Section4

If you are researching Section 4 courses to know if they could actually create an
immediate impact on your career, you are at the right place.
In this comprehensive Section 4 review, we’ll tell you all

you need to know about the platform, as well as our honest review.

(This is not an individual Reforge Course Review, but a holistic review of the platform, its features, and deliverables.)
Last Updated: July 11, 2022

4.8 out of 5 Stars

Skill Upgrade Rating

 

About Reforge

FAQs

Reviews

All You Need to Know About the Section 4

What is Section4

Founded by Scott Galloway in 2019, Section4 is an online education platform that seeks to democratize business education and make it accessible to all. The courses, called sprints, are two to three weeks long and are taught by business leaders and prominent professors from top schools. The sprints cost 10% of the cost of elite business degrees and 1% of the friction while delivering 80% of the educational value.

The proprietary sprint format equips curious, ambitious professionals across the globe with the necessary business know-how and skills to thrive in the current growth economy. Designed with busy working professionals in mind, the sprints are intensive, engaging, and hands-on, providing actionable insights that can be applied instantly at work.

    History

    Section4 was founded in 2019 by serial entrepreneur and NYU Stern Professor Scott Galloway. This unique platform aims to upskill working professionals and help them forge ahead in their careers using the acquired business skills and know-how, at a fraction of the time and cost of elite business education. Section4 has successfully educated 15,000+ professionals from 97 countries thus far.

      Background of the Founders

      Scott Galloway is a Professor of Marketing at NYU Stern and is one of the world’s 50 best business school professors. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from UCLA and graduated with his MBA from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.

      A serial entrepreneur, Galloway is the founder of brand marketing consultancy Prophet, -commerce site Red Envelope, and digital intelligence firm L2 Inc. Section4 is actually his latest venture—and his first in the online education space. He has also authored two New York Times Best Seller books, The Algebra of Happiness and The Four. He runs a blog called No Mercy / No Malice, and he’s the host of the podcasts Prof G Pod and Pivot, which he co-hosts with tech journalist Kara Swisher. He also gained prominence in recent years thanks to an article he wrote criticizing WeWork’s S-1filing. As a result of backlash from Galloway and others, WeWork’s board stepped in, removed the CEO, and shelved plans to go public..

        How Reputable is Reforge?

        As per Google Trends Data, Section4 has the highest proportion of search volumes and search interest in the US as compared to the worldwide data in the past year. In Canada, the search interest and volumes for Section4 are second highest globally, followed by Japan, UK and India. The terms ‘Brand’ and ‘Strategist’ were breakout-related topics in the same time period.

          Funding Raised by Reforge

          As per Crunchbase data, Section4 raised $37 million in funding across two rounds. In its venture round in December 2018, the online education startup raised $7 million. In its Series A round in March 2021, Section4 raised another $30 million from 3 investors – General Catalyst, Learn Capital, and GSV Ventures. General Catalyst is its lead investor.

            Deeper Dive Into Section4’s School Structure

            What Will You Need to Enroll at Section4?

            There are no eligibility criteria to enroll in the Section4 sprints. Anyone interested in upskilling themselves and accelerating career growth can take these courses.

            How much is the tuition at Section4?

            Earlier Section4 had a course-based fee model. In March 2022, they shifted to a membership model with unlimited access to their sprints; one can no longer purchase sprints separately.

            Memberships cost $83 per month and are billed annually. Members have unlimited access to sprints and live programming such as weekly events, live lectures, member-only events, professional coaching services, etc.

            For more details, click here.

            Does Section4 Offer Scholarships?

            Yes. Scholarships are awarded to level the playing field and make elite business education truly accessible to all. Currently, scholarships are open to:

            • People of color
            • Women
            • Veterans
            • LGBTQ+ individuals
            • Anyone without the means to afford a sprint

            A portion of the membership seats are dedicated to scholars every month. Scholars get access to Section4 membership for 12 months and unlimited sprints. Not every applicant may get access, but those who aren’t selected are added to the waitlist.

            To learn more about the scholarships and apply, click here.

            Does Section4 Offer Free Trials for Their Courses?

            There are no free trials for the courses.

              What are the Courses Offered by Section4?

              Workshops

              Section4 offers Workshops on a regular basis. These are live, intensive sessions taught by top professors and business leaders. Workshops last a few hours to help learners develop a new skill in less than a day. To this end, they include Q&A sessions, hands-on project work, lively discussions with the cohort, highly relevant real-world case studies and breakout groups.

              Weekly Events

              Members are invited to relevant Weekly Events that help them stay updated on the latest trends and challenges facing modern businesses. This way, learners are not stuck with stale, outdated course content. These are usually live lectures lasting 90-minutes followed by insightful Q&A sessions.

