USV Leadership Squads
Keep learning and growing, together.
Join a peer group of talented executives at fast-growing startups for a six-session, professionally-facilitated journey centered around leadership development.
The discussions will hone in on key themes such as the value of peer connection, accountability, fostering and operating in a learning culture, and identifying specific growth opportunities. This group provides a trusted environment where you can practice key leadership principles, identify learning objectives to further your career, well-being, and personal life, and fill your toolkit with resources to bring back to your team and organization.
Squads are sorted by functional area, with the goal of uncovering and exploring challenges and opportunities common among peers working in similar areas and levels.
Program fee: $500usd (risk free – see below)
Cadence: Six sessions running every two weeks
Cohort Size: 5-8 participants (max 2 per company)
USV Leadership Squads
Keep learning and growing, together.
Join a peer group of talented executives at fast-growing startups for a six-session, professionally-facilitated journey centered around leadership development.
The discussions will hone in on key themes such as the value of peer connection, accountability, fostering and operating in a learning culture, and identifying specific growth opportunities. This group provides a trusted environment where you can practice key leadership principles, identify learning objectives to further your career, well-being, and personal life, and fill your toolkit with resources to bring back to your team and organization.
Squads are sorted by functional area, with the goal of uncovering and exploring challenges and opportunities common among peers working in similar areas and levels.
Program fee: $500usd (risk free – see below)
Cadence: Six sessions running every two weeks
Cohort Size: 5-8 participants (max 2 per company)
SCHEDULE
Squads launch on a quarterly basis
Starting on week October 3rd (enroll by September 16th):
- Marketing Manager / Director (Tuesdays 11am ET)
- Finance Manager / Director (Tuesdays 11 am ET)
- Engineering VP / C-Level (Wednesdays 11am ET)
- HR People Manager/Director (Wednesdays 11am ET)
- Operations Manager / Director (Wednesdays 11am ET)
April (closed – in progress):
- HR People Manager / Director (Wednesdays 11am ET)
- HR People VP/C-Level (Wednesdays 11am ET)
- Operations Manager / Director (Wednesdays 11am ET)
- Product VP / C-Level (Tuesdays 11am ET)
June (Close – in progress):
- Operations VP / C-Level (Wednesdays 11am ET)
- Product Manager / Director (Thursdays 11am ET)
What you’ll get from the program
A community of practice that will hold
you accountable
Skillbuilding on openness, accountability, and shared purpose
Connection with a trusted squad of advisors that can last far beyond the program
A space to explore shared themes with trusted peers
Commitment
Clear expectations make the experience work
Must Attend all 6 sessions
In order to reap all of the benefits of this Squad, it is crucial for each participant to participate 100% of the time. Barring any emergencies, we ask that you understand this commitment before enrolling in a Squad.
Come Prepared
Attend each session in a quiet place with a computer with a camera and headset. Live support will minimize any potential issues that might distract the group.
Confirm the meeting schedule
After registration, you will receive calendar invites for each session, as well as an introduction from your Squad Guide to kick off your experience.
How it works
Once enrolled, Leadership Squads meet in a confidential, virtual setting, following a proven process, inspired by and modelled on other executive peer support programs like YPO and Entrepreneurs Organization.
A professional facilitator ensures high-value, deep sharing through organized content alongside specific USV Leadership Circle themes.
Each time a Squad convenes, the level of content shared as well as bonds built will continue to strengthen.
Session 1 will be scheduled for the week indicated above. Session 2 will follow 2 weeks after, and so forth.
Opportunity to continue after six sessions will be explored and offered upon completion.
Previous Participant Testimonials
“I am able to get perspectives on real time issues from peers.”
– Matt, Finance Squad
“I learned that I’m not alone and no matter what scale your team or product operate at, you can still have any variety of technical or interpersonal problems“
– Aaron, Engineering Squad
“It’s great to a have a place where I can be vulnerable with peers”
– Alicia, Finance Squad
“Transitioning into leadership as a finance professional can be challenging, and lonely at times. My USV circle provides a safe and supportive environment for me to face my fears, practice vulnerability, and remember that I’m not alone.”
