Emerging Leaders
Fellowship Program 2.0
A unique 3-month leadership
and sustainability program
About
The Emerging Leaders Fellowship is where founders strengthen the internal infrastructure of their businesses and themselves as leaders. This 12-week experience is designed for early- to mid-stage entrepreneurs who are ready to move from reactive decision-making to intentional growth.
​
ELF focuses on leadership development, operational clarity, and ecosystem building. Fellows engage in structured learning, peer accountability, and applied strategy, all grounded in the realities of leading a business while navigating inequitable systems.
Between 2021 and 2024, ELF supported founders across multiple cities who were
committed to deepening their leadership capacity and scaling with purpose.​​​
The Challenge
Our
Solution
Mass Layoffs & Displacement
Since January 2025, the federal government has eliminated 277,000 jobs, with corporate layoffs accelerating across industries.
​
​​​The Displacement Gap
​
As corporate America phases workers out at an unprecedented scale, small businesses—who want to hire—lack the infrastructure and "hiring readiness" to phase them in.
​
Operational Friction
Founders spend an average of 10–15 hours per week on manual administrative tasks that could be automated, preventing them from focusing on high-level growth.
​Three-Pillar
Infrastructure
​
By combining Capital (cashflow), Capacity (knowledge), and Community(confidence), we empower founders to hire when they are ready.
​​
Sustainable
Economic Impact
​
Our Year 1 target of 4,000 businesses gaining capacity is projected to place 2,400–2,800 people into paid work, distributing up to $42M in wages.
​
Strategic AI Use
We teach founders to use AI to handle routine tasks, freeing up human capacity to hire specialized talent for high-value work.
Support the
Work of the
Emerging
Leaders
Fellowship
Program
Great leadership fuels business growth and community impact.
Donate to ELF to empower fellows
to scale their ventures, build stronger systems, and create lasting change in their ecosystems.
The BGV Foundation is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN )