What Gazelles Growth Institute does

Gazelles Growth Institute (operating as Growth Institute) is a private online executive education and business coaching company founded in 2011 by Daniel Marcos (CEO) and Verne Harnish (Principal), headquartered in Austin, Texas. The company packages proprietary growth methodologies developed by named business thought leaders - including Verne Harnish (Scaling Up), Jack Stack (The Great Game of Business), Salim Ismail (Exponential Organizations), Jack Daly (Hyper Sales Growth), Victoria Medvec (Negotiate Without Fear), and Dr. Brad Smart (Topgrading) - into structured courses, coaching engagements, and subscription memberships aimed at founders, CEOs, and executives of small-to-mid-market companies in the $1M-$100M+ revenue range. Across its history, the platform claims reach into 5,000+ US companies and a cumulative 50,000+ student and alumni base through content delivered in English and Spanish across the US and Mexico.

The core technology asset is the proprietary DOJO Platform v2, a learning management and member portal that hosts video-based courses, live coaching sessions, and community features. Distribution is multi-channel: a self-serve digital funnel through the website and DOJO, an inside-sales motion offering expert consultation for higher-tier buyers, and a reseller-style channel in which partner thought leaders promote courses through their own networks. Payment processing runs on Stripe, Square, and Hotmart. The company has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities and operates without external institutional capital beyond a 2012 seed from Alta Ventures Mexico.

The business model combines one-time course purchases, multi-tier subscriptions, and professional services. Master Business Courses sell for $3,990-$5,490 each over a 3-month cohort with weekly guided coaching; the Master of Business Dynamics All-Access (MBDAA) is priced at $1,700/month over 18 months and unlocks the full library for up to 5 users; GI Plus Membership and The Edge ($99/month) provide lower-priced recurring access; individual on-demand seminars are priced around $99; and a personalized consulting engagement rounds out the offer. A free Scaling Up mini-course by Verne Harnish serves as the top-of-funnel lead magnet. Pricing is publicly disclosed and ranges across four tiers, with the heaviest economic leverage concentrated in the MBDAA subscription and Master Course one-time purchases.

Name

Gazelles Growth Institute

Legal name

Growth Institute, Inc.

Website

https://growthinstitute.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Growth Institute is a private online executive education and coaching platform that delivers structured Master Business Courses, coaching, and subscription memberships based on proprietary methodologies from 100+ thought leaders, targeting founders and CEOs of small-to-mid-market companies in the US and Mexico.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Education and Business Coaching

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Innovation Leadership & Leading Growth (EDABAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Strategy, Consulting & General Management Institutes (EDAHAHAI)

Keywords

• Executive education
• Business coaching
• Online courses
• Leadership development
• Business scaling

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Master Business Courses: One-time purchase of structured courses (3 months duration) featuring top-tier content from thought leaders with guided coaching sessions. Price range $3,990 to $5,490 per course.
2. MBD All-Access Membership: Monthly subscription ($1,700/month) providing unlimited access to all Master Business Courses and seminars on the platform for teams and individuals.
3. Basic Subscription (The Edge): Subscription option at $99/month for on-demand video seminars and regular interviews for teams and individuals.
4. Individual On-Demand Seminars: Individual course purchases averaging $99 for specific topics, typically 90 minutes or less in length.
5. Consulting Services: Personalized implementation plans for business growth with ongoing personalized consulting with coaches.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Gazelles Growth Institute (operating as Growth Institute) is an online executive education and business coaching platform that delivers Master Business Courses, guided coaching programs, and memberships for mid-market company leaders. The platform features structured 3-month courses led by certified coaches, drawing on methodologies from top business growth thought leaders, and is delivered through its proprietary DOJO learning platform.

Product overview

Growth Institute is an online executive education platform for mid-market companies seeking to scale their businesses. The platform operates on a multi-tiered model combining Master Courses (instructor-led with coaching), a Learning Hub (subscription-based access to course library), Consulting (personalized implementation), and GI Plus Membership (premium framework access). The Master of Business Dynamics All-Access (MBDAA) provides 18-month comprehensive access to all courses. Individual Master Business Courses include Scaling Up, The Great Game of Business, Exponential Organizations, Hyper Sales Growth, High Stakes Negotiations, Outthink the Competition, and Topgrading, each developed with named thought leaders. The platform also offers free mini-courses and on-demand seminars starting at $99. The DOJO Platform serves as the user-facing learning management and member portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Scaling Up: A business growth methodology and Master Business Course developed by Verne Harnish, one of the flagship programs offered by Growth Institute.
• GI Plus Membership
• DOJO Platform