                Are Section4 Courses Accredited? Can They Count Towards a University Degree?

                No. The sprints are not accredited and do not equal a degree from a university. The sprints are effective ways to gain business skills and know-how offered by elite degrees but at a fraction of the cost and time. These sprints offer immediately actionable insights that can be applied to the learner’s work instantly.

                However, learners who have watched all the video lessons and case studies and completed the project are provided with a LinkedIn badge and a printable Certificate of Completion. The course certificates come from Credly’s Acclaim platform.

                  Section4 Course Delivery Details

                  Cohort Size There is no upper limit on the cohort size or memberships.
                  Sample Syllabus Here are sample syllabi for Section4’s sprints.
                  Duration of Program Section4’s sprints are 2-3 weeks long.
                  Materials Provided
                  • The sprint experience is a mix of:
                    • recorded video modules (including lessons & case studies) released synchronously
                    • livestream lectures led by the course professor
                    • live events hosted by teaching assistants
                    • always-on participation opportunities via our Slack channel
                  • When you enroll in a Sprint, you’ll have access to the following:
                    • The Sprint Center: Your home base for all content including modules, lessons, case studies, livestream links/recordings, and project instructions.
                    • A Slack channel: Discuss sprint content, meet your cohort/section, and work through your project. You will receive an email invitation to sign up for Slack.
                    • Sprint Workbook: Use this workbook to complete your homework after each module.
                  • Each sprint includes 2-3 hours of pre-recorded video and related resources such as readings, podcasts, and sample projects. The livestreams are 90 minutes long and include professor Q&A from students.
                  • Live classes, guest lectures, live case discussions, and Live Kick-Off sessions are recorded. Recordings will be posted within 3 hours of the class end time.
                  • The Cohort Meetups and Project Workshops are not recorded.
                  Mentorship Programs There are no mentorship programs, but learners do have access to a global community of peers and industry experts they can meaningfully engage with. Members can participate in community-driven events and use the Membership Directory to expand their network. They can also participate in Section4’s member matchmaking program, where members are paired based on the challenges they are facing or the types of connections they want to make.
                  Projects and Assignments Section4 provides a sprint workbook to help students apply their learnings at work and facilitate community interaction. These are optional but encouraged, since they help make the content more relevant and applicable.
                  Hours of Live Instruction Per Week Livestream lectures led by the professors are 90 minutes long and include Q&A from students.
                  Are There Teaching Assistants? Yes—they also host live events.
                  Are there Discussion Sessions Over Zoom or Similar Platforms? Questions for live classes are collected via Slack and are screened by the Section4 team.
                  Are there small group discussions on Discord, Slack, or other messaging platforms?

                  Yes, students can discuss with each other via Slack.

                  Companies That Have Partnered with Section4

                  Top companies that have built their competitive edge with Section4 include:

                  • Google
                  • Salesforce
                  • Disney
                  • HP
                  • Spotify
                  • L’Oréal
                  • GoDaddy

                   

                  Career Resources Offered by Section4

                  Section4 has a Thought Partner Program and curated member matching to help members to grow with honest, personalized career advice and feedback on their work and career trajectory from seasoned professionals. Thought Partners are a team of seasoned practitioners who serve as coaches, brainstorming partners and sounding boards to the members to help them tackle career-related goals and challenges.

                  Learners also gain access to a global community of professionals from diverse backgrounds. Learners can engage in meaningful discussions with the cohort. Community-driven events are important spaces to interact and connect with the peer network.

                  Though there is no job board at present. Members can leverage the Member Directory to identify and make great connections with the right people in the peer network who are willing to help.

                  Notable Section4 Instructors

                  • Scott Galloway – clinical professor of marketing at the New York University Stern School of Business, and a public speaker, author, podcast host, and entrepreneur.
                  • Adam Alter – Professor of Marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business
                  • Tom Davenport – Professor of Information Technology and Management at Babson College; Co-Founder of the International Institute for Analytics
                  • Sara Beckman – Co-Director, Management of Technology Program at the Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley
                  • Julie Channing – former Global VP OF Marketing at Allbirds
                  • Karan Girotra – Professor of Operations, Technology and Information Management at Cornell Tech
                  • April Dunford – Positioning expert and bestselling author
                  • Marcus Collins – Head of Planning, Wieden+Kennedy in New York; Clinical Marketing Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
                  • Nir Eyal – Bestselling author and former lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business
                  • Will Storr – author, journalist, and photographer
                  • Michael Bungay Stanier – author, “The Coaching Habit”; founder, Box of Crayons

                  Section4 In the Media

                  Exclusivity in education is hampering our economy and society, to the benefit of a small number of people at the top,” said [Scott] Galloway. “We have ambitious plans to educate hundreds of thousands of students by offering unlimited access to our curriculum at a very affordable price.

