Growth for Founders

New
·

10 Days

·

Cohort-based Course

Turn early traction into repeatable growth. Learn the systems and tools founders need to lead early growth with confidence.

Previously at

Dropbox
Bounce
LogMeIn
eBay
Nord Security

Course overview

The growth foundation every founder needs

You’ve launched. Customers are using the product. But growth still isn’t where it should be—and it’s hard to tell what’s working, what’s not, or where to focus next.


You’re in the most critical phase between early traction and scalable growth. The moves you make now will define your trajectory—and if you get them wrong, it’s hard to recover later.


This course gives you the structure to get it right.


Growth for Founders helps you lead with clarity—without needing to be a growth expert from day one. You’ll learn how to identify what’s driving value, what’s getting in the way, and how to align your team around focused, high-leverage growth efforts.


Sean Ellis has been a trailblazer in this phase of growth—helping companies like Dropbox, LogMeIn, and Eventbrite turn early traction into repeatable, scalable systems. At Dropbox, he helped lay the foundation for the company’s rapid growth—setting in motion the systems that contributed to it becoming the fastest SaaS business to reach $1B in recurring revenue. And his frameworks have been used by countless other global successes ranging from TikTok to Nubank (the world's fastest growing bank). He knows what it takes to move fast without creating chaos—and how to lead growth in the uniquely cross-functional way only a founder can.


In just two weeks, you’ll learn how to:


- Choose a success metric that reflects real value—and use it to focus your team

- Run the PMF survey to understand what makes your product a must-have (and for whom)

- Build a growth model that maps how users experience value—and where growth breaks down

- Prioritize experiments using the ICE framework to focus on what moves the needle

- Design a 90-day plan to lead growth confidently—or hand it off with clarity

- Avoid common early mistakes—from misaligned metrics to premature growth hires


You’ll walk away with a clear roadmap, sharper instincts, and the confidence to lead—not guess—your way through this critical phase of growth.

Who will benefit most from this course?

01

You’ve launched—but growth is unclear:

Learn what drives growth, where users drop off, and how to build a repeatable system.

02

You’re hiring a Head of Growth soon:

Get the tools to choose the right person, stay aligned, and support growth without dropping the baton.

03

You’re considering owning growth yourself: Build the skills to lead growth now—and decide if you want to own the role long term.

What you’ll get out of this course

Nail messaging with the Must-Have Survey

Use Sean’s proven PMF survey to identify what your best users value most—then turn those insights into sharper positioning and conversion. Originally developed by Sean, this survey has been used by top startups around the world to sharpen their growth strategy.

Map your product’s real growth system

Build a working growth model based on how users actually discover, activate, and return—so you can focus on what truly drives your metric.

Define and align around your success metric

Pressure-test your North Star Metric to ensure it reflects real value—and align your team around a clear, focused measure of progress. Avoid the common mistake of rallying around a metric that misleads your team or misrepresents value.

Prioritize fast, high-leverage experiments

Apply the ICE framework to spot and test improvements that move your metric—and don't just sound good in a brainstorm. Sean’s ICE framework is now a startup standard for fast, resource-conscious decision-making.

Avoid common growth missteps

Stop wasting time on surface-level wins, scattered tests, or premature hires. Learn when to double down, delegate, or hire—based on signal.

Build a focused 90-day growth plan

Build a test-driven growth plan you can lead with confidence. You’ll leave with a 90-day roadmap to move your key metric—and a rhythm to keep momentum going. This is the same framework Sean has used in interim VP roles, now available publicly for the first time.

This course includes

8 interactive live sessions

Lifetime access to course materials

4 in-depth lessons

Direct access to instructor

Projects to apply learnings

Guided feedback & reflection

Private community of peers

Course certificate upon completion

Maven Satisfaction Guarantee

This course is backed by Maven’s guarantee. You can receive a full refund within 14 days after the course ends, provided you meet the completion criteria in our refund policy.