– Emily, Finance Squad
“It pushes me outside my comfort zone.”
– Jackie, Operations Squad
Pricing
- Participation in the program (6 facilitated sessions) is priced at $500usd, to be paid in full before session 1
- Your commitment is risk-free. You can get a full refund after session 1 if you prefer not to continue
Squads will launch with 5-8 participants. In the case that your selection does not have the minimum number of participants to kick-off, we will keep your name and include you in the next cohort
Our Guides
We are continually training and certifying guides to facilitate for us, customers and partners.
Here are a few representatives of this wonderful and growing group.
Sue is a highly experienced facilitator and executive coach working with clients from a diverse range of sectors. She brings a unique combination of knowledge and experience to her work, having been an entrepreneur, polar explorer and elite athlete. Screen reader support enabled. Sue is a highly experienced facilitator and executive coach working with clients from a diverse range of sectors. She brings a unique combination of knowledge and experience to her work, having been an entrepreneur, polar explorer and elite athlete.
Paulie Rojas is an actress, presentation skills coach, classical enthusiast, and lover of adventure, people, languages, dogs, and a good Russian novel. She spent her childhood in Mexico City learning the ways of the world and acquiring her first love of art and people. Based out of NYC notable passions of hers range from dancing as a classically trained ballerina, being a trained black belt in Tae Kwon Do, having studied classical piano since the age of four, and most importantly, staying curious about all aspects of life. is an actress, presentation skills coach, classical enthusiast, and lover of adventure, people, languages, dogs, and a good Russian novel. She spent her childhood in Mexico City learning the ways of the world and acquiring her first love of art and people. Based out of NYC notable passions of hers range from dancing as a classically trained ballerina, being a trained black belt in Tae Kwon Do, having studied classical piano since the age of four, and most importantly, staying curious about all aspects of life.
Richard is a strategy and team development consultant, coach and facilitator. He uses playful techniques such as LEGO SERIOUS PLAY and applied improv alongside traditional tools honed from decades of strategy, marketing and digital transformation consulting to help teams and organizations achieve breakthrough thinking by making the most of all of their people. He brings his experience to Circles to hold the space for meaningful dialogues.
Samantha is a strategic visionary with decades of experience in philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, and innovation. Her mission is to create a better future for women and the organizations they lead by facilitating their growth and power. She focuses on resilience strategies, and helps her clients understand their unique purpose and talents, and how to best express them in the world.
Becca is adept at guiding people to master their mindset. A strategist, facilitator and executive coach with a background in organization development, she has extensive experience helping clients foster communication and implement strategies that promote self-reflection, new learning, and increased awareness of their impact on others. She is known for her clear communication and innate ability to foster trust.
Jonathan is a Founding Member, and the Lead Guide at Circles. In addition, he heads program design and delivery, serving as primary contact for developing custom peer learning experiences with our clients across companies, schools, and communities. He has led over 600 circle sessions. Jonathan is a certified personal and business coach, published poet, rites of passage guide, and registered wedding officiant. He heads our team of Circles-Certified Guides, acting as Circles’ in-house trainer, bringing over 20 years of facilitation and operational experience to our implementations.
Eveline is an inquisitive and intuitive facilitator who is constantly seeking to learn and empower others to learn. She believes that a part of her mission is to help bring heart and soul into our professional lives, because it is only on doing so that we create the kind of world we want for our children and grandchildren. She does this by forming a bridge between western science – through her education in Neuroscience and Psychology, technology – our modern language and meditative practices.
Liz has spent the last 30 years advising C-level executives on how to address various communications, marketing, leadership, customer experience and employee engagement challenges and opportunities.She brings her knack for helping people show up as their best and most authentic selves to her role as a Circles guide and as the founder of Purpose Filled Coaching LLC.
