Why My Startup Failed — and What It Taught Me About Business Strategy

Every founder starts with big ambitions, but not every startup makes it. In this workshop, Hubert Dagbo shares candid lessons from building and ultimately winding down his own startup — and shows how these experiences tie back to core principles of business strategy. Expect a mix of storytelling and structured frameworks that will help you see what really drives startup success (and failure).

What You’ll Learn

• Hard lessons from the trenches – the realities of launching a professional development platform.
• The strategy triad – why Product-Market Fit, Industry Structure, and Strategy all need to align for long-term success.
• Frameworks in practice – applying classic business strategy tools to modern startup challenges.
• Practical takeaways – how to spot structural risks early and design more resilient business strategies.

Who Should Attend

• Aspiring founders and entrepreneurs who want an honest look at startup challenges.
• Startup operators seeking to apply proven strategy frameworks.
• Students and early-career professionals curious about what textbooks don’t cover.

Facilitator
Hubert Dagbo – Entrepreneur, investor, and digital strategy consultant with experience at Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, EY, private equity fund DPI, and Alvarez & Marsal. As co-founder of Equipt, Hubert has lived the highs and lows of building a startup and now shares hard-won lessons alongside strategy tools to help others build stronger ventures.

Format
A 60-minute interactive workshop combining storytelling, strategy frameworks, and audience Q&A.