Don’t Take This ETA Course

Most people interested in ETA will never acquire a business. Not because they’re not smart, but because they never learn how this actually works. Quick observation: Most ETA content today falls into three buckets: • People who have never actually done the work, repackaging surface-level ideas • People who have done the work but keep the details to themselves • People who learned it inside elite MBA/PE pipelines—which is valuable, but not accessible to everyone Very little exists for people who had to figure this out from scratch - no family background, no elite school pipeline, no built-in access. No shortcuts. No institutional backing. Just figuring it out. As Gorick Ng puts it: “what top performers do but don’t realize, and what top managers expect but don’t explain.” That’s the gap I’m considering building for. Most people won’t need this. A small group will. Why me: I’ve worked across all three of the core entities in this ecosystem: • Helped with a search fund that successfully acquired in the U.S. • Built the entire ETA curriculum for Canada’s first accelerator (now tied to multiple acquisitions) • Currently collaborating with an independent sponsor evaluating U.S. deals Very few people have worked across all three hands-on, especially coming from a non-target background. Who this would NOT be for: • If you want half-assed overviews with limited detail • If you think ETA is passive, glamorous, or easy • If you’re not willing to review hundreds of deals and get rejected constantly • If you quit after 10 dead deals • If you want motivation instead of pressure • If you think you already know everything about this ecosystem If you’re looking for something easy, this isn’t it. Who this might be for: • You don’t know much about ETA yet, but want a serious, ground-up understanding from someone who has actually done the work • You’re already exploring ETA and realize quickly that most content out there is too shallow • You went to a non-target school (like I did) and didn’t - or still don’t - have access to this ecosystem, mentors, or structured guidance, but you’re willing to close that gap yourself • You went to a top school, took a class or two, but still feel like you never got a clear, operational understanding of how this actually works There are already courses out there. Most are: • Expensive • Primarily accessible through elite grad school programs or PE firms • Or inaccessible unless you already “made it” If you didn’t come from that pipeline, you’re effectively locked out. But that doesn’t mean you can’t learn this. This would be built for people who had to earn their way into the room without being invited. No shortcuts. No signaling. Just how this actually works. I’ve shared some of this material in settings like the ETA Discovery Cohort at University of Chicago Booth School of Business. This would be built to that same standard. This is about making this path of entrepreneurship viable to people who were never given a roadmap. If this resonates, comment or DM. If you’re actually serious, fill this out: https://forms.gle/LCLkbUmEiip8q4k29 This is not a signup list. It’s a filter. I’ll prioritize people who demonstrate seriousness and alignment. If you have any questions, email me redacted src="https://ds1bpewwt64cm.cloudfront.net/img/articles/a64313_1_96_i.png">