excellent programs)

2X GP Sprint,  Singapore (November 2023)

In November, we came full circle yet again. The 2X GP sprint, our 6-month GP accelerator program was convening for the first time in-person, and we were doing LP meetings, SuperReturn Return and Fund Manager!

For the first time, we brought together emerging managers, Limited Partners, Family office and DFIs, with Australian DFAT representatives.

This, we suddenly realized, would become the new normal, where the Fund Manager! Masterclass would be the perfect platform for bringing GPs, LPs and regulators together. Bring down the barriers. Remove the roles. Mix real-life GPs and LPs on the same time. Let them work together, just as the partnership model was supposed to work. (huge thanks to 2X GP Sprint team for making this happen!)

I could not have known it at the time, but the meet up in Singapore would eventually put us on the path to Fiji, via the development of the Pacific Islands Fund Manager…

From Asia To The Middle East (November 2023)

We wrapped up our Singapore program. I snatched a coconut. My flight was in just hours. Next, Dubai and the Dubai Future District Fund.

Meeting The UAE Ecosystem, Starting Our Work On VC Ecosystems

We did not know it in advance, but the 40+ participants in Dubai would be our most experienced, our most advanced group since we launched Fund Manager! Half of them were working full-time at the Dubai Future District Fund, Dubai’s FoF, and a cornerstone in the ecosystem. The other half were portfolio fund managers with DFDF.

Thanks to a partnership with AWS and Knowledge Fund, we were able to structure a full sized, 3-day Masterclass. Rick flew in from California, via Paris, where he was fundraising for Ukraine Phoenix Tech Fund.

What really impressed us in Dubai was three things;

1. The depth of pre-existing knowledge

Everyone in the room knew venture capital. In most previous programs we had always had to explain the basics. Not here. The fundamentals were all here. This really shone through in absolutely world-class GP pitch decks and LP update presentations. Well done, everyone!

2. Pace

The pace was twice what we would normally see, allowing us to cover extensive amounts of content, exercises and canvases. We dove into portfolio outcomes, exit paths and outcome analysis. People aced it!

3. Collaboration

Dubai, with DFDF, was the first time we really saw the benefits of multi-stage collaboration. Up to this point, people had mostly “traded”, I’ll give you this, if you give me that. Not in Dubai. The winning team(s) nailed the big idea behind the venture capital ecosystem. Only by collaborating, building trust and sharing deals across stages are we able to scale companies and create massive wealth.

Shoutout to Mahmoud and Karim for taking this to the next level. The insights from Dubai also led us onto our research on venture capital ecosystems. A different story….

Wrapping 2023

2023 was a wrap, having taking 100’s of new participants through Fund Manager! The tools, the exercises, the simulation, it was really starting to come together in a fantastic way.

What would 2024 hold? Well, as we would come to learn in the new year, Johannesburg, South Africa, Belgrade, Serbia, Lausanne, Switzerland, back to Cairo, Egypt and the Canadian Venture Capital association were just some of the highlights that awaited us.

Back On The Road With 2X GP Sprint, Hello Johannesburg (April 2024)

It’s not often I can go on a lion safari in South Africa and call it work. But the 2X GP Sprint, Africa cohort II started off with an in-person deep dive session in Johannesburg. Emerging managers, LPs, DFI’s and ecosystem builders came together for our launch module in Johannesburg.

Having learned from our experience in Singapore, mixing GPs, LPs and fund experts was proving to be a fantastic mix, While in Singapore, we ran the Fund Manager! at the tail end of the 6-month program; here it was a part of the grand opening, providing a unique opportunity for team building and getting to know each other in a friendly, yet competitive setting.

The safari? The day after the Fund Manager! ended, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to continue the discussions with the team from Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) in the jeep while exploring the Pilanesberg National Park and discussing DPI expectations in fund-of-fund structures.

A Truly Unique Location: IMD @Lausanne (September 2024)

My first visit to Lausanne had been some 11 years ago, for a Strategic Management Society conference in April 2013. Now, we would be heading back, to run Fund Manager! as a pilot within the VAM – Venture Asset Management Program at IMD.

Venture capital, in our view, is not sufficiently taught across Europe. At IMD, it would take an American with a life-long connection to IMD to launch the Venture Asset Management program, a short, executive program for capital allocators and others with a growing recognition that VC might just have a place in the asset allocation mix.

It was a LinkedIn post by Daniel Keipper Knorr that first put VAM on the map. Our mutual friend Bill Fischer made a friendly introduction. Jim was positive. Let’s try it out.

Scott, Henrik and me flew in for the weekend. It would prove to be a superb fit with the program. A mix of senior executives, board members (many from pension- and capital allocation organizations), with a few high-caliber MBA mixed in, this was a true high-performance group.

Sharing the deeply held view that venture investments should be taught more widely across Europe, we are honored to expand the collaboration with Jim, and teach the Fund Manager! twice a year, as a part of the Venture Asset Management program at IMD. Thanks Daniel, Bill and Jim for making that happen.

