The Hirshberg Entrepreneurship Institute is a high-impact 3-day boot camp conceived by Gary Hirshberg in 1998 based on his experience leading Stonyfield Farm from its start as a 7-cow operation in 1983 to its current nearly $400MM annual sales level. Dozens of in-person Institutes have been held in CA, CO, MA, NH, NY and abroad in Toronto, Vancouver, and Auckland, NZ under various names including the Stonyfield Entrepreneurship Institute and the Social Venture Institute.

By offering a highly interactive, intimate venue for networking, storytelling, and problem-solving, the Institute offers a safe, stimulating environment for hundreds of for-profit and not-for-profit entrepreneurs to learn about financing, marketing, organizational challenges, managing change, and the many other challenges fundamental to growing a successful enterprise. The “case” method approach ensures a practical and grounded real world experience. Participants take home a wealth of pragmatic, useful ideas and strategies that can be immediately put to work in a growing enterprise.

98% of participants have rated the Institute as either excellent or very good in terms of:

• Applicability of sessions to their work
• Overall knowledge and experience of panelists
• Fulfillment of learning expectations
• Introduction of innovative business strategies
• Interaction and learning from participants
• Access to new contacts and networks

Schedule

Take a look at the fantastic lineup of sessions that we have planned.

Speakers

Learn more about our impressive speakers.

Location

We’ll be wherever you are! The conference will be presented in Boulder, Colorado and remotely via Zoom.

Please save your emailed receipt as it will contain your unique Zoom link to participate in the boot camp.

Case Studies

Do you have a question or challenge about how best to structure your business, secure capital, or position your brand for success? Over the course of two finance sessions, two marketing/brand positioning sessions, and one e-commerce session, 10 entrepreneurs will have the chance to get personalized, cutting-edge advice from a group of world-class experts.

This is a fantastic opportunity to receive insights and advice from CEOs and founders who guide hundreds of millions of dollars of businesses from start-up to Fortune 500. And if you are not ready to submit your own pitch, we guarantee that you will receive fantastic insights and ideas from watching and hearing these live cases.

Registered attendees can submit a case study for consideration. Please note that case studies can only be submitted by attendees. Deadline for case study submissions is April 13, 2023.

Fundraising Pitches to Investors

Raising money is key to any growing company. And now is a particularly good time for healthy brands to pitch for investment with the health and green sectors booming. Our last four HEI pitching days resulted in some serious and successful raises, and this year promises to be even better –as our panel of investors will listen seven pitches on Wednesday morning. And if you are not ready to submit your pitch, this is a great opportunity for you to watch and learn from both those who are and also from the investors’ questions and responses. Don’t miss this valuable day.

If you’d like to pitch to our cohort of investors during the online event, you can submit a pitch application form. This form will be available for you as soon as you register for the conference! Please note that all pitch applicants must be registered to attend the conference. All applications are due on April 13, 2023.

Pitches to Sprouts Farmers Market

If your business is ready to appear on retail shelves at Sprouts Farmers Market, this HEI conference presents a unique opportunity: the chance to pitch directly to their purchasing team! With 380 stores in 23 states, landing on the shelves at Sprouts Farmers Market with nationwide distribution could be a game-changer for a young brand. In this session, you’ll learn first-hand what is most important to a retail buying team when they consider introducing new products. Whether you apply to pitch or just observe these live pitch discussions, this is sure to be an invaluable learning opportunity.

To submit a pitch to the Sprouts Farmers Market purchasing team during the event, please check back for details on the application process! Please note that all pitch applicants must be registered to attend the conference in order for their pitch to be considered.

Refund Policy

Registrations to the May 1-3, 2023 conference are refundable until April 24, 2023 at noon EDT/10:00 a.m. MDT, minus a $20 processing fee. Requests for a refund should be submitted to info@hirshberginstitute.com. Please note that registration refunds will also cancel access to the case study and pitch application portals.