Micro MBA program for entrepreneurs and tech founders
March / July 2026
Micro MBA is a practical business program built on the Harvard Business School case method, designed by Startup Moldova in partnership with ASEM, for founders and managers who want to think strategically and lead with confidence.
Across 10 intensive sessions, participants sharpen decision-making, leadership, and core business skills and earn an accredited diploma.
Across 10 intensive sessions, participants sharpen decision-making, leadership, and core business skills and earn an accredited diploma.
ABOUT
Learn from those who’ve built and scaled
Top-Tier Moderators
5-Month Program
Designed to fit around leadership roles
10 ECTS Credits
10 Intensive Sessions
Deep dives into real-world business decisions
Transferable academic credits upon completion.
INFO
Moderators
Victor Bordian
Executive Director at Noction
Macar Stoianov
CFO at maib
George Teodorescu
Global Head of Risk & Compliance and Regional Director of Moldova at Mixbook
Cristina Harea
Country Manager for Moldova and Romania at Diligent Capital Partners
Sergiu Placinta
Director at Orange Systems
Dan Sturza
Partner at Fribourg Capital & Co-Founder at ZevetOne
Olga Melniciuc
CEO at Startup Moldova
Cristian Cerneanu
Startup Ecosystem expert, ex. Google
Vasile Tofan
Senior Partner at Horizon Capital
Marian Staș
Associate professor at the University of Bucharest and Harvard Kennedy Summer School
Will be announced soon
Will be announced soon
Will be announced soon
Will be announced soon
Vasile Tofan
Senior Partner at Horizon Capital
Macar Stoianov
CFO at maib
Olga Melniciuc
CEO at Startup Moldova
Sergiu Placinta
Director at Orange Systems
George Teodorescu
Global Head of Risk & Compliance and Regional Director of Moldova at Mixbook
Across 10 sessions, the program combines strategic management and leadership topics with real-world case discussions, helping founders and managers build practical, transferable business skills.
The Micro MBA agenda is designed in partnership with the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova (ASEM) and follows the academic framework of the Master of Business Administration curriculum.
Agenda
This session explores the role of the leader in modern organizations, focusing on self-awareness, leadership styles, values, and personal responsibility. Participants examine how leadership behavior shapes teams, culture, and long-term outcomes.
CASE
Leadership & Self-Awareness for Managers
This case-driven session looks at how leaders make decisions under pressure and uncertainty. Participants analyze real managerial dilemmas, cognitive biases, and trade-offs that influence strategic and operational choices.
CASE
Decision-Making & Critical Thinking in Leadership
This session focuses on how strategy is formed and how leaders make deliberate strategic choices. Through real-world cases, participants explore positioning, trade-offs, and the difference between strategy and execution.
CASE
Strategic Thinking & Strategic Choice
This session examines leadership challenges during periods of change and uncertainty. Participants discuss how leaders manage transformation, resistance, and communication while maintaining direction and trust.
CASE
Leadership in Times of Change
Participants explore how organizations create, deliver, and capture value. This session analyzes different business model logics and the strategic decisions behind sustainable value creation.
CASE
Business Models & Value Creation
This session develops financial intuition for leaders and founders. Participants work through cases that connect financial data with strategic decisions, focusing on profitability, cash flow, and long-term performance.
CASE
Financial Thinking for Strategic Leaders
This session looks at how companies understand customers, enter markets, and design go-to-market strategies. Participants analyze pricing, positioning, and growth decisions through real business cases.
CASE
Customers, Markets & Go-to-Market Strategy
This session focuses on turning strategy into execution. Participants explore how organizational structure, teams, and accountability systems support—or block—strategic goals.
CASE
Execution, Teams & Organizational Design
This session examines the challenges of scaling a business. Participants analyze growth strategies, governance models, and leadership decisions required as organizations become more complex.
CASE
Growth Strategies, Governance & Scaling
The final session integrates leadership, strategy, finance, and execution into a coherent whole. Participants reflect on complex business decisions and long-term sustainability across different organizational contexts.
CASE
Strategic Integration & Business Sustainability
CASE
This case analyzes early-stage fundraising options, comparing investment from an angel group to support from a startup accelerator. It explores differences in valuation, the advantages and challenges of accelerator programs, and essential factors for founders navigating seed funding decisions.
Early Fundraising and Accelerators
CASE
This case explores a crowdsourced innovation model that democratizes the invention process. It examines how community collaboration shapes product development, the role of in-house expertise, and the challenges of bringing user-generated ideas to market while ensuring business sustainability.
Business Model Innovations
CASE
This case explores key leadership challenges faced by a founder-CEO, including building a board of directors, assembling an executive team, navigating co-founder tensions, and making strategic decisions about outsourcing system development.
