Customized group coaching for startup leaders

We provide coaching and peer support that you need to lead through the chaos of startup life

(Your team will thank you later)

  • Workshop real challenges

  • Learn tactics you can apply immediately

  • Build your manager mindset

  • Get expert coaching and peer support

People management is hard. And it’s even harder at a startup, where change and speed can feel like the only constants. We know. Because we’ve been there.

We’ve built our careers at venture-backed startups, where we’ve felt these growing pains firsthand. We’ve made the mistakes, learned the lessons, and developed the skills that make us uniquely qualified to help other managers be more successful, faster.

Our group coaching program combines practical tools and mindset work to help managers make real changes immediately — and for the long term.

Whether you’re an experienced leader looking to level up or are just starting out, we’re here to help you become the manager that your team will remember for all the right reasons.

Learn more about us here.

Trusted by 400+ managers from top startups

  • "The Fort Light team really knows how to bring the most out of each session. I found myself looking forward to our sessions because they equipped me with the necessary tools to instantly apply in the field. Our discussion on “giving and receiving feedback from direct reports” was truly powerful. I’d recommend that any leader take the course!"

    Ta’Darrell Randolph, Associate Director of School Partnerships @ Sown to Grow

  • "10/10 would recommend. The fundamental approach of building a menu of ways to tackle various issues opposed to the belief that there is a single method/solution to any given problem deeply resonated with me. I found it incredibly helpful to be in a group setting with managers from all different fields, resulting in both support for shared struggles and better insight into how others approach things, allowing me to see my potential blind spots."

    Sabrina M, Principal Scientist @ Stemson Therapeutics

  • "Fort Light has been an invaluable partner to me and the many managers I've worked with over the years. Their program stands out because they focus specifically on the interpersonal skills that managers need to lead in high-growth, often highly ambiguous startup environments — and they help managers reflect on (and evolve) their own unique mindset. I cannot recommend Fort Light highly enough."

    Caroline Lau, Head of People

  • "This is unlike any corporate training I have ever completed, in the best way possible. Annie brilliantly describes why certain situations can feel SO tricky. Understanding the why is tremendously helpful, but she takes it several steps further. She helped me identify my unique hurdles and taught me easy techniques to navigating these obstacles successfully. Annie and her team are one of a kind, you don't want to miss out on this experience!"

    Emily Bacon, Applied Data Analyst @ Confidential Co

  • "This engaging training helped me build a toolbox of external & internal resources for me to be an effective people manager"

    MP Bausch, People Operations @ NoRedInk

The Fort Light experience

  • Group coaching sessions are the heart of our program. You’ll learn new tools, get coaching on real challenges, and practice new skills in a small group of peers from different companies, plus expert operators-turned-coaches who have been in your shoes.

  • You’ll get up to two 1:1 coaching sessions with a Fort Light coach during the program. These sessions are bookable any time starting from admissions, up to ten weeks after the final group coaching session. All Fort Light coaches are experienced operators, who bring coaching as well as advice!

  • Each course meeting includes tons of peer learning! In addition, you’ll have the option to connect with fellow managers from the program in our Slack community, through 1:1 meetings, and community events.

  • We keep the party going for ten weeks following the last cohort meeting. You’ll receive weekly articles, prompts and reflection questions designed to deepen your learning and to help you hold focus around this important work. You also have the opportunity to work 1:1 with a fellow manager from the program as “growth partners”, which supports learning and accountability

Upcoming Programs

  • SF - Nov 13-14

    In-person
    Two full days of coaching
    Kickoff dinner November 12
    10 weeks of follow-up

  • NYC: Dec 4-5

    In-person
    Two full days of coaching
    Kickoff dinner Dec 3
    10 weeks of follow-up

Apply Now

FAQs

  • This program is designed for managers who are building and leading teams in a startup setting.

    We’re a good fit for you if you:

    • Want to be a great leader and manager, and to find more ease and fun in the role

    • Have a desire to examine (and update!) your own behaviors and beliefs

    • Are self-motivated and curious

    • Enjoy learning with and from others

    • Can commit to the live sessions, and to ongoing practice after the program ends

    We’re likely NOT a good fit if you:

    • Are at a bigger company with lots of process and infrastructure

    • Are an IC without any direct reports or immediate plans to manage

    • Cannot commit to the experience and know you are unlikely to follow through, despite good intentions

    • Prefer a passive, async learning experience

    • Do not want to share with or learn from others

    • Are not open to new ideas, tools, and self-discoveries at this time

    When in doubt, curiosity and commitment are the key ingredients for our program.