Products and services

• Master Business Courses Instructor-led 3-month structured courses featuring top business growth thought leaders (Scaling Up, Great Game of Business, Exponential Organizations, Hyper Sales Growth, etc.) with 8-10 weekly guided coaching sessions led by certified coaches. Priced $3,990 to $5,490 per course. Targeted at mid-market company executives.
• Learning Hub Subscription-based platform providing unlimited access to over 7 Master Business Courses for up to 5 users, plus a library with hundreds of hours of business growth content.
• Consulting Services Personalized implementation planning for business growth with ongoing consulting sessions with certified coaches, providing tailored guidance and hands-on support for executives implementing growth methodologies.
• GI Plus Membership Premium membership program focused on reducing organizational drama and providing personal freedom as businesses scale, with access to winning methodologies and frameworks across the organization.
• Master of Business Dynamics All-Access (MBDAA) 18-month comprehensive membership providing access to all Master Business Courses and seminars on the platform, priced at $1,700/month with unlimited access for up to 5 users.
• The Edge Subscription offering on-demand seminars, regular interviews, and additional resources for teams and individuals seeking business growth education, priced at $99/month.
• On-Demand Seminars Individual self-paced video seminars available for approximately $99 each, typically lasting 90 minutes or less, covering specific business growth topics.
• Scaling Up Mini-Course Free introductory mini-course by Verne Harnish designed as first steps into business transformation, part of the Scaling Up methodology and used as a lead magnet for paid programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Grew from $3M to $10M in annual revenue (3x growth) with company eventually sold for eight figures
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Verne HarnishcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVerne Harnish is the Principal & Co-Founder of Growth Institute. He is the author of 'Scaling Up' and his methodology forms a core program offering. He co-founded the company with Daniel Marcos in 2011 after Marcos' second business failure.
• Salim IsmailcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthor of 'Exponential Organizations' and thought leader for the ExO Master Business Course. He is a founding executive director at Singularity University and formerly VP at Yahoo.
• Jack StackcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthor of 'The Great Game of Business' and thought leader for the Great Game of Business Master Business Course. Founder and CEO of SRC Holdings Corp.
• Jack DalycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthor of 'Hyper Sales Growth' and thought leader for the Hyper Sales Growth Master Business Course. Former CEO at multiple national companies.
• Jeff ThullcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthor of 'Mastering the Complex Sell' and thought leader for Growth Institute's complex sales programs.
• Victoria MedveccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthor of 'Negotiate Without Fear' and thought leader for High Stakes Negotiations Master Business Course. CEO of Medved & Associates.
• John R. Dijulius IIIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthor of 'The Customer Service Revolution' featured in Growth Institute's thought leader content library.
• Marshall GoldsmithcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthor of 'What Got You Here Won't Get You There' featured in Growth Institute's thought leader content library.
• Raj SisodiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthor of 'Conscious Capitalism' featured in Growth Institute's thought leader content library.
• Justin Roff-MarshcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthor of 'The Machine' and thought leader for Sales Force Effectiveness content through The Machine Methodology.
• StripeminorOthersPrimary payment processor for processing Membership recurring billing, subscription charges, and one-time purchases. Handles payment instrument numbers and security codes.
• SquareminorOthersAlternative payment processor used for transaction processing alongside Stripe and Hotmart.
• HotmartminorOthersAlternative payment processor used for transaction processing alongside Stripe and Square.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• YPO (Young Presidents' Organization): Premier global peer community for CEOs under 50 (or before year 50 of their first role) providing forums, learning programs, and executive education. Comparable as a broader incumbent serving the same mid-market CEO demographic with leadership development.
• Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO): Global peer-learning community for founders $1M+ revenue, offering forums, events, and executive education programs. Comparable target customer (growth-stage founders) and overlapping curriculum focus with Growth Institute's mid-market CEO segment.
• Harvard Business School Executive Education: Flagship university-based executive education provider offering online and in-person programs for senior leaders. Comparable as a broader incumbent in executive education, though targeting larger enterprise budgets and offering credentials Growth Institute does not.

Direct peers

• Vistage: The largest CEO peer advisory and executive coaching organization, serving SMB and mid-market CEOs with monthly group coaching, workshops, and one-to-one advisor relationships. Overlaps directly with Growth Institute's mid-market CEO development and leadership training offerings.
• Tony Robbins Business Coaching (Business Mastery): High-ticket business mastery and leadership program for entrepreneurs and executives, delivered through seminars, cohorts, and coaching. Directly comparable as a premium-priced executive growth education offering for founders and CEOs.
• Strategic Coach: Dan Sullivan's entrepreneur coaching and executive education platform targeting growth-stage founders with multi-coach programs and quarterly workshops. Direct comparable to Growth Institute's mid-market CEO coaching and Scaling Up methodology positioning.
• Gazelles International: Verne Harnish's Scaling Up coaching and certification company that certifies coaches worldwide to deliver the Scaling Up methodology. Direct sibling/comparable in the same methodology ecosystem that Growth Institute packages as a flagship Master Course.

Emerging players

• Reforge: Subscription membership for senior product, growth, and engineering leaders featuring cohort-based programs and a content library. Comparable as a high-priced subscription executive education platform, though concentrated on product/growth roles rather than general management scaling.
• Section: Subscription-based executive and business education platform offering cohort courses led by practitioners. Comparable on digital subscription learning model targeting working executives, though more tech/product-focused than Growth Institute's general management curriculum.
• Mindvalley: Subscription personal development and business education platform featuring cohorts with thought leaders, focused on the founder/entrepreneur demographic. Comparable on subscription + thought leader content model, though broader in life and personal development scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GrowthInstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/GrowthInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/growth-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/growthinstitute
• Xx.com/GazellesGrowth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gazelles Growth Institute