Founders and Startup Boards
CASE
This case explores the development of a shared mobility business model, from initial concept to early operations. It examines iterations of the financial plan, key economic assumptions, and the challenges of testing and refining the model in a real-world market.
Financial models and Business Planning
CASE
This case explores the challenges of leading a subsidiary within a larger corporation, focusing on corporate-divisional dynamics and the struggles of an inexperienced manager with limited support. It examines leadership, decision-making, and navigating organizational relationships in a complex business environment.
Managerial Roles and Organizations designs
Unlock your leadership potential with this intensive 6-month Mini MBA program. Dive into 10 expert-led sessions covering key topics, from leadership to scaling up, based on real Harvard and Stanford business cases. Learn through the powerful case study method, with in-depth discussions and analysis guided by top-tier moderators.
Leadership & strategic management focus
From self-awareness and decision-making to strategy, growth, and governance.
Top-tier moderators
Sessions facilitated by experienced business leaders, academics, and industry practitioners.
10 intensive, case-based sessions
In-depth discussions built around real business cases from leading global business schools.
5-month structured learning journey
Designed to fit alongside work while maintaining academic rigor and depth.
10 ECTS transferable credits
Earn academic credits upon successful completion of the program.
Accredited diploma
Official recognition of your participation and learning outcomes
Curated peer community
Learn and exchange with founders and managers facing similar challenges.
PRICE
$890
The Mini-MBA program leverages the Harvard Business Case Method, immersing participants in real-world challenges to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and strategic decision-making skills. Through case analysis, peer collaboration, and expert insights, founders gain practical tools to navigate growth, innovation, and leadership in the startup ecosystem.
Tools & Tactics
10 ECTS Transferable Credits
Strategic Leadership Skills
Real-World Decision Making
High-Caliber Peer Network
Top-Tier Moderators
Case-Based Learning
ASEM Accredited Program
What is Micro MBA?
FAQ
The Micro MBA is a practice-driven business program designed for founders and managers who want to strengthen their leadership and strategic decision-making skills without committing to a full-time MBA.
Delivered through the Harvard-style case discussion method, the program is developed in alignment with the academic framework of the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova (ASEM). Across 10 intensive sessions, participants work on real business dilemmas, engage in structured peer discussions, and build a strong foundation in leadership, strategy, finance, and growth — while earning 10 transferable ECTS credits upon completion.
Delivered through the Harvard-style case discussion method, the program is developed in alignment with the academic framework of the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova (ASEM). Across 10 intensive sessions, participants work on real business dilemmas, engage in structured peer discussions, and build a strong foundation in leadership, strategy, finance, and growth — while earning 10 transferable ECTS credits upon completion.
Who is the course mainly designed for?
The Micro MBA is designed for startup founders and tech entrepreneurs, industry professionals, and middle- to senior-level managers in SMEs and growing organizations, as well as selected representatives from academia.
Participation requires a completed Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent), as the program builds on prior academic and professional experience.
Participation requires a completed Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent), as the program builds on prior academic and professional experience.
What is the course duration?
The program consists of at least 10 offline classes, each 4 hours long, held once every 2-3 weeks over a 6-month period, offering an immersive and interactive learning experience based on HBS, MIT, and Stanford cases and articles, moderated by experienced business leaders and industry experts from Moldova and abroad.
Is the Micro MBA an accredited program?
Yes. The Micro MBA is developed in partnership with the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova (ASEM) and is aligned with the academic framework of the Master of Business Administration curriculum.
Upon successful completion, participants earn 10 transferable ECTS credits, which can be recognized within relevant academic or professional learning pathways, subject to institutional policies.
Upon successful completion, participants earn 10 transferable ECTS credits, which can be recognized within relevant academic or professional learning pathways, subject to institutional policies.
Do I receive a certificate at the end of the program?
Yes. Upon successful completion of the Micro MBA program, participants receive an official Certificate of Completion, issued in English, in the legal name provided during registration.
The certificate confirms participation in the program and the completion of 10 ECTS transferable credits, aligned with the academic framework developed in partnership with ASEM.
The certificate confirms participation in the program and the completion of 10 ECTS transferable credits, aligned with the academic framework developed in partnership with ASEM.
About payment and cancellation
Participation in the Micro MBA program is confirmed upon full payment via invoice.
Please note that the participation fee is non-refundable, as places are limited and reserved in advance for each cohort.
In the unlikely event that the program is cancelled by the organizers, participants will be informed accordingly.
Please note that the participation fee is non-refundable, as places are limited and reserved in advance for each cohort.
In the unlikely event that the program is cancelled by the organizers, participants will be informed accordingly.
