Sirolli Institute

What Sirolli Institute does

The Sirolli Institute is a founder-led social enterprise established in 1985 by Dr. Ernesto Sirolli that trains organizations and communities in proprietary social-technology methodologies for sustainable economic development. Its core product, Enterprise Facilitation®, is a registered methodology developed by Dr. Sirolli since 1971 that trains locally embedded facilitators to provide free, confidential support to entrepreneurs, operating on the principle of "never initiate, never motivate – always respond." The Institute has expanded this foundation into two complementary programs: Trinity of Management®, a 2.5-day Master Class workshop teaching a three-element business effectiveness framework (Product/Service, Marketing, Financial Management), and the Boundary Riders program, a corporate innovation methodology built on the Joy Law, the Hagel Edge, and the Drucker Paradox that trains employees as intrapreneurial innovation scouts.

The Institute generates revenue through professional services engagements, including bespoke Enterprise Facilitation deployments with corporations, governments, NGOs, and communities; Trinity of Management Master Classes delivered in person; and Boundary Riders corporate training programs. Distribution is invitation-only and direct, supplemented by online courses and a network of trained Enterprise Facilitators (Sirolli Associates) embedded in client communities. Named enterprise clients include Rio Tinto, BHP, Newmont, and Deloitte, alongside government and academic engagements with Stanford, UC Berkeley, the Florida Department of Community Affairs, and Curtin University Sustainability Policy. Marketing relies heavily on thought leadership: a 2012 TEDx talk by Dr. Sirolli has been translated into 35 languages and downloaded more than 4 million times.

The organization operates globally across North America, Australia, Europe, Africa, and Asia, reporting impact across more than 400 communities and 55,000+ jobs created by Sirolli-trained facilitators. It is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding, parent company, or public listing. A new 'Boundary Riders' book is scheduled for Fall 2025, and a Trinity of Management Digital Course is listed as upcoming, signaling incremental product and channel expansion.

Name

Sirolli Institute

Legal name

Sirolli Institute

Website

https://sirolli.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Social enterprise founded in 1985 by Dr. Ernesto Sirolli that trains local facilitators and organizations in proprietary Enterprise Facilitation and Trinity of Management methodologies, serving corporations, governments, NGOs, and communities across more than 400 communities globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Consulting

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB)

Keywords

• Enterprise facilitation
• Economic development training
• Entrepreneurship mentoring
• Corporate innovation training
• Community development consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Enterprise Facilitation Training Programs: Training organizations and individuals to become Enterprise Facilitators who support entrepreneurs within communities. The model includes seminars and support services for communities and organizations seeking sustainable economic development.
2. Trinity of Management Master Classes: 2.5-day workshops of theory and practice that train participants in Trinity of Management principles for building strong entrepreneurial teams within organizations.
3. Boundary Riders Corporate Program: Corporate innovation training program that trains existing team members to become innovation scouts, with on-the-job supervision and ongoing support.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sirolli Institute trains individuals and organizations in Enterprise Facilitation and Trinity of Management methodologies to support entrepreneurs and community economic development. It delivers corporate innovation programs (Boundary Riders), 2.5-day Master Class workshops, and on-the-ground facilitation engagements where locally trained facilitators provide free, confidential support to entrepreneurs within client communities, governments, and corporations.

Product overview

The Sirolli Institute offers a portfolio of human-centered facilitation and training products centered on two core methodologies: Enterprise Facilitation® and Trinity of Management (ToM). Enterprise Facilitation is a social technology that trains local facilitators to support entrepreneurs in sustainable economic development. Trinity of Management provides business effectiveness training through a Master Class workshop. The Boundary Riders program extends these principles to corporate innovation, training employees as 'intrapreneurs' to scout for innovation. These offerings form an integrated system where facilitators use self-diagnostics and person-centered growth principles to guide entrepreneurs and organizations toward success.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Enterprise Facilitation A social technology application that trains Enterprise Facilitators to support entrepreneurs and communities in sustainable economic development by capturing local passion and intelligence rather than imposing external solutions. Targeted at governments, NGOs, and community leaders seeking locally driven economic growth.
• Trinity of Management (ToM) A business effectiveness training framework covering three essential elements of enterprise: Product/Service, Marketing, and Financial Management. Designed for organizations and individuals seeking to build strong entrepreneurial teams and grow companies sustainably.
• Boundary Riders An innovation program for corporations that trains existing employees to become intrapreneurs and scout for innovative ideas at the edges of the market. Built on three principles: The Joy Law, The Hagel Edge, and The Drucker Paradox. Targeted at large corporations seeking to foster internal innovation.
• Trinity of Management Master Class A 2.5-day in-person workshop of theory and practice that trains participants in Trinity of Management competencies for building strong entrepreneurial teams within organizations, without requiring the full community model.
• Enterprise Facilitation Training Training program that prepares individuals to become locally based Enterprise Facilitators who provide free and confidential support to entrepreneurs within a client community. Targeted at practitioners seeking tools for sustainable economic development work.