Back To Cairo, Our Second Fund Manager Masterclass! (November 2024)

Our return to Cairo, to work with the wonderful team at Falak Startups again was one of the highlights of the year. They had evolved. We had learnt. Fund Manager had had 18 expansion packs (!!) since our first print.

The team had done an absolutely stellar job to convene the who’s who of the VC ecosystem in Cairo. VCPE Association, fund managers, business angels, international investors, family offices, even faculty; the group in Cairo was diverse. More than that, they were tuned in, ready to go, ready to win. Out of the gates, this was a fast-paced, hyper competitive 3-day Masterclass. Fund Manager! – in the 3-day Masterclass format – was really coming into its own.

DAY 1:

Foundational content – check

Keynote speakers – check

VC panel – check

Launch of simulation with 8 team – check, check

Day 2:

GP pitch sessions – check

Fund models and portfolio updates – check

Dealmaking  and capital deployment – check

Day 3:

LP updates – check

Value creation – check

Exits, through IPOs, secondaries and M&As  – check

Ultra-competitive teams, realizing to win we actually need to collaborate – check, check

Looking back, seeing the evolution of Fund Manager! since our first visit to Cairo, just two years earlier, a lot had happened.

Emerging Europe, Western Balkans (November 2024)

When it comes to Europe, there is much work to be done to grow the VC ecosystem. In certain parts, like the Western Balkans, even more work is needed. In November we partnered with our friends at EBRD to run the first ever in-person Fund Manager! in the region.

Up to that point, we had done several online programs in partnership with both EBRD and SwissEP. Now, for the first time we could gather a wide representation of the ecosystem together.

Ljubisa, Kyrre, Scott and myself were met with an eager, enthusiastic group, hungry to learn, hungry to launch new funds in the region. There were structures with EIB. Structures with Israeli partners. A need to awaken local banks. We got a chance  to share our ongoing research on VC ecosystems. We compared notes on the Star Venture program.

Participants formed six teams, working round the clock, achieving closings, doing capital calls, deploying, exploring a fund number two, syndicating deals together, driving exit discussions and moving towards high net DPI figures.

What had started out as a first design prototype just two years ago, was now a fully fledge ecosystem development program, rapidly earning its marks around the world. EBRD wanted us back. Participants wanted more. And I jumped the last flight with Turkish Airlines.

Next stop, 2X GP Sprint Program in Cape Town.

2025 – Time To Scale

2025 started off differently. Something had changed. Fund Manager! was finding its foot in the market. But not by me, but our global partners. It was not more than just me. There was a growing movement. In 2025, we realized, we were on track to run 17, maybe even 20 Fund Manager Masterclasses around the world, in close partnership with our global Strategy Tools partners.

In Canada, Michael and Stuart had partnered with the CVCA – Canadian Venture Capital Association to change how new VCs were being trained in Canada.

In London, our friends at Newton Venture Program hosted yet another global Fund Manager! bringing together truly diverse participants under the NVP umbrella.

In the Balkans, SwissEP hosted an online Masterclass. In March, for the first time ever, two Fund Manager! programs were being delivered, at the same time, but to different clients and delivered by different partners. In May, we were back at IMD, for the ‘best program ever’, together with Jim Pulcrano and 25 incredibly engaged participants.

In June, Fund Manager! went to Latin America for the first time, thanks to a collaboration between Glenn Tjon, Stuart and Michael.

In June, Fund Manager! would also get its first sibling, the Pacific Island Fund Manager!  (When we publish this, this still might be a secret, so don’t tell anyone). Developed in close collaboration with Jodi Smith, Partner & Fund manager at Fiji-based PE/SME fund Matanataki, Pacific Islands Fund Manager! is designed 100% based on the challenges and realities of raising and running an investment fund in the Pacific, focusing on sustainable ocean companies, reef restoration, sustainability, circularity and building sustainable communities in the Pacific.

Never, did we image Fund Manager! would get a younger sister. But ever since we first met in Singapore nearly two years earlier, Jodi has been the driving force behind this vision.

Honestly, I can’t wait to write you a four-year birthday memo on the Pacific Islands Fund Manager in 2029.

So, What’s The Secret? Why Do People Take So Well To Fund Manager?

It is a question we have asked ourselves many times. We believe it comes down to three things.

1.      Experience a full fund journey

One of the pillars in Fund Manager! is understanding the full 10-15 year fund journey.

To  most, this is too long a time horizon. It becomes abstract.

Not in Fund Manager! In just 3 days, we zip through 10-12, even 15 years, the full life span of a fund. One day equals around five years. People age fast. You feel that.

One of the most consistent feedbacks we have been getting is a deep appreciation for understanding “the full journey”, and notably the importance of “getting the exits right”.