                    Elite MBA education is the most scarce product in the world,” [Scott] Galloway told Insider last week. “Globally recognized, transformative in value, and available to less than .01% of the population. We aim to change that.

                      Working with top business professors and practitioners, [Section4] distills MBA-quality courses into two- to three-week sprints in topics such as Product Positioning, Brand Strategy, Data & Analytics, Customer-Centered Innovation and more. Sprints are designed to be short, intense, and instantly applicable.

                        Section4 Reviews from Reputable Publications

                        If you want to learn from a well-known business professor about how the most successful companies of the 20th and 21st centuries got to where they are now, this is a great course.

                          The design, content and production values of these Section4 courses were superior to any other university or independent content I sampled. Many of these observations may be viewed dimly by academics, but most instructive for anyone interested in the future of higher education is the value delivered – at $750 (£538) for a four-week course, this was the best-quality online course out of the dozens I took last year, some of which were priced at 50 times that amount.

                            Section4 Reviews from Students

                            High energy from start to finish, slick production value, interesting case studies, and some enjoyable live videos with Prof G himself…The course depth may be lacking a bit, and I don’t think you come away with that much practical learning, and I don’t think it will boost your CV much. But it’s reasonably priced, over in two weeks, and a lot of fun.

                              For me, the product sprint was a great investment, and I loved the course and teaching so much that I signed up for the brand and strategy sprints as well. The price tag was worth it in my opinion and it’s an ideal course for founders, product professionals, and aspiring product managers.

                                I recommend it for anyone no matter where you are at with your career. Good ROI. Structure and content are excellent. Creates a space to work on your business. Live sessions and Slack are disappointing, but I am sure it will get better with every session they do.

                                  Other Schools vs Section4 Comparison

                                  Business Strategy Certificate

                                  Harvard Business School Online

                                   

                                  Cost: $1750
                                  • 6 weeks, 30-35 hours
                                  • 60-day access to course materials after the final deadline in the program 
                                  • Certified Program

                                  Product Management Nanodegree

                                   

                                  Udacity

                                    Cost: $1356
                                    • 4-month access to the program (10 hours/week)
                                    • 4 final projects
                                    • Certificate of completion

                                    The Business Strategy Sprint

                                     

                                    Section4

                                       

                                      Cost: $995
                                      • 1-year access to all Section4 courses and materials
                                      • Certificate of Completion

                                      Our 2022 Review of Reforge

                                      Despite its drawbacks, the Section4 Sprints are great resources for busy working professionals to keep themselves upskilled and updated for the fast-evolving business world.

                                      The Pros

                                      • Short, intensive courses focused on skill building and career development
                                      • Learn business skills and know-how at a fraction of the time and cost of MBA degrees
                                      • Learn from the best minds in academics and business
                                      • Well-produced and engaging content that is refreshed regularly
                                      • The live programming such as workshops, live lectures, weekly events, etc. delve on the latest trends and challenges in the business world
                                      • Ample resources to go beyond the video lectures and live sessions to explore topics in depth
                                      • Members can access unlimited sprints, all additional live events, coaching and networking activities
                                      • Take away actionable insights, strategies and frameworks from each sprint to apply immediately at work
                                      • Projects, Sprint Workbooks and other materials to help you apply theoretical learning practically.
                                      • High-touch support from the TAs and community managers to make the learning experience more impactful
                                      • Access to a whole community of working professionals who grow alongside you
                                      • Designed for busy, full-time working professionals
                                      • At $83/mo, it’s dramatically cheaper than Udacity NanoDegrees and most other certificate programs.

                                      The Cons

                                      • The brand value of a certificate from Section 4 is little to none. Other platforms, such as Udacity, have spent nearly a decade building their brands, while certificates from top institutions such as Stanford, MIT, and Harvard are undeniably the most prestigious.
                                      • Though rigorous, the Section4 sprints are not in-depth and do not provide a robust career education
                                      • The Slack channel needs streamlining for better interaction
                                      • It is not an MBA or a business degree even though it makes business skills and know-how accessible to everyone
                                      • The onus of using the resources and making the most of the course lies with the learner

                                      Looking to upskill yourself but do not have the time or money for a full-time or executive MBA? Want to stay updated on the latest trends in business but do not know how? Are you an ambitious and curious working professional looking to push the envelope? Section4 is perfectly suitable for you.