is a nonprofit Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) Accelerator that helps entrepreneurial people achieve their dream of business ownership.
Richard Osborne, a long-serving and beloved Weatherhead School of Management professor of entrepreneurship, was one of the pioneers of ETA. In the early 1990s, Osborne co-founded Promise Partners, a one-of-a-kind ETA accelerator and a mutual support community of entrepreneurs as they design and execute their ETA plans to go from employees to business owners.
For over 30 years, Weatherhead and Promise Partners have taught the practice of ETA and acted as an incubator for alumni looking to become business owners. During this time, 65 Promise Partners members (including 44 Weatherhead alumni) have gone on to become owners in 85 companies.
Recent MBA graduates and others committed to pursuing ETA as a career path can join Promise Partners. Members meet monthly with experienced ETA entrepreneurs, mentors, investors and other advisors to refine their strategy while receiving personalized mentoring and accountability as they execute their plan to become a business owner using ETA.
The remarkable experience, encouragement and accountability provided by the Promise Partner’s community has been invaluable to the success of ETA entrepreneurs for over 30 years. Most Promise Partner member’s testify that they would not have become business owners without this group.