Quantifiable outcome

• 55,000+ jobs created by Sirolli-trained Facilitators
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rio TintocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRio Tinto has collaborated with Sirolli Institute for community development programs. Bruce Harvey, Global Practice Leader - Communities and Social Performance at Rio Tinto, has provided testimonials endorsing the Enterprise Facilitation model for supporting dependent and associated communities.
• DeloittecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeloitte's Center for the Edge research by John Hagel influenced the Boundary Riders methodology. The Joy Law concept originated from Bill Joy of Sun Microsystems and was incorporated through Deloitte's innovation research.
• BHPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBHP has partnered with Sirolli Institute for community economic development initiatives, integrating Enterprise Facilitation principles into their social performance programs.
• NewmontminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewmont has collaborated with Sirolli Institute on community development and economic sustainability programs in mining-affected communities.
• Stanford UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration with Stanford University for research and thought leadership in economic development and entrepreneurship.
• UC BerkeleyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with UC Berkeley for research and educational initiatives related to sustainable economic development.
• World Indigenous Business ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Ernesto Sirolli serves as a trusted advisor to the World Indigenous Business Forum, providing guidance on indigenous economic development through Enterprise Facilitation principles.
• Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Ernesto Sirolli serves as an Adjunct Professor at Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP), contributing to academic research and education in sustainability.
• Cross-ING Engineering SwitzerlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Ernesto Sirolli serves as Chief Innovation Officer for Cross-ING Engineering Switzerland, applying Boundary Riders innovation methodology to engineering contexts.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Acumen: Invests in and supports social enterprises in developing countries, aligned with Sirolli's mission of building local entrepreneurial capacity in underserved communities.
• TechnoServe: Nonprofit that supports entrepreneurs and small businesses in developing countries to create economic opportunities, mirroring Sirolli's model of community-based entrepreneurship support for sustainable local economies.
• Village Capital: Supports early-stage entrepreneurs through peer-based programs and partnerships, comparable to Sirolli's entrepreneur-support methodology aimed at building sustainable local businesses.
• IDEO: Design and innovation consultancy offering corporate innovation and human-centered design services, directly comparable to Sirolli's Boundary Riders and Trinity of Management corporate offerings.
• Ashoka: Global network supporting social entrepreneurs and changemakers, closely comparable to Sirolli's facilitator-network model for scaling community-level entrepreneurship and innovation.
• Palladium: International development consulting firm delivering economic growth and social impact programs, parallel to Sirolli's Enterprise Facilitation deployments with governments and communities.
• Kauffman Foundation: Foundation dedicated to entrepreneurship education and research, with overlapping mission to support entrepreneurs as economic development catalysts similar to Sirolli's philosophy.

Broad incumbents

• Bain & Company: Global management consulting firm serving corporations on innovation, strategy, and performance, comparable in client base to Sirolli's enterprise training work though far broader in scope.
• Deloitte: Global professional services firm whose Center for the Edge research by John Hagel directly informed Sirolli's Boundary Riders methodology; overlaps as an enterprise innovation and transformation provider.
• McKinsey & Company: Global management consultancy with innovation, organizational, and economic development practices that broadly overlap with Sirolli's enterprise training and facilitation engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sirolli-international-inc
• Xx.com/sirollinstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/sirolliinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Sirolli Institute