A 10-month program for leaders of high-growth tech companies, focused on building high-performing, culturally healthy organizations
Overview | ALUMNI | DETAILS | Price | Dates
Leaders in Tech Fellows is a 10-month experiential learning program helping founders build more successful companies by becoming better leaders. Participants are nominated by a network of industry leaders and selected after a competitive application process.
The core program is conducted in small, deeply intimate groups in which participants discover for themselves how and when they are most influential, how their behaviors impact others and gain a richer toolkit for building trusting and powerful professional and personal relationships. Many former participants have described the experience as profoundly transformational.
Our programs have a NPS of 92 and over 90% of alumni say LIT had a lasting impact on their effectiveness as a leader.
The Leaders in Tech Fellows program is based on T-groups, a form of experiential learning popularized by Interpersonal Dynamics, the most popular elective at the Stanford Graduate School of Business for over 30 years (commonly known and referred to as "Touchy Feely").
T-group is an experiential learning format focused on discovering when and how you are most influential, and how others really think and feel about how you act.
Most participants say their group has helped them make hard decisions, persevere, resolve conflict, fundraise, sell, hire, and lead more effectively. Again and again, they report building some of the deepest, most honest, and enduring relationships of their lives. Hundreds have called the experience "life-changing".
The program begins with an intensive 4-day retreat. Participants engage in open and confidential conversations that build deep trust within the group, creating a unique environment to gain insights into how others perceive you and how you understand yourself and practice giving and receiving feedback effectively.
After the kickoff retreat, each learning group continues to meet throughout the year - with shorter sessions twice each quarter by zoom and once each quarter for a full day session in the Bay Area. These monthly sessions continue to build on the insights from the kickoff retreat and also give participants an ongoing support and reinforcement structure as they begin to apply their learning into the most pressing challenges and opportunities in their business and in their life.
Participants will join together with their current Fellows cohort and Fellows alumni for an in-person graduation dinner at the conclusion of their program.
Once they complete the program, Fellows become part of the LIT Alumni community for life. Many groups continue meeting in various formats for years after the program ends and there are regular formal and informal alumni community meetups and events in many locations as well as an active online community.
Qualifying applicants are leaders who have been or currently are founder/co-founder or CEO/President at a Series A (>$5M raised) to pre-IPO startup.
Not you? Check out our programs for earlier stage founders and oustanding executives.
The foundation of this program is interpersonal learning so the participation of each member impacts not only their own experience but the entire group. In joining the program, participants make a commitment to (1) attend the 4-day kickoff retreat in full, (2) attend each of the monthly peer learning group sessions, (3) enter the program deeply curious, willing to question existing mindsets and beliefs, and prepared to give and receive honest feedback in service of their own and others’ learning.
Tuition for the Fellows program is $19,850 and includes the 4-day retreat (accommodations, meals, program materials), monthly learning groups, and the graduation reception.
Leaders in Tech is a nonprofit and we do our best not to turn anyone away because of financial need. Within our resources, we offer financial assistance for participants who are unable to pay full tuition. In addition to financial assistance, we also offer payment plans over four quarters. If you are interested in participating in the program and concerned about cost, we encourage you to apply anyway and we will work with you to try to make it possible.
Please note that the majority of our participants have their companies pay for their enrollment, as they would with an executive coach. Check out our fact sheet for your board or cofounders.
Full attendance expected for all sessions in a cohort.
November 19-22
Retreat
(
Santa Cruz, CA
)
Dec 9, 12-2pm
Online Session
Jan 6, 12-2pm
Online Session
Feb 10, 9am-6pm
In-Person (Bay Area)
March 3, 12-2pm
Online Session
April 14, 12-2pm
Online Session
May 5, 9am-6pm
In-Person (SF Bay Area)
June 2, 12-2pm
Online Session
July 7, 12-2pm
Online Session
Aug 11, 9am-6pm
In-Person (Bay Area)
March 29-April 1
Retreat
(
1440 - Scotts Valley, CA
)
TBD by Group
Online
May 27, 9am-6pm PT
In-person near SFO
TBD by Group
online
August 12, 9am-6pm PT
in-person near SFO
TBD by Group
Online
October 28, 9am-6pm PT
In-person near SFO
TBD by Group
Online
January 13, 9am-8pm PT
In-person near SFO
Please take a few minutes to learn more about what to expect before applying.
