Great news! Richard Stroupe and his team have officially locked in the date and finalized the updated course details for the next cohort of their Elevate CEO Retreat.  

Cohort 3 of the Elevate CEO Retreat is now live.

 March 9-12, 2026 (Mon–Thurs) Saltwater Resort – Surf City, NC $2,000 (includes 3 nights oceanview lodging, all breakfasts, andlunches, welcome party, team events, and celebration dinner on the 11th)

  Apply Here -> https://capefear.vc/elevate/#apply

Checking in March 8th (4pm) with a welcome party starting at 6pm

Over 2.5 focused days, we’ll sharpen your strategies, systems, and leadership posture. You’ll leave as an upgraded version of yourself.  Here’s a snapshot of what’s planned:

Day 1: Foundation & Clarity
Session 1: Welcome / Introductions
Session 2: Company Reviews
Session 3: Strategic Clarity & Growth Levers
Session 4: The Discipline OS: Converting Founder Bottlenecks into Scalable Engines

Then we rebuild from first principles. What you’ll tackle:

- Your true strategic position using frameworks like Porter’s Five Forces and Core Competency Theory
- How to capture value, not just create it
- Revenue model upgrades and blue ocean thinking
- The bottlenecks you’ve normalized, and the systems to replace them
- Vision, narrative, and identity that scale with the business

Afternoon: Team building event on the coast, followed by a group event that evening. 

Day 2: Growth & Execution
Session 5: Navigating Current Macro Market Trends w/ Capital, Discipline and Disruption
Session 6: Raising Smart Capital: How CEOs Build Financial Systems That Attract Investors
Session 7: Marketing, Branding & Customer Strategy
Session 8: Team, Culture & Legacy: Building the Engine That Scales Beyond You
Celebration Dinner Party

Key sessions:
- Financial Backbone: Forecasts, margins, investor-level clarity
- Capital Strategy: Fundraising readiness, dilution math, pitch posture
- Org Architecture: Hiring, exec alignment, cultural clarity
- Brand & GTM: Positioning, channel logic, strategic storytelling
- Family Business & Succession: We’ll go deep on governance, transition, and legacy

Evening: Dinner and celebration with the cohort

Day 3: Leadership & Legacy
Session 9: Course Wrap Up & Cape Fear Ventures Leadership Best Practices
Session 10: Guest Speaker
Evaluation / Departure

You’ll build:
- Optimal rhythms for strategic execution
- A 90-day blueprint with ownership and momentum as foundations
- Your personal declaration: the version of you your company now requires

Depart around 11am.

Cohort 3 will leave with:
- A strategy-backed $5-10M roadmap
- A dashboard that guides weekly execution
- A redefined CEO role: less reactive, more leveraged
- A 90-day plan that sticks because it’s built in the room
- A pricing model and pitch that land with VCs and customers
- And a network of sharp, grounded peers who are in the arena with you

We’re capping this retreat at 12 seats for focus, depth, and real change (only 8 spots remain).

Looking forward to making this the best cohort session yet!