Abilitie, TED, and St. Edward’s University launch 12-week mini-MBA
$4,500 program offers live classes and in-person connections to global network of professionals
AUSTIN, Texas — Abilitie, TED, and St. Edward’s University today announced a new collaboration to offer a global 12-Week mini-MBA. The part-time, virtual program is designed to help working professionals build practical business skills for the age of AI without stepping away from their careers.
Originally introduced in 2019 as the Invited MBA, the program combines curated TED content, immersive business simulations, live faculty-led discussions, and a global cohort experience. Participants earn a professional education certificate from St. Edward’s University.
“The 12-Week MBA brings powerful TED ideas into the flow of real-world business challenges, helping leaders expand how they think, solve problems and show up for their teams,” said Darby Coleman, senior director of TED@Work.
“Tomorrow’s leaders need more than just knowledge. They need to practice business judgment,” said Bjorn Billhardt, CEO of Abilitie. “This program helps professionals build financial fluency, strategic thinking and leadership capability.”
Participants learn in live online sessions held three days per week and work through team-based business simulations modeled on real leadership challenges. The curriculum is designed to help participants understand business finance, think strategically, manage resources and make sound decisions in complex fast-changing business environments.
“St. Edward’s is committed to academic excellence, and we are proud to be part of this exciting partnership,” said Marianne Ward-Peradoza, provost of St. Edward’s University. “We recognize that today’s professionals need flexible, high-impact opportunities to advance their skills, and this program exemplifies how we are creating pathways that empower them to remain competitive.”
To preserve the interactive nature of the program, classes are capped at 40 per section and 200 per cohort. The experience concludes with a live in-person weekend in a global business hub.
Applications for the fall 2026 cohort are open, tuition is $4,500 and scholarships are available. Professionals can learn more at 12weekmba.com. Abilitie also offers closed-cohort options for companies that want to level up their employee's skillsets.
About The 12-Week MBA
The 12-Week MBA experience is a leadership development program created by a collaboration between Abilitie, TED, and St. Edward’s University. Abilitie is a global leadership development company that helps professionals build critical business skills. TED is a nonprofit built around a simple belief: Ideas change everything. Powerful ideas, powerfully presented, can move us to feel something, think differently, and take action. The Bill Munday School of Business at St. Edward’s University is a top-ranked graduate school with AACSB accreditation.
About St. Edward’s University
St. Edward’s University is a private university in the Catholic, Holy Cross tradition with approximately 3,000 students. Located in Austin, Texas, it is one of the top universities in the state and offers more than 55 undergraduate, seven master’s degree programs, and a doctoral program. St. Edward’s delivers a premier, highly personalized education that provides students with distinctive academics and extensive internships, research, and service-learning opportunities on a vibrant, inclusive hilltop campus in a world-class city. St. Edward’s has been recognized for 22 consecutive years as one of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report. In the 2026 Best Colleges rankings, St. Edward’s ranked #5 in the Best Regional Universities in the West.