Not bad, doing 15 years of work in just 3 days?

“Very enlightening about the VC end to end process!!!” – Fund Manager! Masterclass participant, July 2022.

2.      Hungry to learn more about venture capital

VC is something everyone speaks about. In the startup world, it is everyone, all the time. Yet, we find, few people actually know and understand it. Surface level, yes. Deeper, like portfolio outcomes, structuring term sheets for follow-on success and making the power law come to life, no, most people don’t know it, but boy, are most hungry to learn.

Fund Manager! is packed with real-life, advanced learning content. One example is the 50+ unique GP Tasks, topic deep dives into selected topics, ranging from entry-level to truly complicated.

Here is one such GP Task, LP Outcomes.

Meet Heidi, she is investment director at Zurich Cantonal Bank. After a lengthy pitch deck, she asks for an analysis of her possible return scenarios, fully modelled out.

Recently, speaking with one of the most active seed investors in Europe, he said “…even my most senior people would need ages to complete this. This is difficult”.

Yes, it is, and in the Fund Manager! Masterclass participants have 15. To 20. Minutes to complete the GP Task with Heidi.

Fun fact: most ace it. In large part thanks to the visual tool, the LP Outcome Canvas we provide.

3.      Collaborate to build the venture ecosystem

Ultimately, we believe the people that show up for Fund Manager! have a deep desire to help build out their respective ecosystems, even countries. We see this again and again. But to do so, we need to work together, collaborate.

Fund Manager! was designed to get everyone on the same page, speak the same language, to work better together. From Cairo to Canada, Dubai to Belgrade, we have seen this again and again. Bringing GPs, LPs, ecosystem developers, regulators, angel networks, DFIs and family offices together, we build the collaborative tissue that make up the core of any venture ecosystem.

“Collaboration matters!!”

– Fund Manager! Masterclass participant, July 2022.

Going Global – 2025  And Beyond

So, what’s next?

Having spent the better part of four years, getting to this point. Having worked with more than 250 emerging fund managers across different strategies and markets. Having run three GP Accelerator programs, and taken 1.000 people through Fund Manager! Having spent 100’s and 100’s of hours, many of them in deep discussion with Rick, developing the early content and Scott, delivering and teaching around the world, finding new and better ways to explain the inner workings of a venture fund; what’s next?

Well, this year, we will pass 1.200 people, maybe even 1.300 people having completed the Fund Manager! We are only just beginning.   The hunger for learning about fund management is global. We have only scratched the surface of potential here. Over the next two years, we hope to run Fund Manager! in a number of new locations, build new relationships and strengthen established ones.

We need to train more people, preferably women, to run Fund Manager! We need to develop new partnerships, with venture capital associations and business schools. We need to work with new ecosystem partners.

On our end, we need to write more, publish more and share more from the inner workings around Fund Manager! Fund Manager! will continue to evolve. AI and security are well covered today, but what are the waves of tomorrow?

How will the field of venture capital continue to evolve and how do we capture it? And, going back to our original problem-statement, how do we get everyone to speak the same language as we build a more balanced investment landscape around the world?

Work to be done.

Interested in joining the journey? Get certified to run Fund Manager!

Want to partner to run Fund Manager Masterclasses? Get in touch.

Bring Fund Manager! to your classroom or ecosystem program? Don’t hesitate to ping us.

We are just getting started.

Fund Manager! Would Not Have Been Possible Without….

A big shout out to key partners to bring Fund Manager! To life, and into classrooms and Masterclasses around the world. 2X Global , 2X Ignite , EBRD , The World Bank , Newton Venture Program , IMD , Dubai Future District Fund , Falak Startups Community Falak Startups , Swiss EP – Swiss Entrepreneurship Program , Sifted , EUVC , Invest Europe , Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA) and the large number of people that took the time to talk, discuss and answer my many, many questions in the early days as we were putting this together.

Long, but incomplete list: Jen, Jessica, Marijn, Elena, Ayodele, Alyanna, Marc, Daniel, Eleanor, Eleanor, Bill, Jim, David, Andreas, Hazem, Tarek, Sharif, Abeer, to name a few.

Stuart and I are thrilled to be recognized for our collaborative and innovative approach using the Strategy Tools canvases and simulations. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with organizations in our community and this will help us win business across Canada.

Based on what you shared in the Strategy Tools Partner Group, the use of ST canvases and Scale Up! seemed to have played a pivotal role in this success. Can you elaborate on how your work with ST contributed to your creative collaboration efforts?

Our award recognized our innovative approach to using the Strategy Tools canvases and ScaleUp simulation in a Master Class for Mentors of founders in the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurial Centre.

The tools provided a better way to document discussions, while the Scale Up! Simulation is a great way for mentors to learn about the challenges and opportunities of fundraising, especially if they are not familiar with the process or the terminology.

How has your experience at the Strategy Tools Master Trainer contributed to your current way of working?

