The Exponential Strategy Playbook
Executive Program
Photo by Dylan Gillis on Unsplash
An 8-Week Intensive Program for Leaders in Deep-Tech and High-Tech Product Businesses
- Teaching an in-depth understanding and practical application of Exponential Strategy
- Two 2.5-day in-person modules, plus live online sessions
- Founding cohort starting September 21, 2026
If your products are built on exponential technologies like software, AI, or robotics - or apply them in new ways - you're operating in markets that move fast and where the rules change frequently.
Most leadership training doesn't prepare you well for this.
This program gives you a coherent, proven approach, to apply directly to your business.
What You Will Leave With
Deep learning, applied directly to your business
New mental models for markets that don't stand still
Most strategy frameworks were built for more stable environments. This program updates your thinking for exponential markets - where disruption arrives fast and windows for action are narrow.
A strategy process calibrated to your actual environment
You'll redesign how strategy gets done in your organization - how you assess opportunities, make choices, and keep the strategy current as conditions change.
Your own Strategy Playbook - ready to use
You leave with a context analysis, a competitive strategy assessment, and a structured action plan: ready to share with your team and act on.
How the Program Works
Eight weeks, two in-person modules, and three live online sessions.
At a Glance
- Founding cohort: September 21 – November 13, 2026
- Location: A quiet seminar setting in Southern Germany
- Cohort size: Maximum 8 participants
- Training materials: English
- Teaching language: Default is English; can switch to German depending on the preferences of the cohort
Download the program brochure for a full program overview:
Concepts and Frameworks the Program Draws on
Four areas, integrating frameworks from established strategy, innovation management, and technology adoption research. Content highlights:
Technology adoption and market dynamics
Industry Learning Curves · Crossing the Chasm · The Innovator's Dilemma
Managing innovation and scaling businesses
Lean Startup · Discovery-Driven Growth · Zone to Win
Frameworks for strategy creation
Good Strategy / Bad Strategy · Playing to Win · Foresight Methods
Strategy implementation and organization
Resources-Processes-Values · Transformation Zone Management · Alignment and OKRs
Detailed syllabus - available on request.
Get in touch and I will send it to you.
Who Is This For?
Leaders in deep-tech businesses: Your products push the boundaries of exponential technologies - software, AI, IT hardware, robotics, biotech, new materials, renewable energies.
Innovation leaders in established high-tech companies: You are driving new product initiatives that leverage exponential technologies - including software-intensive products, AI-enabled products, IoT, and IIoT.
Typical roles: CEO · CTO · Head of Product · Head of Strategy · Head of Innovation · Head of R&D · CMO
This program is not:
- A Silicon Valley immersion experience
- A broad survey of generic strategy concepts
- A collection of trendy tactics
Why This Program?
Combining frameworks to build a coherent strategy process
The frameworks covered - Moore, Christensen, McGrath, Lean Startup - are typically taught in isolation.
This program teaches you when to apply each one, and how they connect, so you can design your own strategy process around them - one built on my 5C Principles for Exponential Strategy: Context-Aware, Continuous, Chosen, Connected, and Communicated.
Designed to build capability, not just familiarity
The 8-week structure - with intensive in-person modules and structured application sessions in between - is designed for capability building, not superficial exposure.
A small, focused cohort
Maximum 8 participants, all facing similar challenges in different technology domains. The peer exchange is a significant part of the value.
A setting chosen for focused thinking
A quiet seminar setting in Southern Germany - away from daily demands, designed for sustained, uninterrupted thinking.
Investment and Application
Founding cohort fee: 9.200 € (net)
Special rate for the founding cohort - future cohorts will be priced higher. Includes all training materials, templates, and resources, plus meals and snacks during in-person modules. Accommodation arranged independently.
How to apply:
Step 1: Let's talk - a 30-minute conversation to explore fit.
Step 2: Submit a short application.
Step 3: Confirmation.
Application deadline: August 28, 2026
Program begins: September 21, 2026
Contact: info@exponentialstrategy.eu | LinkedIn
Your Instructor Throughout: Barbara Hoisl
I developed this program and lead every session personally. It is grounded in 14 years inside HP's enterprise software business, where I moved from software developer to HP's Strategy & Corporate Development function; more than 15 years consulting with European software and tech companies; and a decade teaching software product strategy in ISPMA certification courses - including contributing to ISPMA's body of knowledge as an invited Fellow, one of roughly 60 worldwide.
Full background on my About page
Want to learn more about the founding cohort?
Places are limited to a maximum of 8.
Get in touch to schedule a 30-minute conversation.
FAQ
What is the time commitment beyond the scheduled sessions?
The in-person modules and virtual sessions account for roughly 6 full days of direct participation over 8 weeks. Between sessions, structured application assignments of 2-3 hours per week form the foundation of your Strategy Playbook. You're encouraged to involve colleagues from your own team in this work - it's not required, but tends to deepen the analysis and builds alignment as you go.
Why in-person, and why 8 weeks?
Building strategic capability - not just familiarity with frameworks - requires sustained, focused discussion that is hard to achieve in short or online formats. In-person settings also enable the peer exchange that is a significant part of the program's value: conversations during breaks and meals are often where insights crystallize. Eight weeks matters because there needs to be time between sessions for concepts to be applied to your own business and reflected on before the next session. The structured assignments are not just homework - they are how the learning becomes your Strategy Playbook.
How does the program bring these frameworks together into something coherent?
The frameworks covered - Moore, Christensen, McGrath, Lean Startup, Rumelt and others - are individually well-established but usually taught in isolation.
The challenge in practice is knowing which to apply when, and how they connect. The program addresses this directly: you learn to design your own strategy process, guided by my 5C Principles for Exponential Strategy. It covers the full strategic challenge, from understanding the competitive environment to building a strategy process calibrated to fast-moving markets. Covered in-depth in Module 2.
Do I need prior knowledge of the strategy frameworks covered?
No. The program builds from the ground up. What matters more than prior knowledge is that you bring a real strategic situation from your own business to apply the content to throughout the program.
Which strategy concepts and frameworks are covered?
See the overview section on this page. The program brochure contains the full framework list. A detailed syllabus will be available soon.
I'm already in a senior leadership role and have strategy experience. Is this still relevant for me?
The program is designed specifically for you. The frameworks covered aren't a general introduction to strategy - they address the specific dynamics of exponential technology markets, which most leadership training and business education doesn't cover systematically.
Even leaders with significant strategy experience regularly find that the tools they've been working with were built for more stable, predictable market conditions than the ones they're actually operating in. Throughout the program, you can work on your own strategic situation, so the relevance is immediate and direct.
Will the program run with a small number of participants?
Yes. The program is designed for a maximum of 8 and will run with smaller groups. The intimate setting is intentional.
The program is in English – is that a problem if German is my native language?
All materials are in English. The teaching language defaults to English, but can switch to German depending on the cohort's preferences. If this is a concern, please raise it when we talk.
What if September 2026 doesn't work for my schedule?
A second cohort is planned for 2027. If you'd like to be notified when dates are confirmed, get in touch and I'll make sure you hear first: info@exponentialstrategy.eu
Is this available as an in-house program for my organization?
The cohort format is deliberate - the cross-company peer exchange is part of the value. That said, for organizations wanting to build shared strategic understanding across an entire leadership team, an in-house version is worth discussing. Get in touch to discuss: info@exponentialstrategy.eu