How Founderz is disrupting business education

With Founderz, Pau Garcia-Mila is literally disrupting the training industry by stepping into the gap left between elite training courses and the non-degree courses proliferating online. To better understand this winning strategy, which has already won him the backing of giants such as Microsoft, we interviewed him?

Hi Pau, what problem do you propose to solve with your company?

Pau Garcia-Mila: When we began this project, we recognized a dramatic shift in education – especially in business training. We saw two main options: either traditional business schools with rich educational heritage but steep price tags, accessible to only a select few; or online platforms offering videos, yet lacking guarantees on employability or genuine learning. We aimed to bridge this gap. Our mission is to provide high-quality education accessible to everyone, through innovative programs that are more affordable than typical university master’s degrees. Our model is a robust online platform that assures real learning: videos from industry leaders, hands-on activities, online events, participation in a Discord community, and more. Of course, our focus remains steadfast on the professions of the future.

And that’s precisely the issue we want to address: ensuring everyone can access quality, innovative, and up-to-date education.

What’s your magic recipe?

Pau Garcia-Mila: If I were to craft a magical recipe for what embodies Founderz, there would be three main ingredients: top-industry partners, the best learning experience, and an #unstoppable community of students.

Partners, like Microsoft or the World Compliance Association, that choose us to co-create or collaborate on certified programs, backed by their profound know-how and years of industry expertise.

The ultimate learning experience that seamlessly blends online video classes with high industry professionals, live weekly masterclasses, metaverse-based online networking events, hands-on activities, discussions, the latest updates on our Discord channel, and so much more! It’s a collaborative and adaptable experience, enriched by the collective intelligence of the entire community.

A community of #unstoppablehumans, now boasting over 5,000 students from more than 20 different countries.

Could you tell me about a subject in your field that we don’t know about, and teach us something about it?

Pau Garcia-Mila: AI is helping to bring back to life people. And it’s something super powerful… and super scary too. The worst (or best) part of it is that it does not require almost tech skills. Let me show you an example:

1) I gather some voice notes or videos from the deceased person and I clone his/her voice on ElevenLabs.
2) I feed a LLM (just like ChatGPT) with hundreds or thousands of personal messages, emails and public tweets from the deceased, and I ask the LLM to talk just like him/her
3) I connect the output of the LLM with the cloned voice… and I just start talking and asking questions.

The machine will answer using the deceased voice, and talking just like he/she used to talk. Scary, and powerful.

What question about your project would you like to be asked?

Pau Garcia-Mila: I wish someone would ask me how we envision the future of education and what role we want to play in shaping it. I believe that without this vision, it’s harder to understand what we’re truly doing at Founderz.

Our goal isn’t to launch as many programs as possible, nor is it to boast the world’s largest student community at any cost. Our vision is to cultivate an entirely distinct educational world where top-tier education isn’t reserved for just a privileged few. We aspire to an environment where both youths and professionals can choose the educational path that truly elevates their careers, ensuring genuine learning. Instead of being constrained by the traditional route of primary, secondary, undergraduate, and graduate education. Today, more than ever, we’re surrounded by choices. Choices that resonate more with the changing social and professional realities. More flexible, more affordable, more hands-on, and crafted to spearhead upcoming industrial revolutions. Because that’s where we aim to be: not just leading the future but training our students to lead it.

What company – other than your own, of course – would you have been proud to create, and why?

Pau Garcia-Mila: It’s tough to pick just one. I’ve always been captivated by emerging technologies and their societal impact, so I’d undoubtedly choose a tech-driven company with an enticing product. A product that stands out not just for its innovation but also for its intention to enhance the everyday lives of people. It’s the perfect blend for success and pride in a project: merging innovation and technology with social transformation.

Take Netflix, for instance. They’ve spent years leveraging algorithms and AI to personalize the user experience, completely altering the way we consume content. Or Adobe, which has been crafting quality software for decades, revolutionizing our cloud-based work habits with intuitive tools that are always in step with the latest trends.

What message would you convey if you were to give a talk at TED?

Pau Garcia-Mila: Without a doubt, I would touch on what anyone aiming to lead the future must possess: a positive attitude and optimism when facing change.

Every time a new technology emerges, society seems to split in two. On one side are those who spring into action to grasp the technology and its potential; on the other are those who react with skepticism, fearful that it might alter their way of working, living, or even their worldview.

The former is who we at Founderz know as #unstoppablehumans. These are individuals who, don’t run away from news challenges. They adapt, evolve, learn. They become unstoppable. Recognizing the power of this resilience, of being unyielding in a perpetually shifting world, is the first step toward shaping the upcoming industrial and societal revolutions.

Which sites are among your favorites?

Pau Garcia-Mila: I’d say HackerNews, The Verge, Gizmodo and NYT are my must-read 4 sites to start the day 🙂

Thank you Pau Garcia-Mila

Thanks Bertrand