My experience at the Strategy Tools Master Trainer has been invaluable in shaping my current way of working. The program provided me with three important elements that have helped me become a more effective and efficient consultant and mentor:

1. A network of like-minded colleagues around the world: I was able to connect and collaborate with other professionals who share my passion for innovation, strategy, and learning. We exchanged ideas, feedback, and support, and we learned from each other’s experiences and perspectives.
2. Help sipping from the firehose of canvases: I was exposed to a wide range of Strategy Tools canvases and simulations, and I learned how to use them effectively and creatively in my projects. I also learned how to customize and combine the canvases to fit the specific needs and challenges of my clients and my participants.
3. Designing strategy workshops and sessions using tools, MIRO and adult learning techniques to draw out the best from participants and help organizations (and mentors) craft their strategy.

Collaboration often comes with its set of challenges. Can you share a specific challenge you faced during the collaboration with the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre and how you overcame it?

Collaboration can be challenging, especially when it involves people with different backgrounds, experiences, and expectations. At the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre, we faced some challenges in getting the mentors to participate fully and openly in the mentoring program. Some of the mentors were hesitant to admit that they did not know everything about entrepreneurship and fundraising, and they were afraid of being judged or criticized by their peers or the founders. They also had different styles and preferences in how they structured their meetings with the founders, and they were not always aligned with the goals and the standards of the program.

To overcome these challenges, we used a variety of strategies and techniques to create a safe and supportive learning environment for everyone. We emphasized the importance of humility, curiosity, and empathy in mentoring, and we encouraged the mentors to share their stories, their questions, and their feedback with each other and the founders. We also provided them with more guidance and resources on how to use the Strategy Tools canvases and the Scale Up! simulation effectively, and we gave them more opportunities to practice and experiment with different scenarios and situations. We also adjusted the timing and the format of the program to better fit their schedules and preferences, and we provided them with more incentives and rewards for their participation and their achievements.

Overall, we believe that collaboration is a journey, not a destination, and that it requires patience, persistence, and creativity to make it work. We are proud of what we have accomplished with the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre, and we are grateful for the lessons and the insights that we have gained from this experience. We hope that our story will inspire others to collaborate more effectively and more meaningfully, and to use the Strategy Tools to achieve their goals.

How do you believe your collaborative efforts have positively impacted the local community or the broader industry?

Our collaborative efforts have had a positive impact on the local community and the broader industry by providing entrepreneurs and businesses with more opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed. We have received interest and support from various stakeholders, such as the City of Barrie (Invest Barrie), who have asked us for a proposal to expand our program and to reach more entrepreneurs and businesses in the region.

We are also continuing our work at the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre with updates and (hopefully) an annual Masterclass for mentors.

Looking ahead, what are your plans for continuing to foster innovation and collaboration, and do you foresee Strategy Tools continuing to play a role in your future projects?

Yes, Strategy Tools is an important part of our go to market strategy and business development plans.

For individuals and organizations looking to enhance their collaborative efforts, what advice would you offer based on your own experiences?

Be patient. Be helpful.

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The First Contacts

In the beginning, the companies we invited were a bit skeptical about what value they could expect out of it, as some of them were already working with top-consultancy firms, have well-established strategy teams (with years of experience formulating and executing strategy), and well, usually have a pretty loaded agenda.

However, one of the things that intrigued them, was the possibility to be part of a cohort where they would be interacting with the strategy teams of other companies (from different industries). So they could learn and share their view on how each one handles their strategy (without sharing the details of their own strategy).

The Players

Finally, the corporate strategy teams of three leading companies in their own industries joined the cohort, with a total market value of more than $20 BN USD: Alpura, Grupo Bimbo, and Grupo Lamosa.

The strategy teams were represented by personnel from strategy, innovation, M&As, corporate venture capital, investor relations, and digital transformation among others. Stakes were high and we could feel the high expectations of all of them.

The program

One challenge was how we could foster collaboration and maintain high energy in a remote environment. Let’s face it, how many times have you been in a remote session where you end up doing something else in parallel, because the energy was just lost?

The program is structured in four modules, focused on understanding the different approaches to strategy (yes, there are different views about it), roles & influence of strategy teams, dealing with industry shifts, understanding strategy as business transformation, and a roadmap to build our world-class strategy team.

Access to updated tools on strategy, live digital workshops, and 1:1 digital mentoring complement the program.

Key Learnings

During the four sessions, each team had different learnings, based on their own context and current needs. However, we can summarise the key learnings as follows:

• The strategy must be simple and clear. For some teams, it was surprising that even in their own strategy team, there were different views and sometimes many elements on what was their corporate strategy.
• You need to ask the right questions. Methodologies and tools should help you to focus on discussing the right questions. It’s more important to ask the right question than give a lecture on strategy.

Alignment is critical to make strategy happen.

