This post is also available in: Danish
When someone asks, everything is going great at the startup. At least, that’s often the vibe when founders meet for networking or pitch competitions.
That’s why it was special for Nick Milne, Co-Founder and CSO of Octarine Bio, when he met with 23 other founders at the “Founder to Leader” program. The aim was not to compete or show off, but to become a better leader in his startup and for the people he is leading:
“We come from various industries, but we have the same problems, and it can be hard to talk with friends and family about it, as they don’t really understand what it’s like to lead a startup. So it was a unique environment to be in a room with like-minded people with the same problems.”
When startups start scaling, and the team grows beyond the co-founding team, management responsibilities follow, but few first-time founders have formal leadership training. The program aims to change that, and it takes place in a practical way based on the individual founder. Which makes it a vulnerable experience for the participants.
“For so long, I felt I was alone in the feeling. It’s not often founders get put in a room to talk about this, but it was super refreshing to see the similarities in the room,” says Nick Milne and continues:
“It allowed people to break down their barriers and be vulnerable. I can’t get into the specifics, but it was super intense and emotional. Founders have to pull out an incredible amount of motivation from somewhere, and it’s interesting to hear how others are here today – maybe influenced by something in their childhood.”
FACTS: About Octarine Bio
– Octarine Bio has invented a technology to create biological colors for the textile industry. The dyes are based on biology and, unlike the chemicals used to color textiles today, they are not toxic or harmful to the environment.
– Founded by Nethalji Gallage and Nicholas Milne in 2018, the company quickly grew to 20 employees.
An overlooked skill among entrepreneurs
There are plenty of programs for founders to learn how to build their businesses and upskill themselves in financial modelling, marketing, pricing models, etc. However, the offerings are very limited if you want support transitioning from a founder to a leader. This is despite the fact that leadership issues are the third biggest reason why startups fail – following only the lack of funding and product/market fit.
Founder to Leader was created to change that. 120 founders have been through the program in its first two years. Often, participants are first-time founders in startups that have grown their company to 10-15 employees and are starting to feel the pressure of being a leader – like Nick Milne.
“Fake it till you make it only gets you so far. We needed to know more about the leadership role,” he says and continues:
“Since we are first-time founders, we are not qualified to do this – we are being thrust into this ordeal and trusted to be competent – but we don’t have the training to do it. And the pressure of being the leader in a startup is real; you are responsible for the success or failure.”
About: Founder to Leader
– Moving from founder into the role of a leader requires a new and different set of skills. “Founder to Leader” teaches the founder this new personal leadership skillset through an intense 3.5-month program.
– The program is a mix of experiential group learning and individual learning. In practice, the program consists of workshops, face-to-face meetings, individual coaching and larger retreats where founders develop and gain leadership tools through peer reflection and coaching from professional leadership coaches.
– The program is targeting founders of growing startups with a Danish CVR-number and paid full-time employees. Participants come from all industries and educational backgrounds.
– Founder to Leader has been running for two years and has had 120 founders through. The program is offered by CBS and the Danish Industry Foundation in partnership, making it completely free for founders to participate.
– Read more and apply for the program at https://foundertoleader.dk/
A lasting program
Nick Milne came to the program because he actively wanted to become a better leader. Therefore, he also had an idea of where his challenges were – for example, he found it difficult to give negative feedback to his employees.
“But if you have to give bad news, you have to give bad news, and getting a handle on where that was coming from makes it easier to address. The course didn’t tell me how to solve it, but it gave me the tools. Having the theory behind makes it much easier to address,” says Nick Milne.
Again, there was a sense of community in the group: many of the challenges of becoming a leader were common, so they could mirror each other along the way. But even more importantly, the course gave the founder tools, motivation and a network of founders in the same situation, so the work could continue after the program.
“It’s something I still work on quite frequently, where I set aside time to reflect on this. The course gave me the motivation to really work on this, and the team I manage are reporting that my style is getting better. I’m improving as a manager, and so is the team because I’m growing,” says Nick Milne and adds:
“It was a really transformative experience. I can easily see how I’ve become a better leader and person.”
The “Founder to Leader” program will run two cohorts in 2025, which are open for applications. The program is run at Copenhagen School of Entrepreneurship as a collaboration between Copenhagen Business School and Danish Industry Foundation.
Why Founder to Leader?
“Many startups fail on the people dimension. Leadership becomes an issue when startups grow and gain employees. This can lead to team conflicts, burnouts, poor performance and execution, lack of talent retention, or even mental health issues. That’s why it’s so important that they are adequately equipped for the task
At the same time, it’s an opportunity to create great performing and responsible future leaders at an early stage. If founders become good leaders, it has a ripple effect. If these companies end up with 500 employees in the future, there is a likelihood that they will prioritise good leadership all the way down the organisation.”
– Mia Jung, Head of Leadership Development, Copenhagen School of Entrepreneurship at Copenhagen Business School
