NEW · 2026 · ASPIRE INSTITUTE
Leadership Accelerator
Powered by AI
AI is rapidly transforming the workplace — but technical knowledge alone is no longer enough. The Leadership Accelerator, Powered by AI helps early-career professionals build the practical AI, communication, collaboration, and leadership skills needed to thrive in a changing world of work. This 30-hour accelerator spans 8 weeks and is guided by industry leaders, combining self-paced learning with live cohort-based discussions and applied learning experiences.
Through real-world scenarios, peer discussions, and hands-on projects, participants learn how to use AI effectively, think critically, lead confidently, and create meaningful impact in their careers and communities.
🗓️ Cohort 2: June 1 – July 27, 2026 | Cohort 3: September 14 – November 9
For Ages 18-35 | 30 Hours Total · 4 Hours Per Week | Virtual · Self-Paced | Cohort-Based · Live Sessions | $100 Per Participant | Certificate Signed by Aspire Co-Founders, HBS Faculty
** The LAPA program is best experienced with a stable internet connection and a laptop or device with sufficient memory to fully access the platform’s interactive components.
***Cohort 3 payment options will be available June 15, 2026.
WHAT’S INSIDE
Eight weeks. Seven modules. One capstone.
The curriculum builds progressively —AI foundations first. Then the leadership and professional skills you’ll practice using AI tools throughout. It closes with a capstone week where you design, build, and present an AI-enabled solution to a real workplace challenge, brought together with live masterclasses from additional industry experts.
WEEK 1
Basics of Artificial Intelligence
Understand the foundations of AI, including types of AI, prompt engineering, responsible AI, bias evaluation, and decision-support systems.
WEEKS 2-3
Communication, Time Management, Team Dynamics
Develop professional communication, productivity, and collaboration skills using AI-enhanced tools and workflows. Participants learn how to best listen, articulate managing priorities, leading teams effectively, delegating and building sustainable systems for high performance.
WEEKS 4 & 7
Peer To Peer Learning And Reflection
Strengthen self-awareness, collaboration, and interpersonal leadership through peer discussions, reflective exercises, and community-based learning experiences.
WEEKS 5-6
Resilience, Negotiation, Ethical Leadership
Build adaptive leadership skills through negotiation simulations, ethical decision-making, and resilience under pressure. Participants learn how to navigate ambiguity, lead with integrity, and apply AI tools to support strategic thinking and problem-solving.
WEEK 8
Capstone Project + Live Masterclasses
Participants reflect on their leadership journey while identifying a challenge or opportunity within their team, organization, or community. Using LAPA frameworks and AI tools, they design and present a practical implementation plan for a real-world solution
INDUSTRY LEADERS TEACHING EACH MODULE
Nandkishore “Andy” Kalambi
Angel Investor, Technologist & Founder, NatureCentred AI
Module 1 · AI Basics
Demond T. Martin
Co-Founder & CEO, WellWithAll · Investor & Philanthropist
Module 2 · Communication
Álvaro Rodríguez
Co-Founder, IGNIA · Executive Fellow, Harvard Business School
Module 3 · Productivity
Eleri J. Dixon
2024 Harvard ALI Fellow · Digital Transformation Leader & Board Director
Module 4 · Team Dynamics
Sháka Rasheed
General Partner, Open Opportunity Fund · Former Sr. Executive, Microsoft & Salesforce
Module 5 · Resilience
Peter “Pete” Chow
CTO, ASSIA Inc. · IEEE Fellow & Broadband Innovation Leader
Module 6 · Negotiation
Niren Chaudhary
Chairman, Panera Brands · Executive Coach & Former CEO
Module 7 · Values-Based Leadership
WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT
Not an AI course. Not a soft-skills course. A leadership accelerator built around both.
Most programs teach you AI tools or they teach you leadership. This one does both — at the same time. Learn to prompt AI effectively and develop the judgment to know when it helps and when it doesn’t. Then put it to work: in real negotiation simulations, difficult conversations, high functioning teams using AI-powered frameworks, and time management systems that make a real impact.
The result isn’t passive “AI awareness.” It’s practical readiness — because AI isn’t a topic you study, it’s the medium through which you develop these skills in a world where it’s already part of the job.
A global cohort of peers, live masterclasses with industry leaders, and a capstone where every skill comes together in a project you design, build, and present.
Taught by industry leaders including the Chairman of Panera Brands, the CEO of WellWithAll, a former senior executive at Microsoft and Salesforce, and an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School.