Please read The Power of T-Groups and Experiential Learning. This paper will help you better understand the pedagogy, the reason we use it, and how to best prepare to get the most out of a LIT program.
Hear from our alums on what made the program worth their time and money, and why the fellowship was the right fit for them.
Check out some typical learning goals and skills for LIT programs.
Carole Robin and David Bradford’s website for their book Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends, and Colleagues. There is a wealth of articles, podcasts, interviews, and videos that introduce the foundation of LIT’s programs.
Carole Robin was a guest on Lenny’s Podcast. She covers Touchy Feely, Leaders in Tech, T-Groups, and a lot more about building connection and strong relationships as a leader and in your personal life.
An intensive, experiential kickoff modeled after Stanford’s famed “Touchy Feely” course. You’ll explore how others experience your leadership style and learn what makes you most influential.
Get support and accountability as you deepen and apply your insights into your current work and personal challenges over the next 6 months.
The program is guided by Leaders in Tech co-founder and Stanford GSB master teacher Carole Robin and each group is led by a pair of hand-picked Stanford-trained facilitators.
Built on Stanford's Interpersonal Dynamics curriculum, our program has earned a world-class 92 NPS.
Cultivate
Self-awareness
Identify blind spots in your leadership style and understand exactly how you need to grow to have greater impact.
Build interpersonal
fluency
Learn how to strengthen relationships with cofounders, colleagues, investors, customers, and partners.
Master group
dynamics
Learn what makes teams psychologically safe, high-performing, and accountable to each other.
We invite those who have been or currently are founders, co-founders, or CEOs of any pre-seed to pre-IPO startup to apply for Fellows.
Applicants should be committed to growing as leaders and creating culturally healthy organizations.
We are committed to identifying a diverse group of participants who bring a range of backgrounds and perspectives to their businesses.
Most participants are nominated by our network of industry leaders though it is also possible to apply directly and many successful applicants have found us that way.
Applications opened for 2026 cohorts of Fellows in October 2025. You can always submit a nomination or your own interest for the program here.
Tuition for the Fellows program is $19,850 and includes the 4-day retreat (with accommodations, meals, program materials), monthly learning groups, and the graduation dinner.
We offer financial assistance for participants who are unable to pay full tuition. In addition to financial assistance, we also offer payment plans over four quarters. If you are interested in participating in the program and concerned about cost, we encourage you to apply anyway and we will work with you to try to make it possible.
Please note that the majority of our participants have their companies pay for their enrollment, as they would with an executive coach.
Full attendance expected for all sessions in a cohort.
November 19-22
Retreat
(
Santa Cruz, CA
)
Dec 9, 12-2pm
Online Session
Jan 6, 12-2pm
Online Session
Feb 10, 9am-6pm
In-Person (Bay Area)
March 3, 12-2pm
Online Session
April 14, 12-2pm
Online Session
May 5, 9am-6pm
In-Person (SF Bay Area)
June 2, 12-2pm
Online Session
July 7, 12-2pm
Online Session
Aug 11, 9am-6pm
In-Person (Bay Area)
March 29-April 1
Retreat
(
1440 - Scotts Valley, CA
)
TBD by Group
Online
May 27, 9am-6pm PT
In-person near SFO
TBD by Group
online
August 12, 9am-6pm PT
in-person near SFO
TBD by Group
Online
October 28, 9am-6pm PT
In-person near SFO
TBD by Group
Online
January 13, 9am-8pm PT
In-person near SFO
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Grove
FELLOWS PROGRAM
FOR EARLY STAGE FOUNDERS
Pre-Seed & Seed (<$5M last round)
Our dedicated program for early stage. Zero cash cost. LIT Core retreat in-person plus six learning groups by zoom to minimize travel.
Executive
FELLOWS PROGRAM
FOR EXECUTIVES
High Impact Senior Leaders
Our dedicated program for outstanding executive leaders. Features the core LIT Retreat plus 6 monthly peer-learning groups. (In-person and online hybrid)