Founders Future

Improvising Success: Bob Kulhan’s Entrepreneurial Evolution

Closers.io

In this episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Bob Kulhan, founder and CEO of Business Improv—a groundbreaking consultancy that fuses improvisational theater techniques with corporate training. With a background in professional comedy and academic rigor, Bob pioneered the world’s first improv program for a business school at Duke’s Fuqua School in 2000. Over the last 25 years, he has helped global organizations build better communication, collaboration, and leadership through the lens of behavioral science and improv.

Bob shares the inspiration behind Business Improv, the unique challenges of translating performance art into practical business tools, and how the improv industry has evolved—sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. You’ll learn what separates high-impact improv training from “fast-food” versions, how Business Improv tailors its offerings for lasting cultural change, and why communication isn’t just a soft skill—it’s a strategic one.