What Participants Leave With
➔ Practical ability to apply AI tools strategically to real workplace challenges
➔ Prompt engineering skills and judgment to evaluate AI outputs for reliability and ethics
➔ Communication skills that influence, connect, and build trust in professional settings
➔ Frameworks for managing time, energy, and high-performing teams
➔ A practiced negotiation framework- tested through AI simulations before you use it in a real conversation
➔ A completed capstone project — an AI-enabled solution to a real workplace challenge, designed, built, and presented to peers and managers
➔ A certificate of completion signed by Aspire’s co-founders and Harvard Business School faculty
PROGRAM AT A GLANCE
FOR AGES
18-35
DURATION
30 Hours Across 8 Weeks
DATES
June 1 – July 27, 2026
FORMAT
Virtual · Cohort-based
LEARNING MODEL
Self-paced + Live Masterclasses
PLATFORM
Laptop/High Memory device & stable internet required.
Sana AI-Native LMS
TAUGHT BY
Industry Leaders
INVESTMENT
$100 Per Participant
Discounts for ALP graduates
CERTIFICATE
Signed by Aspire Co-Founders + HBS Faculty
WHY ORGANIZATIONS INVEST
Build AI-ready, adaptable early-career talent in just 8 weeks.
Develop AI-fluent professionals
Learn to use AI tools effectively for communication, problem-solving, research, collaboration, and workplace productivity — moving beyond AI awareness into real application.
Strengthen leadership and communication
Build the interpersonal, collaboration, and decision-making skills needed to lead teams, navigate ambiguity, and communicate with confidence in modern workplaces.
Improve retention and growth potential
Investing in early-career talent signals opportunity, growth, and long-term commitment — key drivers of engagement and retention among emerging professionals.
Prepare future-ready contributors
Participants apply learning through real-world scenarios, live discussions, and a capstone project designed to strengthen critical thinking and execution in real workplace settings
NPS 68
Pilot program net promoter score
92.4%
Reported confidence applying strategies learned
100+
Countries represented in a LAPA cohort
HOW IT’S DELIVERED
An AI-powered platform built for how professionals actually learn.
The Leadership Accelerator runs on Sana, an AI-native learning management system purpose-built for professional development. It’s not a video library. It responds to you, coaches you, and keeps you moving — with a 24/7 AI tutor available throughout all eight weeks.
Sana
An AI-native LMS purpose-built for professional learning — combining intelligent content delivery, AI coaching, and community learning in a single platform.
24/7
AI tutor available throughout all 8 weeks
AI Sims
Role-play scenarios for negotiation and communication practice
~4 Hours
Per week — built for full-time professionals
WHO IT’S FOR
Same program. Two different reasons to enroll.
FOR INDIVIDUALS
World-class leadership development. Without the world-class price tag.
AI is already reshaping the tools, roles, and expectations in your workplace. This program gives you the skills and credentials to stay ahead of it — for $100 and about four hours a week.
WHO IT’S FOR
➔ Early-career professionals, ages 18–35
➔ Recent graduates entering the workforce who want to stand out
Aspire Leaders Program graduates — priority access and a discounted rate available!
FOR ORGANIZATIONS
Invest in your emerging leaders at a price that makes it easy to say yes.
Practical, affordable upskilling for your early-career talent — designed to run alongside full-time work. The capstone project isn’t hypothetical: participants apply it directly to a real challenge in your organization.
WHO IT’S FOR
➔ Employers with high-volume early-career hiring building future-ready talent pipelines
➔ Universities and academies bundling career-readiness offerings for students and graduates
➔ Organizations with social impact goals — every enrollment funds the free ALP for a first-generation learner
ENROLLMENT OPTIONS
➔ $100/participant · volume discounts for groups of 20+
➔ Mixed cohorts (open enrollment) or private cohorts for groups of 15+
➔ Bundling available for universities and academies
PART OF THE ASPIRE ECOSYSTEM
Backed by Aspire’s co-founders — Harvard Business School Professors Tarun Khanna and Karim Lakhani.
The Leadership Accelerator is developed by Aspire Institute — the Harvard-founded nonprofit behind the Aspire Leaders Program, which has reached 500,000+ first-generation students across 195 countries, completely free.
The Leadership Accelerator is how Aspire sustains that mission. Revenue from corporate and individual enrollments goes directly toward keeping the ALP free for students who couldn’t otherwise access this caliber of program. When you enroll, you’re not just investing in your own development — you’re part of what makes it possible.
ASPIRE LEADERS PROGRAM
Free · 9 Weeks · Harvard-Founded
For first-generation and limited-income university students. 500,000+ applicants. 195 countries.
LEADERSHIP ACCELERATOR POWERED BY AI
$100 · 8 Weeks · Industry Leaders
For early-career professionals and organizations. Revenue sustains the free ALP.
Every enrollment in the Leadership Accelerator helps keep the Aspire Leaders Program free for a first-generation student who needs it. The model only works because both exist.
Build AI-ready, communication-strong early-career talent in 8 weeks.
The Leadership Accelerator Powered by AI opens June 1, 2026. Talk to us about enrolling your team, or enroll directly as an individual.
Contact program-support@aspireleaders.org for additional questions!