Course syllabus

Week 1

Jun 10—Jun 15

    Jun

    10

    Lesson 1: Laying the Groundwork for Growth—Systems, Metrics, and Founder Ownership

    Tue 6/105:00 PM—6:30 PM (UTC)

    Jun

    10

    Optional: Optional AMA - Success Metric, Team Alignment & Growth Model Foundations

    Tue 6/106:30 PM—7:00 PM (UTC)
    Optional

    💥 Post-Session 1 Project

    1 item

    Jun

    12

    Lesson 2: Map the System—How to Discover What Really Drives Your Growth

    Thu 6/125:00 PM—6:30 PM (UTC)

    Jun

    12

    Optional: Optional AMA - Mapping the System & Clarifying What Drives Growth

    Thu 6/126:30 PM—7:00 PM (UTC)
    Optional

    💥 Post-Session 2 Project

    1 item

Week 2

Jun 16—Jun 19

    Jun

    17

    Lesson 3: From Insight to Impact: Prioritizing What Moves the Needle, Fast

    Tue 6/175:00 PM—6:30 PM (UTC)

    Jun

    17

    Optional: Optional AMA - Prioritization, Experiment Design & Early Validation

    Tue 6/176:30 PM—7:00 PM (UTC)
    Optional

    💥 Post-Session 3 Project

    1 item

    Jun

    19

    Lesson 4: Building Momentum and Leading Growth Beyond the Course

    Thu 6/195:00 PM—6:30 PM (UTC)

    Jun

    19

    Optional: Optional AMA - 90-Day Planning, Founder Role & Growth Leadership

    Thu 6/196:30 PM—7:00 PM (UTC)
    Optional

    💥 Post-Session 4 Project

    1 item

Built from Sean’s experience as a founder, growth leader, and trainer of top startup teams using his battle-tested workshop format.

        Sean's workshop was really important and successful for us, opening our eyes in many ways. Teams polished their core metrics, especially defining NSM, and now concentrate more on such things as speed to value.
Jonas Karklys

Jonas Karklys

Founder at NordVPN
        We were inspired to improve the way we are working. Especially the North Star Metric stuff was eye opening!
Jeroen Jonker Roelants

Jeroen Jonker Roelants

Director of Product at eBay (former)

Meet your instructor

Sean Ellis

Sean Ellis

Sean Ellis is best known for coining the term “growth hacking” and leading early growth at Dropbox, Eventbrite, LogMeIn (IPO), and Lookout. He’s the author of the global bestseller Hacking Growth, which has sold over 800,000 copies and is widely used by startup teams around the world.


Sean has also founded and scaled companies himself, giving him a unique perspective on the challenges founders face when transitioning from product-market fit to scalable growth. In recent years, he has trained hundreds of teams through his practical, results-driven workshops—including some of the fastest-growing startups and digital innovators.


This course distills everything Sean has learned from decades in the trenches—designed specifically for founders who are ready to turn early traction into breakout growth.

A pattern of wavy dots

Join an upcoming cohort

Growth for Founders

May 2025

$1,500

Dates

June 10—19, 2025

Payment Deadline

June 6, 2025
Get reimbursed

Course schedule

5 - 6 hours per week

  • Tuesdays & Thursdays

    1:00pm - 2:30pm ET

    Live sessions run June 10–19, 2025


    Each 90-minute session is hands-on and founder-focused. You’ll learn directly from Sean Ellis, applying his proven frameworks like the PMF Survey, Growth Model, and ICE prioritization to your own business in real time.

  • Optional AMAs after each live session

    2:30pm - 3pm ET

    Want feedback on your decisions or ideas? Sean will stay on after each session for an open group AMA to go deeper, clarify takeaways, or offer direct feedback on your unique growth challenges.

  • Projects after each live session

    2 - 3 hours per week

    This isn’t theory. After each session, you’ll apply the material to your startup—refining your metric, uncovering growth levers, or aligning your team. Each project is designed to drive clarity and momentum you can act on immediately.

Learning is better with cohorts

Learning is better with cohorts

Active hands-on learning

This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects

Interactive and project-based

You’ll be interacting with other learners through breakout rooms and project teams

Learn with a cohort of peers

Join a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you

Frequently Asked Questions

Stay in the loop

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A pattern of wavy dots

Join an upcoming cohort

Growth for Founders

May 2025

$1,500

Dates

June 10—19, 2025

Payment Deadline

June 6, 2025
Get reimbursed

$1,500

10 Days