Enstitute

Shaila Ittycheria (MBA ’10) founded the nonprofit organization Enstitute, in 2012 in New York City. Determined to challenge the status quo within higher education, Shaila and her cofounder sought to expand opportunities for talented young people by placing them in apprenticeships in New York’s emerging startup ecosystem. For their inaugural program, Enstitute received 700 applications for just 11 available apprenticeships. Based on the strong demand from aspiring apprentices, Ittycheria, her co-founder, and their Board of Directors decide to scale Enstitute’s model outside of New York City. The team launches apprentice cohorts in both Washington D.C. and New York in 2013, with plans to launch in Miami the following year. As the organization scales, Ittycheria begins to doubt the growth plan. Fundraising efforts have lagged, and Enstitute has struggled to hire a program manager to serve as the support structure for the apprentices and companies--a critical role designed to replicate Ittycheria's own highly effective coaching style. With the Miami launch fast approaching, Ittycheria must decide whether she should appease her board, co-founder, and donors by going ahead with the launch, or listen to her inner critic and pause Enstitute’s growth until she has confidence in the model and its ability to scale.