• Strategy teams need to become influencers in their organization, otherwise, they won’t have a seat at the big boys’ table. There are different roles for strategy teams, however, at least we need some members to be able to ask the tough questions with Board Members or the C-Suite.

• Strategy teams play a fundamental job to communicate and execute the strategy. It’s not only important to have a clear strategy, but that everybody in the organization understands it and feels part of it.
• Having a multidisciplinary strategy team is extremely relevant to cover different roles they should play: analyst, scout, big systems thinker, and influencer. Each company needs to find its right balance in those roles, and design its own strategy team roadmap to develop the required capabilities to become influencers and big system thinkers.
• Our strategy must go beyond our CORE business, however, how do we convince our C-Suite and Board that we also need to focus on adjacent and far away growth opportunities? Especially when financial results have been extremely good!

We need different portfolios of initiatives: one to manage our core, and another one for exploration and adjacent opportunities.

• Visual tools, real case examples, and a hands-on approach accelerate learning. Applying the tools to understand the transformation efforts from companies such as Equinor, Tesla, Alphabet, Cisco, VW Group, and Microsoft among others, makes us question what we are doing right now to face our strategic dilemmas.
• Strategy learning and development can be done 100% online, in a fun and interactive way using the right visual tools.

• Being able to link strategy and finance is key to understand how financial markets view and rate our company. We need the right transformation architecture to make it possible, as well as a clear story of our business transformation!

• Having a framework to guide our business transformation, as well as discuss and understand our transformation journey is essential to generate the urgency to change.

• Understanding our current business transformation capabilities can be a great starting point to design our transformation roadmap, and the Transformational Company Index (TCI) can give us this snapshot.
• Having a clear and shared concept of what means strategy or business transformation is a fundamental starting point, otherwise, each one might have different interpretations and expectations.

Having a methodology that challenges us is key to generate significant changes

• We’re not alone, other strategy teams are facing similar dilemmas, and it’s great to be able to exchange points of view with them.

Conclusions

Our first conclusion is that strategy teams need to have a clear internal roadmap to develop their capabilities, in order to balance the different roles they execute, with the aim to become influencers and big system thinkers in their organizations.

Learning and developing your strategy can be done 100% online, in a fun and energizing way, discussing current well-known companies’ dilemmas.

Each company has its own requirements and priorities to develop a roadmap to business transformation. It’s not needed that they try to close the gap, at the same time, on all ten business transformation enablers. In the end, the strategy is about making choices.

Our last conclusion is that teams (formal and informal) that are involved in the development of the company’s business strategy, can accelerate the learning of strategy to create world-class strategy teams.

The world of strategy is changing. Is your team ready for it?

So how are people using Strategy Tools in Action? How are companies changing the way they work with strategy based on the toolkit? How are global consultants building their business with the help of the Strategy Tools platform? Read our Strategy Tools in Action, a report where we explore this in full detail.

Featured today is Victor Haze, Innovation Manager at Health Valley, based in the Netherlands. Victor Haze has been working in ICT and proj­ect management for over two decades. His clients span industries, from Finance, Energy, to Oil & Gas. Currently, he works in healthcare cluster management, looking to align strat­egies of SMEs, Univer­sities and HCOs using workshop settings with all stakeholders. When not working, he can be found on a bike riding up a mountain. Here’s his story:

My Preferred Strategy Tool

For me the Supercluster Strategy Map is the most comprehensive One-Stop-Shop picture to explain a number of concepts around Superclusters, how to start them, who to involve and how to execute on them. Together with the Simulation this is a very powerful combination to kick off any cluster initiative.

How I Use It

Supercluster Strategy Map

I start with the Supercluster Strategy Map to get everybody literally on the same page. Once this coalition is formed and people see the possibilities, we can tie the broad picture to more focused ones.

Supercluster Strategy Intro

Voicing the ambition of the whole cluster helps in establishing the next steps. It is a very clear cut and concrete target planning tool to set a multi-year development plan.

Clusters of Change Roadmap

The CoC Roadmap is then a next step in bringing in more perspective over the upcom­ing years and a visually easy to understand building block of essential and logical follow up.

Supercluster! Simulation

When I am using the Supercluster! simulation I make sure there are specific points in the ‘game-play’ that make it easy to transfer over to the canvases. This can be a specific question, remark or discussion by the participants. It is very easy and smooth then to step away from the table and work out the ‘problem on the board”.

Client Impact

We started by using the Supercluster simulation for a group of regional stakeholders from government, uni­versity, development agencies. Right away it became clear that the simulation is a way to facilitate discourse in a much easier way. We worked a long period on developing the different clusters in the simulation and it became clear to the participants “how-to-play-the-game”. That transformational aspect in real life taking place at the actual table was an eye opener not only for me but also for the actual participants themselves. Feedback afterwards stressed the aspect of the multi-layered approach that you can introduce in the session. So the simulation, the canvases and the software platform really has all angles covered.

