More Than a Conference. A Cohort.
You won't navigate the Leadership Institute alone.
The moment you arrive, you're placed in a cohort of 20–30 LGBTQ+ tech leaders — your people for the duration of the confrence. You'll move through the experience together: sitting near each other during keynotes, debriefing between sessions, and meeting for dedicated cohort hours led by a senior tech executive trained to guide you through it.
It's how we turn a conference into a place of connection that actually changes how you lead.
How It Works
Every cohort is led by a senior tech exec — leaders from companies like Uber, OpenAI, JPMorgan, Braze, The Trade Desk, and Yahoo. Before LI begins, every facilitator completes training with a professional career coach and works from a shared framework, so cohort time isn't an open mic. It's structured space to apply what you're hearing on the main stage to the workplace challenges you're actually facing.
Your cohort is your through-line. The keynotes inspire. The workshops teach. Your cohort is where it all gets real.
Why Cohorts Work
Research on cohort-based learning consistently shows the same thing: people retain more, finish more, and grow more when they learn alongside a consistent group than when they go it alone. Small groups create connection and accountability. Connection and accountability creates depth. Depth is what separates a couple of days of inspiration from a year of actual change.
Our own attendees tell us the same story. In 2025, 89% rated their cohort sessions as excellent or very good, and 92% said they made a meaningful connection. That's the kind that outlasts a name badge.
What You'll Walk Away With
- A circle of peers who know your work, your goals, and your name, not just your LinkedIn headline.
- Frameworks you've already practiced with a group, not just heard from a stage.
- A growth experiment you've shaped in conversation with leaders who'll still be in your corner months later.
- A sense of belonging that 97% of last year's attendees said they felt from day one.
Here You Find Your People and Lead with Them
The tech industry is moving fast, getting harder to read, and asking more of the people who lead inside it. Nobody navigates that alone, and at the Leadership Institute, you won't have to.
