Mountaintop Business Executive Fellowship with NYU Stern

The Mountaintop Business Executive Fellowship is a 12-week credentialed executive education program for purpose-driven business leaders who want to grow their companies while driving positive impact. Delivered by Mountaintop International, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, in partnership with the NYU Stern Initiative on Purpose and Flourishing, this world-class executive program equips mission-driven leaders with the skills, mentorship, and networks to strengthen businesses sustainably and strategically through an 11 week online training followed by a 1 week residency at NYU Stern.

 

What You Gain

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The Business Executive Fellowship is designed to give leaders both strategic insight and practical learning. By the end of the program, you will have:

• A Growth Plan — a tailored roadmap to scale revenue, strengthen culture, and embed purpose in your company’s future.

• World-Class Business Education — instruction from NYU Stern faculty and insights from Fortune 500 executives.

• Recognized Credentials — a certificate jointly issued by the NYU Stern Initiative on Purpose and Flourishing and Mountaintop International.

• A Global Network — a trusted community of peers from across 175+ countries, committed to leading with purpose and tackling challenges together.​

 

Why Mountaintop

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• World Class Education: Learn from experts on scaling companies and building flourishing teams with faculty at NYU Stern and some of the world's most successful founders and business executives. See a sample curriculum and speaker list from a recent Mountaintop Fellowship training for nonprofit executives.

• Deep Experience in Executive Education: Mountaintop has built seven executive programs, supporting leaders in the U.S. and across 17 countries. Partners include the Harvard Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics, MacArthur Foundation, and Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies.

• World-Leading Faculty and Practitioners: Previous programs have featured faculty from Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School, and speakers such as Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi. 

• Dedicated Executive Mentorship: Access 1:1 mentorship with top business leaders at any time during the Fellowship through Mountaintop's Mentor Office Hours program. See a sample of mentors here.

• Proven Impact: Mountaintop’s Harvard-based fellowship has achieved a perfect Net Promoter Score of 100 in each of the past two years, with 100% of participants citing a transformative or significant impact on their leadership trajectory. Our most recent graduating Fellow class increased revenues by 50% and staff size by 46% year on year. Hear from the Fellows themselves at our most Harvard fellowship for nonprofit executives.

 

Curriculum

Phase 1: Online Program (Jan 5 – Mar 15, 2026 | 10 weeks, ~3 hrs/week)

 

The Business Executive Fellowship is built for busy executives who don’t have time for a two-year MBA — but need the same caliber of tools, frameworks, and networks. In just 3 hours per week, you’ll gain MBA-level insights distilled for immediate application to your company. Every module ties directly into your Growth Plan, so you leave with a strategy that’s not only learned but already tested.

• Holistic Life Design – Define mission, vision, and values with peer feedback.

• Adaptive Leadership – Apply Harvard Kennedy School’s flagship framework to diagnose challenges and adapt.

• Business Models & Strategy – Refine models for growth and use decision-making frameworks to navigate uncertainty.

Organizational & Team Dynamics

• Organizational Behavior – Understand culture, incentives, and management performance.

• Operations Management – Build scalable processes for efficiency and execution.

Financial & Analytical Skills

• Financial Decision-Making – Apply NPV, IRR, DCF, and other tools to real investments.

• Managerial Accounting – Use breakeven points, cost-volume-profit, and margins to allocate resources.

• Data Analytics – Run A/B tests, interpret regressions, and use AI visualization for smarter strategy.

Customers & Funders

• Marketing Strategy – Research, segment, target, position, and manage brands effectively.

• Pitching & Sales – Craft persuasive decks and practice high-stakes pitches with direct coaching.

Phase 2: In-Person NYC Intensive (Mar 16 – 22, 2026)

One week in New York City. A rare chance to step out of the day-to-day and learn from the leaders who shape the business world. The residency is not a conference or a classroom. It’s a full-immersion experience where you’ll learn directly from CEOs, faculty, and peers — and leave with tools you can apply the very next day.

Immersive Learning with Leaders

• Hiring & Firing with Clarity – Learn how top CEOs build pipelines and manage exits with dignity.

• Performance at Scale – Design systems of accountability, feedback, and data for high performance.

• Negotiation in Practice – Master durable, win–win agreements in hostile or high-stakes settings.

• Communications Mastery – Strengthen both external influence (brand, reputation) and internal authority (teams, Boards).

Exclusive Experiences

• Business Leader Access – Visit top NYC companies, learning firsthand from C-suite executives.

• Live Case Workshops – Workshop your toughest business challenge with peers and experts.

• Growth Plan Lab – Finalize your customized Growth Plan under peer and faculty review; select Fellows present in a capstone showcase.

Eligibility

• Be a Founder, CEO C-Suite executive, or other manager at a for-profit company driven by purpose.​​

• Purpose takes many forms:

  • People: building teams that are happy, healthy, and fulfilled.

  • Place: driving economic opportunity in underserved communities.

  • Planet: embedding environmental sustainability into core strategy.

  • Product: creating solutions that improve the lives of lower and middle income people.​

• Committed to 3 hours/week of online course work and class time from January 5th - March 15th, 2026.​

• Committed to attending the 7-day course at NYU Stern in New York City March 16th-22nd, 2026.

Timeline

• Applications: July 7 – Oct 31, 2025 (rolling review; early submission encouraged)

• Selection: Nov 1 – Nov 15, 2025 (virtual interviews)

• Onboarding: Nov 15 – Dec 31, 2025 (visa support; tuition due by Dec 15)

• Program: Jan 5 – Mar 22, 2026

Your Investment

Invest in the future not just for yourself, but also for your team and company. 

As a nonprofit, we have designed the Business Executive Fellowship to be as financially accessible as possible for business leaders around the world. Thanks to recent grants, we have recently reduced the cost of the program by more than 50%.

 

​Option 1: $5,000 (Includes Hotel): 

• Tuition for both online + in-person components.

• Daily breakfast and lunch at NYU Stern.

• Complimentary access to the “Purpose and Flourishing in the Age of AI” conference

• 7 nights’ private accommodation in a queen-bed room at Arlo Soho, a four-star hotel, included as part of the discounted group booking (20-minute walk from NYU).

Option 2: $3,000 (Tuition Only)

• Tuition for both online + in-person components.

• Daily breakfast and lunch at NYU Stern.

• Complimentary access to the “Purpose and Flourishing in the Age of AI” conference

• Fellows arrange their own accommodation in New York.

Testimonial

“Mountaintop was an incredible experience — a space to learn from and with other inspiring leaders, and to get tips from experts on how to better run our organizations.

 

— Dhruva Bhat, Rhodes Scholar and Founder & CEO, Lumiere (India)

How to Apply

Start your application here.

Full program details here.

Questions?

Arnav Sinha, Program Officer

Email: arnav.sinha@mountaintop.international

Tags Entrepreneurship Environment and Sustainability Impact Investing Livelihood Skill Development Leadership