Who is the Foundation for?
The Foundation brings together students, operators, and executives. Its practical focus is finance, real-world experience, executive mentorship, and the judgment to make better decisions in complex environments.
Can anyone get involved?
Public content sessions and community nights are open to anyone. Deeper involvement is earned through demonstrated capability, contribution, and professionalism. You can begin by attending an event.
What is the Yellow Brick Road?
It is the path from first contact to deeper involvement: enter through an event, learn the core modules, apply your skills, complete a capstone to earn access, explore opportunities, and build a professional network.
What do participants learn?
The core modules cover Excel, financial statements, enterprise systems, AI for finance, and choosing the right tool for the job. Advanced modules cover communication and storytelling, professionalism and execution, KPI dashboards, industry financial models, and strategy and execution.
How does AI fit into the program?
AI is taught as a tool within a real business context. Participants learn to frame the question first, then choose the tool that fits: Excel, AI, or an enterprise system. Finance, judgment, and practical application remain central.
What is the capstone?
A short real-world scenario brings together Excel, financial reasoning, AI tools, and communication. It produces a portfolio artifact that demonstrates how a participant thinks, communicates, and executes.
How is the capstone evaluated?
Evaluation focuses on clarity of thinking, quality of communication, appropriate use of tools, and professionalism. Participants should be able to frame a problem, defend an approach, explain their analysis to a busy executive, meet commitments, handle ambiguity, and accept feedback.
Does completing a capstone guarantee an internship?
Capstone completion opens consideration for internships, shadowing, applied projects, and deeper community involvement. It is a route to opportunities, not a guarantee of a placement or job.
Where does the Foundation operate?
The Foundation was built in Tahoe, with activation in San Francisco and New York. The events page describes its early momentum, including the AI in Society executive roundtable hosted with the University of Nevada, Reno, at Lake Tahoe.
How can executives contribute?
Executives can mentor participants, speak at events, judge capstones, or help curate curriculum. The executive participation pathway provides a way to share your background and areas of interest.
How can organizations participate?
Organizations can offer internships and real-world projects, or explore funding, event, and content partnerships that expand the Foundation's reach.
Can I volunteer or join the team?
Yes. The Foundation team pathway welcomes people interested in volunteering or helping build the core team. You can share skills in marketing, finance, events, operations, or technology, along with your availability and interest.
How do I contact the Foundation?
Use the pathway that matches your interest on the Get involved page, or email [email protected]. There are separate paths for event updates, executive participation, internships, partnerships, and joining the team.