Recommendations to Others

1. Bring in the tools one by one. Be aware of trying to cram in too much in one session.

2. Take time to get everybody on board of the visual aspect of the toolset. Their mileage may vary and you may need to ‘re-sync’ everybody to the same level. Re-syncing participants will highly increase everybody’s participation effort!

3. Make sure you have thought about a logical build-up in using the tools. The sequence of what you are using has to make sense to the group.

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Want more strategy insights from across the globe? Download the Strategy Tools in Action Report.

So how are people using Strategy Tools in Action? How are companies changing the way they work with strategy based on the toolkit? How are global consultants building their business with the help of the Strategy Tools platform? Read our Strategy Tools in Action, a report where we explore this in full detail.

Featured today is Harvey Wade, the Founder & Director at Innovate21, based in the UK. Here’s how he’s using the Strategy Tools Platform to simplify and visualize strategy in his work with clients.

My Preferred Strategy Tool

The Transform! simulation is a powerful experience. It accelerates strategic insight, knowledge, and learning in a way that is not possible using traditional work­shop formats. Combining the strategic tools with the emotional transformation journey provides participants with a realistic experience. With highs and lows, it enables the journey to be lived and learnt. How to enable transformation begin to be understood, and the recipes needed for success can be made. The appropriate tools come to life as they are applied to the real-life situation. With this emotional experience, clients understand why transformation of their organisation is needed, how they can approach it, and, most importantly, what it will feel like. The Transform simulation forms the foundation of the strategic programs we run – I highly recommend it!

How I Use It

Experiential Workshops

Giving teams an experience of transform­ing an organisation. This opens the doors to larger programs that can be used to drive the organisation’s future strategy and their capa­bility to achieve it.

Leadership Programs

Leaders need to be strategic, but what does this mean in practice? Working with leadership teams, the simulation paves the way to enable them to determine their transformational roadmap.

Open Strategy Sessions

Open strategy sessions are incredibly fun to run as there is such a diverse audience. Participants keen to understand and learn, and seeing how other industries respond. A great networking opportunity too!

Client Impact

“It was a truly engaging experience and we frankly didn’t want it to end after 3 hours (at 8pm no less). It was eye-opening, thought-provoking, and fun – I left that workshop with a deeper appreciation of the nature of mature business strategy, and also a sense that I needed to grow, that I had a lot of room to grow.” Head of Innovation, Lloyds Broker

“Best day I’ve had on strategy thought leadership for some time. I highly recommend using this to better understand your next strategy (or even review your current one).” Shakeeb Niazi, Founder for S.E.E.D

Recommendations to Others

1. Experience Transform for yourself. This will drive you to want to give others the experience, and you will understand the emotional roller-coaster they will have.

2. Be aware of real-life company transformations. Help the experience come to life, which is especially important to those organisations feeling “protected” or ”safe”.

3. Always, always run a debrief session. The simulation is a means to an end; application to their own personal situation is key to embed the experi­ence.

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Want more strategy insights from across the globe? Download the Strategy Tools in Action Report.

So how are people using Strategy Tools in Action? How are companies changing the way they work with strategy based on the toolkit? How are global consultants building their business with the help of the Strategy Tools platform? Today we launched Strategy Tools in Action, a report where we explore this in full detail.

Featured today is Hege Langaas, the Founding Partner at Mindboost.no, based in Norway. Here’s how she’s using the Strategy Tools Platform to simplify and visualize strategy in her work with clients.

My Preferred Strategy Tool

It’s really hard to pick one preferred strategy tool, as it depends entirely on the context of the client in question. However I think that most clients experience the challenge of adapting to rapid or gradual shifts in their area of business, and appreciate the simplicity of the Industry Shifts Map. I have found this map really useful for introductory discussions in management teams on the trends in their area of business.

How I Use It

Industry Shifts Map

The Industry Shifts Map is a good introductory tool to facilitate basic discussions in management teams on what is about to happen in there are of business and how they plan to deal with it.

Transform! Simulation

The Transform! Simulation allows your client to face challenges, discuss and learn in a safe environment. It creates a very steep learning curve for most management teams and innovation teams. I use it in the first phases of a project to create the urge to understand and learn about transformation.

Transformation Architecture

I use the Transformation Architecture with management teams to give them a simple framework to identify what they need to work on to move on, or to reveal to them that they have all they need, they just have to take action.

Client Impact

The Industry Shifts Map has enabled fruitful discussions about management team members’ different views on their situation and context.

With this simple tool as a basis, they create a new common understanding of signals to watch out for and slow changes that may grow into big trouble. And when we go further to map out their readiness to meet the changes, some really interesting challenges are usually revealed.

Some teams totally change their focus on what is important to change after the discussion on their readiness.

