Concluding the Mini MBA in Entrepreneurship: A Strong Cohort, Powerful Insights, and Real Founder Growth
On October 27, we successfully concluded the latest cohort of the TiE Silicon Valley Mini MBA in Entrepreneurship, where more than 30 founders and aspiring founders came together for a practical, hands-on learning experience designed to help them validate, launch, and scale their ventures.
Over six weeks, participants engaged directly with Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and educators, gaining actionable frameworks and real-world strategies built for startup execution—not theory.
Meet the Instructors
Naeem Zafar
Naeem is a seasoned executive who has led several high-tech businesses as the CEO and guided dozens as a Board member or an advisor. Naeem has taught entrepreneurship and innovation at several leading universities including UC Berkeley, Brown University, and Northeastern University. Naeem’s specialties include method for raising capital for startups, strategy development, product positioning, managing Board of Directors, business development and M&A.
R. Paul Singh
Paul is a successful entrepreneur and a founder of multiple startups and now is an advisor to many software startups. Having worked as the head of marketing for many B2B startups in their $0-$50M journey, he brings in a unique experience to scale marketing and sales while keeping acquisition costs low. He also teaches “Sales and Marketing for Entrepreneurs” courses at Northeastern University and the University of California, Berkeley.
Their teaching grounded every session in real founder experience, candor, and practical clarity.
The Six-Session Learning Journey
| Date | Session Topic | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 15 | Conducting Market Research | How to test product viability effectively—from lean experiments to structured frameworks. |
| Sept 22 | Go-to-Market: Starting the Sales Engine | Creating early traction by identifying early customers and building the first repeatable sales motion. |
| Sept 29 | Team, Equity & Culture | Structuring founder agreements, dividing equity fairly, hiring early talent, and shaping company culture. |
| Oct 6 | Go-to-Market: Marketing Engine | Developing a marketing plan that drives awareness, leads, and predictable pipeline growth. |
| Oct 13 | Financial Modeling | Understanding unit economics, forecasting capital needs, and using financial models for decision-making and fundraising. |
| Oct 27 | Investor Readiness & Pitching | Crafting an investor narrative that is clear, compelling, and fundable. |
Each session blended frameworks, founder discussion, and real-time application — ensuring founders could put learning into immediate practice.
A Cohort That Showed Up
The level of engagement across Q&A, peer discussions, and problem-solving was outstanding. This group asked strong questions, shared openly, and supported one another — creating the foundation of a founder community that will continue beyond the program.
This is the core of TiE Silicon Valley: Founders learning with founders.
What Comes Next
Participants have now received:
- Session recordings and course materials
- 5 entrepreneurship e-books by Naeem Zafar
- Continued connection via the cohort WhatsApp group
- Pathways to TiE Silicon Valley’s upcoming founder-focused engagements
This is not the end — it’s the start of the next chapter in their entrepreneurial journeys.
Looking Forward
We look forward to supporting this cohort as they build, raise, launch, iterate, hire, and grow. The next Mini MBA cohort will be announced soon.
Stay connected with TiE Silicon Valley for updates, programs, and community opportunities.
