ABSTRACT
For most startups, professional human capital development programs (activities provided or supported by the organization to support continuing education and career training for its employees and leaders) are not a priority despite their association with startup success. This chapter describes the role and practice of professional development in startups, including (a) the description of the strategic contributions of professional development programs to organizations and discusses how these programs can uniquely benefit startups. (b) a summary of factors associated with companies engagement with training at different stages of organizational development, including the impact of professional development training on organizational success, and (c) a discussion of models for founder and worker professional development applicable to startups, including how to balance priorities for resource allocation and to maximize organizational benefits. Startups can benefit by integrating human capital professional development through all stages.