Recommendations to Others

1. Play with different tools and get to know them by applying to your own business or a business well known to you.

2. Make it simple for your client to be active and learn! You are not a strategy consultant to impress people with your competence, but to make sure your clients move in the right direction and have the necessary discussions to develop their company. Pick the approach (and tools) that will make that happen.

3. Build a library of cases and examples to illustrate the challenges, situations, actions and effects to make it easier for your clients to understand strategic moves relate to their own situation.

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Want more strategy insights from across the globe? Download the Strategy Tools in Action Report.

So how are people using Strategy Tools in Action? How are companies changing the way they work with strategy based on the toolkit? How are global consultants building their business with the help of the Strategy Tools platform? We’ll be launching Strategy Tools in Action, a report where we explore this in full detail.

With the report launching tomorrow, we’re excited to share our last preview before the big day.

Featured today is Dr. Nicola Watts, the Principal Consultant at C 4 Impact, based in Australia. She discovered Strategy Tools through the international cluster community and now actively uses Strategy Tools in her day-to-day work. Here’s how she’s using the Strategy Tools Platform to kickstart true transformation journeys for her clients.

In the current turbulent environment where businesses are constantly challenged to respond to the challenges of SHOCK-SURVIVE-TRANSFORM, it’s fantastic to belong to a global coaching community that is constantly and openly sharing tools and strategies to support them.

My Preferred Strategy Tools

I’ve got lots of favourite strategy tools – but I think the one I like most is the ‘Two Lenses on Strategy’ because it can really kickstart a true transformation journey.

We can’t always assume that when we toss around words like ‘strategic planning’ we have common
understandings around what it means. In fact, it often seems that members of boards and management are increasingly at cross purposes on strategy
development and process, and struggle to articulate their different world views on strategy.

This visual tool is a great conversation starter ahead of strategy development. Different approaches are neither right or wrong…but it’s important to define key underpinning principles before inadvertently heading down a strategy development process for your organisation that may not fit your purpose and/or your environment.

How I Use It

Business Leaders & Clusters

I use the Two Lenses on Strategy tool with clusters and individual businesses. It is an important starting point when embarking on any strategy journey. It highlights that there is more than one way of doing strategy – and sets the principles and ground rules for moving forward with strategy development and the kinds of tools to be used.

Strategy as Innovation

Where ‘strategy as innovation’ is the adopted pathway, there are many other strategy tools that can then be drawn on. One I use to support early-stage strategy discussions is the Innovation Pyramid. Whilst some elements of innovation are strong and come naturally to businesses, this tool supports identification of areas that might need to be revisited as well as other areas of innovation that might require attention and alignment.

Active Participation – Diversity and Inclusion

The tools lend themselves for workshops and workshop design where there is less talking from the facilitator and more doing by the participants – and where this is no hierarchy. With current COVID challenges, they also work very well in online sessions and using online tools.

Client Impact

Very importantly, the Two Lenses on Strategy tool has ensured shared understandings of how to move forward with strategy and strategy development.

In many cases it has challenged more traditional approaches to strategy – particularly the belief that strategic roadmaps are linear.. This in turn has challenged mindsets around ‘control’ and has supported more confidence with building road maps to navigate complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity.

It has also challenged mind sets around ‘hierarchy’ and leadership and meant better attention has been given to engaging the hearts of everyone involved.

Recommendations to Others

1. Make sure the Strategy Tools you use are aligned with purpose and real problems.

2. Get the balance right between strategy process and strategy content. Strategy needs to be agile and dynamic.

3. Reach out to others in order to connect, communicate, collaborate and co-innovate.

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Want more strategy insights from across the globe? Pre-register for the Strategy Tools in Action Report launching tomorrow and get invited to an exclusive release webinar featuring some of the strategists from the report. 

So how are people using Strategy Tools in Action? How are companies changing the way they work with strategy based on the toolkit? How are global consultants building their business with the help of the Strategy Tools platform? We’ll be launching Strategy Tools in Action, a report where we explore this in full detail.

Leading up to the release of the new report on the 16th of September, we’re releasing a few choice excerpts from the full report.

Featured today is Scott Newton, Managing Partner at Thinking Dimensions, based in Italy. Scott works with boards, CEOs, private equity, family office, senior leaders and company owners in Fortune 1000 businesses with a particular emphasis on Middle Market mid-sized companies with annual sales of 100 million-3 billion USD to impact sustainable growth and profitability opportunities.

Here’s the story on how he’s using the Strategy Tools Platform.

The world had changed. The way you implement strategy has to as well.

My Preferred Strategy Tools

The Industry Shifts Map together with Transform!.

The Industry Shifts Map is so important. Whether working with a board or a CEO and their management team.

If we look at the challenges organizations are facing today, a large number of them are in part due to the board and management not recognizing how an Industry is changing and what it will mean for their future.

Looking at the future- the convergence taking place due to technology between industries mean that traditional ways of looking at competition and substitutes are not enough.

