LSE and accountancy and business advisory firm BDO launch leadership series to power the next generation of high-growth founders
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), in partnership with leading accountancy and business advisory firm BDO, has launched the Scale-Up Leadership Series - a high-impact programme designed to support later-stage founders as they transition from rapid growth to sustained, strategic scale.
At a time when many founders are navigating increasing complexity from global expansion to capital strategy and organisational evolution, the programme offers a rare combination of practical expertise, strategic insight, and peer-to-peer exchange.
Designed specifically for LSE students and alumni but open to any innovators building established ventures, the series brings together a curated cohort of ambitious founders alongside BDO’s specialists across advisory, tax, audit, and deal services. The result is a learning environment grounded in the realities of scaling a business.
LJ Silverman, Head of LSE Generate, LSE’s entrepreneurship centre said: “Scaling is no longer just about growth but about building resilient, globally capable organisations and evolving as a leader along the way. This series is designed to support founders through that transition.”
The Scale-Up Leadership Series is structured around the key inflection points founders face as they grow:
- Scaling with Structure - professionalising operations while maintaining agility
- Capital Strategy - navigating funding, valuation, and exit readiness
- Global Growth - managing international expansion and regulatory complexity
- Leadership at Scale - evolving from founder to CEO
Each session combines expert-led insight with candid founder discussions, ensuring conversations remain rooted in lived experience.
Beyond the sessions, the programme is designed to strengthen the wider LSE entrepreneurial ecosystem.
It begins with The Scale-Up Exchange, a curated opening reception bringing together founders, advisers, investors, and the broader LSE community—setting the tone for open, honest dialogue.
The series concludes with an invitation-only Scale-Up Showcase and Strategic Networking Dinner, where participants reflect on progress, share milestones, and build relationships that extend far beyond the programme itself.
As the global startup ecosystem matures, the challenge is scaling business sustainably, internationally, and with intention. Through this partnership, LSE and BDO are positioning themselves at the centre of that shift, supporting founders that are in building the institutions of the future.