Built in 2026. For many future stars.
2026 marks three beginnings.
The United States reaches its 250th year. Colorado reaches its 150th. And the Leeds MBA cohort at the University of Colorado Boulder — our founding class — reaches the moment we chose to build something together that no one of us could build alone.
We named this foundation for the year because the year is the truth. We began here. Whoever inherits this work in 2066 or 2266 will know exactly when it started and what it was built to carry forward.
Our mark carries 240 rays of light — one for every direction our work will take into the world. The mountain beneath them is the ground from which every rise begins. Together, they describe what we are: a foundation for anyone starting a climb.
What We Believe
These are the ideas that shaped the foundation in its earliest days. They're less a manifesto than a compass — simple beliefs we return to when we're deciding what to do next.
We named ourselves after the year we began — not because we think we're a legacy today, but because we hope to earn that word across the decades ahead. For now, we're just getting started.
Our founding cohort comes from many places, many paths, and many perspectives. We want this foundation to feel like a sky wide enough for all of them — and for many more future stars still to come.
The hardest moment to find support is often the first one — when an idea is still fragile, when the path ahead isn't clear. That's where we hope to help. We want to be there early.
The people who founded this foundation will not always be here to run it. So we're trying to build something that can outgrow us — an institution shaped by whoever carries it forward.
Our Founding Cohort
2026 Foundation was established by the graduating MBA cohort at the University of Colorado Boulder's Leeds School of Business. The founding class comes from across industries — technology, healthcare, finance, energy, consulting, and beyond — and from backgrounds spanning continents, cultures, and callings.
Founding cohort members will be recognized here with their permission. If you are a Leeds MBA Class of 2026 alum and would like to be listed among the founding cohort, please reach out.
Leadership
Our founding Board of Directors will be announced here as it is finalized. Initial directors are being appointed from among the founding cohort and trusted advisors committed to the long-term mission of the foundation.
Our Roots
2026 Foundation was founded by alumni of the Leeds MBA program at the University of Colorado Boulder. We carry forward what we learned there: that business is a craft of building things that matter to people, and that the best institutions are the ones that outlast their founders.
An important note:
2026 Foundation, Inc. is an independent nonprofit organization. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a subsidiary of the University of Colorado or its Leeds School of Business. The name "Leeds" is used here only to refer to the school our founding cohort attended as alumni.
