Background

Business entrepreneurs can rely on a wide-ranging support infrastructure including incubators and accelerators, where early-stage business ideas and enterprises receive structured help and investment. 

Similarly, social entrepreneurs have incubators and global support platforms like Ashoka or the Impact Hub network. No such institution exists for political entrepreneurs–yet. 

Building on the insights of the book “Political Entrepreneurship–How To Build Successful Centrist Political Start-ups”, which focuses on liberal and centrist political start-ups like Progresivne (Slovakia), NEOS (Austria), En Marche (France) and Momentum (Hungary), this is now changing.

The curriculum is based on a 5 step process that has proven successful for Political Startups:

Acknowledge

• Get familiar with the rules of the system and key players

• Identify system challenges and political market opportunities

Envision

• Formulate a substantiated vision of a future political system, and critique of the status quo

• Test the waters

Build

• Prepare yourself and your immediate environment
• Establish solid core group
• Co-design shared vision, mission and values
• Reach out, road-test and reiterate
• Build up critical mass 
• Build competitive capacity

Scale

• Scale solutions
• Generate an ecosystem of systematic change
• Build alliances
• Have an impact on the government programme

Hand Over

• Avoid the founder’s trap

• Follow a clear cut, structured process

Benefits for Participants​

Cutting-edge expertise

Peer feedback

Alumni network

Exposure