The Industry Shifts tool is a great visual aid and thought-starter to assist leaders to pinpoint their future challenges and to begin to make decisions moving in the right direction.

How I Use It

Transform!

Transform! Is great to use in both company settings and in Executive Education.

I use Transform with boards and management to “break the ice” on discussing new ways to look at Strategy.

I often compare Strategy to driving a car- ask anyone and they will tell you they are far better than average at it. We know this cannot statistically be possible.

Transform enables me to make thinking visible on Strategy and start the process towards developing new capabilities.

Blended possibilities make this even more interesting tying into e-learning and in person.

Two Lenses on Strategy

This is a SUPER useful thought-provoking tool. When we want to break “old thinking” paradigms and accelerate the transition towards new ways to approach Strategy- this is where I often start.

Furthermore- this is a thought-starter that sparks Creativity and Innovation which are critical to solving new Challenges.

Corporate Venture Capital Map

When my teams and I work on Strategy, one of the outputs is a detailed identification of the Capabilities required to implement change. This often applies buying and partnering with new companies.

The Corporate Venture Capital Map helps organizations to spell out what their expectations are, what they need, and how they plan to go about getting it.

Client Impact

Our Clients have increased their EBITDA by more than €1 Billion to date.

Strategy Tools combined with our Processes and People help organizations remain Sustainable, develop Capabilities, and ensure the firm shifts from Reactive to Proactive Industry Leaders.

Recommendations to Others

1. Strategy doesn’t happen in a vacuum

…nor in a PowerPoint Deck. It is about Change. Using the tools together with management and the board helps you in getting the change you need.

2. Get certified in running simulations

I strongly recommend getting certified in the Simulations. The Simulations are a world-class way to quickly help your client understand their situation and begin to plot the way forward. Doing is better than passive every time.

3. Strategy must adapt and adopt

Old ways of approaching Strategy do not work in our current world. Whether we like it or hate it, the world has changed, and the way we approach Strategy must adapt and adopt.

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Want more strategy insights from across the globe? Pre-register for the Strategy Tools in Action Report launching on September 16. 

So how are people using Strategy Tools in Action? How are companies changing the way they work with strategy based on the toolkit? How are global consultants building their business with the help of the Strategy Tools platform? We’ll be launching Strategy Tools in Action, a report where we explore this in full detail.

Leading up to the release of the new report on the 16th of September, we’re releasing a few choice excerpts from the full report.

Featured today is Javier Sevilla, Managing Director at Novarek, based in Mexico. Javier is the founder of Novarek, a boutique consulting firm, that helps their clients in their growth efforts. I’ve been involved in consulting, tech and management, for almost 20 years in projects in USA, Argentina and Mexico in the private and public sectors. Engineer, wine enthusiast, salsa lover and entrepreneur. Always eager to question, help and learn.

Here’s the story on how he’s using the Strategy Tools Platform.

The best time to transform your company is when you’re at the top. You have resources and no pressure, but it’s the most difficult time because everything just seems to go great. So, why change?

My Preferred Strategy Tools

The Transform! Simulation

The main reason is that it is so flexible you can use it as you need it. Do you want to stress the importance of understanding strategy as making choices? Just focus on “Strategy Intro Canvas” You want to focus on the options companies have to use innovation to take advantage of market opportunities (where to play), then focus on ”Minimum innovation strategy Canvas”. Transform! is so powerful and versatile that the limit is your imagination on how to use it.

How I Use It

This was the only discovery session we were able to do before all in-person meetings were shutdown. Here the emphasis was to show the client how we could use Transform! to communicate their strategy to all regions and branches they have. The client really loved it, the energy, the focus, the good vibes and the discussions on how the learnings from the sessions could apply to them.

You can discuss how your landscape is shifting, what are the weak signals you can identify, changes in the behavior of your clients, etc.

Now we are exploring options to be able to use the Simulator on a completely online setup. This way we plan to conduct workshops and blended services using Transform!

Client Impact

The main impact was seeing how their previous strategy efforts were making sense, how the different pieces were coming together. Where they were competing, what were their value propositions, why they needed to create the motor for new growth (growth & explore arenas) Moreover, being able to reflect on the events on the simulation and discuss how those applied to them really drove great learnings. In general, being able to translate the simulation learnings to their own companies is one of the most important aspects of Transform!

Recommendations to Others

1. Clear objectives

My first recommendation with Transform! is you need to have a clear objective on what you want to accomplish when you use it (it’s so flexible and fun, that you need to know what you expect from the session).

2. Don’t call it a game

Even though it is implemented through a game and gamification plays a really important role, just avoid using the word “game”, it’s not easy but once you get over it, people around you see that it’s not just “a game”.

3. Tell stories

At least learn some of the stories that go behind all Boom and Bust events, when you are able to talk about the real stories, people get really interested and your position as expert really improves.

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Want more strategy insights from across the globe? Pre-register for the Strategy Tools in Action Report launching on September 16.