How Will The CPO Accelerator Impact You?

After every cohort, we ask our students for their honest feedback. Here are just some of the ways this program has altered their approach to product, their career trajectories, and their confidence as leaders.


"The CPO Accelerator course was nothing short of transformative for my career. In every lesson, there was always a great mix of strategic insight and actionable tactics. It fundamentally changed how I approached this job. It also gave me a lot of insight into the areas of the job I didn't even know I had to be doing. A humbling but very rewarding experience."

Gonçalo Gaiolas, CPO of SoSafe

Goncalo was named Best Global CPO of 2023 by Products That Count

“Within months of finishing the CPO Accelerator Program, the C-suite recognized my growth and promoted me from a Director to a VP of Product. This program, including the expert panel sessions, gave me a strong foundation to level up from a product leader to a product exec. Thanks a million to Melissa and the team!”

Pam Portman, VP of Product at DHI Group

Join an Unparalleled Network of Peers and Mentors

"Establishing a non-competitive network of peers who are on a similar journey is extremely valuable."
"The candor and safe space it created to ask the real and hard questions was invaluable."
"The opportunity to talk first hand with so much talent and experience as exists in the mentor panels is simply unparalleled."
Amy Carmichael, CPO of CrowdCube
Q: How do you feel the course helped you transition into this new role?

It can be a really difficult question to ask in a company where you’re about to move into such a big role, “Am I doing my job well? Am I meeting expectations?” So to learn from people with all of these relatable real life experiences, it helped me not only build confidence in lesser known areas, but to look at the areas I was working in very comfortably already and feel like, “okay I think I’m on the right track here.” This program has given me the confidence to step away from the day to day, and to know where I should be focusing to add the most value.

Become a Highly Effective Communicator
“Our CEO asked toward the end of the term for a 1-hour discussion to better understand what a great CPO does, what a strong product org looks like, and where we are on the journey. I’m in a much better place to have that discussion thanks to the Accelerator.”
"I already feel the difference when I communicate with the executive team and with the influence I can now have."
"Understanding how to engage non-product executives has been by far the most valuable aspect of the program for me—especially the ability to set boundaries within the organization so that I can do my job more effectively."
"The way I frame my initiatives to my leadership, team and reports will never be the same."
"I've started applying the learnings from this course and contributing to strategic conversations a lot more. I know I'll be able to win the trust of my CEO and earn a seat at the Executive table in no time."

Build Strong Working Relationships with your Peers and CEO

“The message to be humble, focus on relationships and avoid being an a** as you move up the corporate ladder sets this program apart.”
"The most valuable thing I learned was the power of relationships, and how to foster those relationships."
"Seeing just how common some of the problems product leaders experience with their CEOs and peers in the senior management team has been so powerful. I've also learned great techniques to preempt those issues and create effective partnerships."
"I'm so grateful for the focus on product executive soft skills, especially how to work with executives, the CEO and the board."

Tap Into Your Own Confidence

“The course material and the panel discussions made me more confident that I have the necessary skill set to move up the ranks, and it's really been imposter syndrome holding me back.”
"This course has helped embolden me and reaffirm my confidence."
"Confidence has been my problem my whole career. Just being a part of such an experience has helped me assert that confidence."
"The most valuable thing I learned is that a lot of other product leaders and peers, even those who've made it to the top, face the same struggles. That helped validate my experience."
"I now have a solid understanding of what I have to do, how I have to do it, and why."
 
 
Get Acquainted with the Power of Product Operations
 
 
"Product Operations was another aspect of the program that blew my mind, as I didn't know it exists and it solves so many questions I had and ways of working."
 
 
"The tie between how to show financial implications of a roadmap and what a great product ops team could look like and how to get one going was really eyeopening."
 
 
 
 

Learn The Ins and Outs of Great Product Strategy

“The CPO Accelerator was an immense help to me in my first year as C level product leader. The course gave me new tools for communicating product strategy and initiatives to my peers, boss, and board, and gave me insights into what other companies are doing to run a great product team. It solidified my thinking on what my role could and should be which has helped me prioritize and execute more deliberately and boldly.”
"The most valuable thing I learned was how to create a product strategy from the ground up."
"It's helped me understand how to better frame product strategy and results for execs and board members, and how to operationalize strategy."
Mark Sweeting, Head of Products at Copyright Licensing Agency
Q: Have you identified any challenges that you feel more equipped to deal with after going through the CPO Accelerator?

One hundred percent. This is my first time working for a not-for-profit and it presents different sorts of challenges. I’ve referred back to the content of the Accelerator program to help me form strategies to overcome these challenges. I’ve joined at an interesting time, as the company is changing and becoming more technology and product focused. The modules on product ops, strategy and org design have been invaluable.

I’ve learned so much from the mentor panels that I can already see myself applying. Giff's financial primer was especially useful. Everybody knows the revenue's important, but learning how to interpret that through an executive lens and a product lens was really valuable.

 
 
 
 

Walk Away With Actionable Frameworks and Playbooks

“I started a new role near the end of the program—I moved into the top product role at a SaaS company that is at the beginning stages of rapidly scaling. The frameworks presented in the program have demystified how to set up a product org, scale it, and run it effectively to drive value.”
"Getting frameworks and playbooks for all scenarios a product leader will run into was priceless. It saved me a lot wandering, trial and error."
"The templates you provided were worth their weight in gold in terms of translating the theoretical into practical stuff to do our jobs with immediately."
"Each deck is a cheat sheet to succeed as product leader. There are so many things i did not know even existed."
"I have a much better framework to guide essential aspects of my work I wasn't being deliberate about (board management and product strategy deployment). The course was very practical and easy to follow (and apply), without losing sight of the strategic important of each topic."