Incubator Program
Start-Up & Early Stage Businesses
Training & Technical Assistance
Virtual Training Workshops
Practitioner-Driven Workshops
1-on-1 Mentoring
Pitch Coaching & Events
An inside look at the Polk Institute Foundation programs.
Incubator Cohort
Pre-Revenue / Startup
With a focus on nurturing a strong foundation of business ethics and social responsibility, the Incubator cultivates a culture of integrity and sustainability among budding entrepreneurs. Our Incubator is a meticulously crafted program where participants delve into essential aspects of corporate operations, including legal frameworks, financial management, and leadership.
Polk Institute Foundation is a trusted advisor throughout the entrepreneurial life-cycle. Assemble effective teams and partnerships, strive for excellence, perform at peak, and capitalize on opportunity.
The Triple Bottom Line
A curriculum built for fundable social entrepreneurs.
The Fundable CEO & Ethical Leadership
Begins the journey to becoming a fundable CEO. Starting with your WHY, we develop Mission, Vision, and Values, then shift to equity and team-building. Ethical Leadership tackles the daily dilemmas CEOs face — doing the right thing when no one is watching.
Social Entrepreneurship and the B-Corp
The intricacies of being a true social entrepreneur and what it takes to become certified as a B-Corporation. Covers the benefits of forming a Social Purpose Corporation (SPC) and operating under B-Corp standards.
Personal Financial Literacy for Entrepreneurs
Responsible financial practices: credit, FICO scores, interest rates, financing options, and a personal financial management system. You can't run a business if you can't handle your own financial house.
Entrepreneur Finance
Finance fundamentals: revenue and recognition, cost of goods, gross profit, cost behaviors, contribution margin, fixed vs. variable costs, break-even, revenue drivers, financial projections, and cash-flow forecasting.
Operations Essentials for Entrepreneurs
Built on Michael E. Gerber's E-Myth Revisited. Working on your business vs. in it, building systems-led companies, the Technician/Manager/Entrepreneur mentalities, and the Turnkey Revolution.
AI for Entrepreneurs
AI is a tool to help entrepreneurs work smarter, faster, and more efficiently. Pi trains practical uses of AI for marketing, research, operations, customer service, and decision-making—while emphasizing accuracy, responsible use, and human judgment. Use AI as a tool, but never lose the human touch.
Primary Market Research & Proof of Concept
A 4-week workshop on primary market research, proof of concept, and Customer Discovery Interviews. Cohort clients define personas and run 100 face-to-face interviews to validate their business.
Mental Fitness for the CEO
It is lonely at the top. This workshop equips CEOs with techniques to persevere, lead with vulnerability, and maintain a positive outlook for their team and stakeholders.
Capstone Pitch
Tie everything together into a 5–7 minute persuasive pitch, presented at our Annual Pitch Showcase each January.
Our Ideal Candidate
Built for Small & Medium-Size Enterprises.
Our goal is to expose social entrepreneurship as a viable path to financial freedom — with 70% of our trainees being women, veteran-led entrepreneurs, and underrepresented minorities.
Coachable
Open to new learning.
Grit
No quitting.
Vision
Grow a $1M (annual revenue) business in 3–5 years.
Mission
Embrace social entrepreneurship.
Admission requires an application, a 90-second introduction video, and a panel interview with our selection committee. Clients complete 11 monthly workshops — 2 hours per week on Zoom — concluding with a 5–10 minute investor-quality pitch at our annual Pitch Showcase.
Watch: Who is our ideal candidate?