Boardwave Accelerate Programme:
Breakout Groups
Driving growth at every stage
Boardwave’s Accelerate Programme is designed to empower software leaders and companies to scale faster with less risk. Tailored to your specific stage of growth, it provides a structured pathway for business accleration, combining peer-led learning, expert guidance, and dedicated mentoring.
Breakouts are pivotal, offering tailored support through small 'curated' group sessions for CEOs, Founders, and Chairs, with additional guidance from matched Patrons and panel of Boardwave Experts.
Welcome to Our Upgraded Breakout Groups
Breakouts are groups of eight like-minded software CEOs and founders.
Looking to solve business and leadership challenges.
These groups meet face-to-face once a quarter over the course of a year.
A unique framework and approach that quickly delivers significant benefits.
Sitting at the heart of our Accelerate Programme, the Boardwave Breakouts are your pathway to personal and business growth.
With guidance from top-tier Coaches and Moderators in your local language, you’ll participate in four quarterly half-day sessions. You and your group will also receive tailored guidance and support from our Patrons, Nextwavers, and Boardwave-approved subject matter experts, to tackle your most pressing business challenges.
Boardwave curates each group to be aligned by growth stage, sector, geographical location, and role (for example Chairs and NEDs have their own groups). We do not mix small startups with larger scale-ups. We endeavour to further curate your group based on criteria you select on your application form, such as sector, to ensure your experience is highly targeted to your business and leadership situation.
Depending on your company’s stage, you will be matched with the right mentors and resources to meet your specific needs:
About
Esther Kerstholt
Esther is a passionate executive coach and consultant of board dynamics and leadership, with 20+ years of business and corporate experience supporting CEOs, founders and senior leaders to enhance their leadership impact and transform their companies. Esther started her career at McKinsey in the M&A practice, and recently she successfully co-built and co-sold the leadership boutique firm Aberkyn to McKinsey & Company, which currently consists of 350 professional leadership facilitators and coaches around the globe.
Esther is Boardwave’s head coach, and is responsible for curating the Boardwave Breakout framework and guidelines for each Breakout session. She leads our network of professional coaches and Moderators from across Europe. Boardwave Moderators are senior Boardwave members, who have meaningful industry experience. They are CEOs and Founders, like you, who have been trained in the Boardwave Breakout framework, as part of their commitment to mentoring and to our community.
Meet our Breakout Moderators
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the goal of Breakouts? The goal of our Breakouts is to accelerate your company’s growth by connecting you with a small group of fellow software leaders. Through structured dialogue and shared experiences, Breakouts help you tackle challenges more effectively, gain new insights, and drive your business to scale faster.
Who will be in my Breakout cohort? Your cohort will consist of 8-10 like-minded Chairs, CEOs, or Founders, carefully selected to align with your growth stage, sector, or location. Each group is thoughtfully curated to provide a mix of experiences and perspectives, ensuring valuable, targeted insights and support. Facilitated by experienced moderators, who will engage industry experts to help with specific problem-solving, each cohort will also be assigned a Patron or Nextwaver, who will share their own learnings and advice regularly with the group.
What will we discuss? Discussions are shaped by your cohort's unique needs and priorities. Typical topics include overcoming scaling challenges, refining leadership skills, driving international growth, encouraging innovation, navigating M&A, and addressing the current economic and geopolitical environment.
What is the format of Breakout sessions? Breakout sessions are held quarterly and are facilitated by an experienced Executive Coaches and industry experts, who will guide your group in your local language or in English for Pan-European cohorts. These sessions create a trusted environment for open, candid conversations, following Chatham House rules to ensure confidentiality and promote honest exchange.
What is the expected outcome of a Breakout? Breakouts are designed to build lasting, supportive relationships that help you overcome business obstacles quickly and effectively. Over the course of a year, you’ll strengthen your leadership skills, gain actionable strategies for growth, and develop a network of peers who will champion your success long after the programme ends.
How do I join a Breakout? All Boardwave Members up to £50 million ARR are automatically enrolled in a Breakout cohort unless they choose to opt out. Join as a member and take the next step towards scaling your business faster and more confidently.
If you have further questions, please contact our team to learn how Breakouts can help you and your company grow.
I found the session really insightful and a great investment of my time. I entered the room not really knowing what to expect and left with some really helpful guidance and suggestions. There was a genuine desire, amongst the group, to help others. Esther was an amazing facilitator.
Colin Day
Managing Director, Oktopost
It was a very good session,
for two reasons:
1. It was well facilitated by Esther.
2. The attendees were really engaged in getting value from it.
Robert Newry
Managing Director, Arctic Shores
This is something that no one else offers, as a CEO of a tech business we don't have many people to speak to and confide in so to be put in a cohort with 5 other CEOs was very impressive.
Andy McDonald
CEO, Cloudapps
Boardwave Breakouts
Join Us
We have numerous Boardwave Breakouts already running or in the planning stages for the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and France, if you are a Boardwave Member, please login to apply to join the programme.
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