Nissa is a certified executive coach, consultant and trainer. She is the founder of Talkologie, LLC, a New York City based communications coaching company. She pulls on her performance background to hold the space, listen with empathy, reflect back, and articulate clearly. These strengths are leveraged to guide Circles through transformational conversations.
Devra has devoted her career to helping people, effectively engage, achieve and exceed their potential through meaningful, creative and impactful communication. She helped pioneer and lead the Morchand Center for Clinical Competence at the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, using simulation to train medical students, residents, and nurses how to effectively interview, listen, diagnose and treat patients while working in team environments. Whether as faculty working in academia or consulting for businesses, Devra communicates in a manner that energizes her “audience”, drives understanding, and develops synergy.
Renita is an executive coach who’s worked with 1,000+ high-performers in 40+ countries, from executives/teams at Fortune 500 firms to start-up founders. She specializes in helping deep/high tech entrepreneurs and military Special Forces level up their leadership to thrive in volatile, uncertain environments. Renita is a Juilliard-trained concert pianist and martial arts black belt with an MBA from INSEAD.
![](https://circl.es/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Liz-51-scaled.jpg)
Liz London
Liz London is the founder and lead trainer of Constructive Communities, a consulting practice focusing in conflict resolution and restorative justice training and facilitation. She has worked with community-based organizations, youth development practitioners, public schools, international non-profits, summer camps, undergraduate and graduate students, government employees, grassroots movements, and a wide variety of other communities and partners. She holds a Master’s of Science in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University. Liz is originally from New York City and, outside of work, Liz loves to travel as much as possible, cook, practice yoga, and play board games.
![Rachel Lewin](https://circl.es/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Rachel-1.png)
Rachel Lewin
Rachel fosters ease, joy and wonder for individuals and groups in the creation of a mindful life. Guiding groups of individuals, she co-creates space for courageous conversations and reflective insights to emerge. Rachel designs group experiences and mindfulness classes, workshops, organizational mindfulness programs and retreats.
![](https://circl.es/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/IMG_2169-low-res.jpg)
Clive Steeper
Clive Steeper is a business mentor, leadership coach and facilitator who has led several international businesses with responsibility for developing and introducing new technologies. In today’s world, where enabling people & technologies are changing the business and social landscapes, Clive works with organisations to implement innovation and help leaders and their teams to reach new levels of performance. Clive is an author of several business books covering risk, motivation, change and personality.
![Candice Smith](https://circl.es/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Candice-Cropped.jpg)
Candice Smith
“Candice is a thinking partner who co-creates environments which hone in on how we are treating ourselves and others while accessing new ways of thinking and being, challenging assumptions and embracing ease, connection, difference, generative listening, and well-being of people and planet. She has worked as a Time To Think Coach, Facilitator and Faculty member since 2005, and was trained by the founder of the Thinking Environment methodology, Nancy Kline. One of her great joys has been creating and facilitating peer-learning programs for a diverse range of clients and communities of practice. She is founder of The Thinking Field, a human development consultancy.”
![Sylvia_henderson](https://circl.es/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Sylvia-henderson-932-WSJ.png)
Sylvia Henderson
Sylvia Henderson, MBA, brings 40+ years of corporate and nonprofit leadership, entrepreneurship, speaking, published author, Vistage Chair and long-term group facilitation experience to her Circl.es Guide service. Her passion and byline is, “When people come together, great things happen!”
![Susanne_Heiss](https://circl.es/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/SusanneHeiss_800x1200pix.jpg)
Susanne Heiss
Susanne Heiss is a Facilitator for Culture & Change. She enables organizations & teams to create their own textures (values, beliefs, behaviors) so that they know how they want to collaborate, engage and innovate. Besides work, Susanne’s interests are in poetry & language, storytelling & improv theater as well as in fabric, paper & mixed media.