Sketch to strategy in eight weeks
Apply for one of 10 sponsored scholarship seats in the first-ever Hatch 8-week mastermind
You already have the hardest part: the idea, the hustle, and customers who believed in you before there was much to believe in yet.
What most founders never get is an operator sitting across the table telling them exactly what to build next and why.
That is what Hatch does for private clients and our retreat cohorts, and for the first time we are opening that same process to ten founders through ten fully sponsored scholarship seats, in a live virtual cohort we are building from scratch alongside you.
What this is
The Hatch 8 week mastermind takes the methodology we built at Hatch, brand strategy from Deb's side and operating and scaling discipline from Cliff's, and puts it in the hands of a founding cohort.
Deb Gabor and Cliff Sharples run every session live, so instead of a recorded course or a generic framework, you get decision-grade clarity built with you, session by session.
Why Sponsored?
Hatch is investing real time, methodology, and coaching in this founding cohort, and asking for something in return: your full commitment, honest work, and a willingness to be part of the story of the first-ever Hatch mastermind.
Who this is for
1
You have a real business idea, not just a concept on a slide
2
You have talked to customers, tested a product, or generated early revenue
3
You do not yet have a positioning statement, a plan on a page, or a go to market plan
4
You can commit two hours a week for eight weeks, plus homework between sessions
5
You want operators in the room, not a self-paced course
What you walk away with
A mission, vision, values, and BHAG worth building a company around
Your Ideal Customer Archetype, Brand Values Pyramid, Three Brand Questions, and Brand Archetype
A Hatch Plan on a Page, built in week four and sharpened through week eight
A pricing and business model you understand cold
A go-to-market blueprint and sales motion built for your stage of development
An investor narrative or partnership plan, depending on your path
A 100-day action plan with clear ownership, and a cohort that will hold you to it
Why this works
Every session is taught by an operator who has built and sold or built and scaled a company of their own
One integrated methodology carries you across brand, business model, and go-to-market
A cohort of ten, small enough that Deb and Cliff know you and your business by name
Built for founders who are ready to build the plan now
How it works
Eight weekly two-hour sessions, live on video, plus a pre-work session zero before the program starts.
We teach it live, and you build it as homework, using the same worksheets we use with Hatch's private clients.
Every session opens with your cohort holding you accountable to what you said you would build the week before.
Your Guides
Deb Gabor
Deb Gabor is a globally recognized brand strategist and bestselling author of Branding Is Sex, Irrational Loyalty, and Person-Ality. She has spent more than 30 years helping founders and leadership teams build brands people are irrationally loyal to.
Cliff Sharples
Cliff Sharples is a multi-time founder and operator who has built, scaled, and led companies across industries, including through the HomeAway team's path to its Expedia acquisition. He has coached founders through the real, unglamorous work of scaling a business.
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Key dates
Applications open August 11
Applications close after 30 days, on September 10
Winners announced September 15
Program begins October 7
Ten sponsored seats open for one founding cohort, with applications opening August 11.
Full application details go live August 11.