Questions people ask before they apply.
What follows is the plain version: how the two cohorts differ, what the two days consist of, how review actually works, and where the certification sits relative to the program. If something you need is not here, send us a note.
What is GenThink Intensive?
It is a two-day, in-person laboratory run by GenThink Labs for a small, deliberately curated group. It is founded on the human sciences, and draws on psychology, behavioral economics, and anthropology to work on the quality of thinking behind hard questions about human value as intelligent technology takes on more consequential decisions. Dialogue is the laboratory, ideas are the hypothesis, and rigorous thought is the output. It is closer to an inquiry you take part in than to a training course you sit through.
What is the difference between the Luminary Cohort and the Spark Cohort?
The Luminary Cohort is for people developing original intelligence that can be leveraged by all organizations. It brings together intellectuals from different disciplines, industries, lived experiences, and forms of expertise, and the strongest thinking from a cohort can become GenThink white papers and opinion pieces where the cohort is credited as the team of key opinion leaders behind the work. The Spark Cohort is for people carrying a real organizational challenge. It is a safe arena where you advocate for your perspective, have it productively challenged, and leave with a chiseled position you are ready to champion, plus the confidence and practice to lead the conversations it requires.
Can I be eligible for both cohorts?
Yes, and many people are. They serve two different purposes, so someone can absolutely belong in both. You might join the Luminary Cohort to contribute to the wider question of what human value becomes in an age of intelligent machines, and join the Spark Cohort to sharpen a specific, urgent conundrum inside your own organization. Apply to whichever fits what you are working on right now, and tell us if you are interested in the other as well.
How long is the program, and where is it held?
Two days, in person, in Philadelphia. All program meals, coffee, and refreshments are included. Lodging is not included, and we can arrange it on request at additional cost. The inaugural cohorts convene in February and March 2027, with further sessions each quarter.
What does it cost, and do I pay when I apply?
Inaugural pricing applies to the February and March 2027 cohorts, and regular tuition is $2,500 for sessions from April 2027 onward. The first two cohorts of each track help establish the baseline of the work. Contact us for inaugural tuition details. No payment is collected during the application. You submit your information, we review it against the composition of the cohort we are building, and the team follows up with details, including anything financial, before anything is committed.
How selective is admission?
Strictly selective, across every cohort. The psychological safety of the room and the quality of the thinking that comes out of it depend entirely on who is sitting at the table. We choose a higher-quality smaller cohort over a lower-quality larger one in 100% of cases, and we never fill seats to meet a quota.
Can my employer sponsor my place?
Yes, and the application asks whether you are applying with employer sponsorship or independently so we can support the conversation on your side. Both routes are common, and neither is weighted more favorably in review.
Is there a sponsored student seat?
A limited number of GenThink-sponsored seats are available to students whose perspective would add something important to the cohort. Select that participation option when you apply, and we will consider it as part of the same review.
What is the GenThink Certified Catalyst credential, and is it the same as the program?
They are distinct. Completing a Luminary or Spark Cohort makes you eligible to explore certification candidacy; it is not the credential itself. Rather than certifying people as practitioners or thought leaders, the credential recognizes the effect they can have on a room, and it is assessed through observed practice: convening a genuinely mixed room, helping people challenge inherited assumptions, holding productive disagreement without rushing it toward consensus, and helping a group reach stronger thought.
How are applications reviewed, and what are you looking for?
We read for the questions you are actually living inside rather than for credentials. The written prompts matter more than title or tenure, because the value of the two days depends on what each person is willing to put into the room. For the Luminary Cohort we look for demonstrated intellectual contribution, an appetite for rigorous examination, and generosity of intellect. For the Spark Cohort we look for proximity to a real conundrum, a mandate to challenge orthodoxy, and intellectual honesty and courage.
Can you run this inside our organization instead?
Yes. Alongside the cohorts we run formats with organizations: a keynote, mini labs, and a bespoke version of GenThink Intensive built around your own layers and constraints. Start that conversation through the organizations page.