    If you’re managing a team at a startup and want to discuss if this is right for you, reach out to us via email at info@fortlight.com.

  • We’re excited to offer both in-person and virtual programs starting Winter 2024! This will be our first time bringing back the IRL program since Spring 2020.

    Both the virtual and IRL programs will cover the same content and bring the same vibe. There might be reasons why one of these formats is a better fit for you or your team.

    The IRL format is a more condensed schedule — we do all the group coaching meetings over an intensive two-day period. This will be a good fit for managers who want to carve out two days for dedicated learning, and who learn best in person. We do not allow laptops or phones in our IRL sessions, so this will truly be two days of focused time.

    The virtual format meets weekly for 2-hour sessions, over 7 weeks. This will be a good fit for managers who prefer smaller doses of learning, and who want more time to digest the material and practice in between sessions.

    If you have questions about which format will be the best fit, please reach out to us at info@fortlight.com.

  • We’re a team of startup operators who love coaching fellow managers. We know firsthand that working at a startup brings unique opportunities, but also unique challenges. Management is hard in general, and managing at a startup can have extra layers of complexity –– constant change, expectations for speed, no clear development “paths”, etc. We’ve designed this program with the startup context in mind, and our goal is to give participants mindsets, choices and tools to lean on, no matter how complex or ambiguous the situation might be.

  • We do our best to curate and vet each group.

    Everyone in the program will be a manager in a startup setting - including coaches and participants!

    We believe that learning in a group of managers from different companies is the best way to gain new skills and to practice real scenarios. It’s helpful to learn how managers approach things at other companies, and it’s better to share struggles and practice real scenarios with other managers who get it, but who aren’t invested in the details or bringing judgments from the training back into our day-to-day work.

    We limit the number of managers from a single company in each group, in order to promote safety and risk-taking.

    It’s important to us that everyone in the group is self-motivated and excited to participate, because that is more fun and yields the best results for us all.

  • Your coaches are experienced startup managers who bring hard-earned lessons and expertise. Other than sharing our expertise, you can think of us as you party hosts. We are designers of the experience and facilitators of discussion. We will make it fun and engaging. We will challenge you to go deeper, and support you through a great learning experience.

  • If we think of the program as a party and the coaches as your hosts, then you as participants are our party guests. We can design the best possible party (good vibes, engaging content, etc.) and if the guests are duds, it will ruin the whole experience. If you commit to the program, we expect you to bring the energy of terrific party guests.

    We’re asking you to:

    • Attend all meetings without distractions

    • Play full out in discussion with your coaches and peers

    • Approach each session and each other with curiosity, openness, and non-judgment

    • Be willing to practice and learn from implementing our skills and ideas

    • In virtual sessions, missing more than one meeting will forfeit your spot in the program

    If you have any questions or concerns about program expectations, then please reach out to us at info@fortlight.com.

  • Sessions are designed to be interactive, engaging and fun. We offer a mix of group-level discussion, and small group or pair breakouts. No one wants a never-ending lecture, including us.

    As a result, this is not a passive experience and it will not be possible to multi-task during the sessions. Laptops and phones are not permitted during our in-person sessions, and we ask managers in the virtual cohort to help themselves stay focused by signing out of email / Slack, and snoozing notifications.

    Sessions are NOT recorded so we can protect our norm of confidentiality.

  • We ask all participants to attend each meeting in full, and without distractions.

    Peer learning is a huge part of our program, and we put a lot of time into vetting applicants and forming quality groups. We need everyone to be present and to play full out in all sessions to make the most of the experience — for ourselves and each other.

    For participants in the virtual sessions:

    • We understand that emergencies come up, and will work with you to make up the material if you need to miss one meeting.

    • If you miss more than one meeting, then you will forfeit your spot in the cohort.

    For participants in the in-person sessions:

    • We ask that you attend both days in full. If you can no longer make one of the two days, then you will be removed from the cohort.

  • Most participants who join the program are sponsored by their company. If you’d like to join us but need tuition reimbursement, then you can use this email template to initiate a conversation with your manager (feel free to make a copy and make it your own!). If your manager would like more info, they can reach out to us at info@fortlight.com.

  • Yes - we partner with many startups that lean on us to train many or all of their managers. Group discounts are available when enrolling multiple managers in a single cohort.

    We also partner with VC firms who sponsor managers at portfolio companies.

    Note that we limit the number of managers from a single company in each small group meeting, so we can preserve the culture, diversity, and safety of the group.

    We also require all participants to complete an application, even if they are being sponsored.

    Please reach out, and we’ll be happy to discuss how we can support your team’s training needs and goals!

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