Blackstone LaunchPad
The Blackstone LaunchPad network makes entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills accessible and relevant for all college students to help them build thriving companies and careers.
For College Students
We make entrepreneurship more accessible while students are still in school, helping them build companies and develop entrepreneurial skills to ensure career readiness.
For Schools
We work with colleges and universities to create a framework for campus-wide entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skill-building, adding value to existing programs with access to critical resources, networks, and events.
For Communities
We fuel local economic development by igniting entrepreneurship where student founders are, and prepare graduates to enter the job market.
Who We Are
LaunchPad builds next-generation companies and careers.
Going Further, Faster
LaunchPad builds next-generation companies and careers. We work with higher education institutions to deliver proven startup resources, facilitate access to a global network of mentors and advisors, and offer unique virtual and physical convening opportunities so thousands of college students can go further, faster. Students learn by doing, gaining knowledge and critical skills to help them succeed as a founder or contributor to the 21st century economy.
Our Impact
10+
years in existence
5,000+
events
$40M
committed by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation to LaunchPad over the next five years
6
partners
Our Network
Overview
46
SCHOOLS
185,000+
PARTICIPANTS SINCE FOUNDING
1M+
STUDENTS WITH CURRENT ACCESS TO THE LAUNCHPAD NETWORK
Testimonials
“The LaunchPad Fellowship has provided a remarkable experience and the perfect balance of mentorship and autonomy. The fellowship’s framework is the right recipe for success, and helped me create structure and think more critically about goal setting, accountability, scaling myself, trusting my team, and delivering results.”
Manny Smith, Founder & CEO, EdVisorly, University of California, Berkeley (‘21)
“Startup Weekend is a unique opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and discover alternative career paths. The most important aspect was learning the process of creating a startup and making connections. I recommend Startup Weekend for anyone who wants to help find solutions for the problems of our world. If you’re willing to step out of your comfort zone and be innovative, Startup Weekend is the place for you.”
Brigid McCormack, The State University of New York at Buffalo (‘22)
“The best thing I took away from the Launchpad was having a mentor-driven ecosystem and network. It’s an iron sharpens iron community where people are able to give themselves – whether it’s time or talent they’re centered on bringing the entire entrepreneurial community upward”
Kelsey Davis, Founder of CLLCTVE, Syracuse University ‘20