Launchpad Challenge
The Launchpad Challenge is an opportunity for students to launch their own startups and participate in pitching competitions.
Eligibility to Compete
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The Launchpad Challenge is open to all high school students (9th - 12th grade). Teams may consist of 1 - 5 people.
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There are two ways to compete in the Launchpad Challenge:
Compete in a chapter. Each Launchpad chapter is associated with a secondary school. The Launchpad team supports each chapter, providing resources and feedback to startup teams. If a chapter is not yet established at your school, you can create one!
Compete as an individual. Although competing in a chapter is heavily recommended, competing without chapter affiliation is also allowed. Please note that students who choose to compete individually may not receive the same levels of guidance as students who compete in chapters.
The Accelerator Process
Students participate in weekly lectures focused on the basics of entrepreneurship, specifically business development.
After brainstorming, students create proof of concepts for their ideas, which consist of research on revenue models, their offering, marketing strategies, product development cost, and financial projections – everything that has to do with concept feasibility.
Startup teams begin to create their own businesses. Students continue to attend weekly meetings, workshops, and communicate with the Advisory Board to receive support on their various entrepreneurial endeavors. Teams may also partner with other interscholastic initiatives (e.g., the Computer Science Club) and appropriately use their own schools’ resources.
Students improve their business plans. Teams will continue to attend weekly meetings, workshops, and one-on-one meetings to refine their offering.
Most importantly, startup teams begin to prepare their pitches.
Startups submit videos of their pitches to the Launchpad Team. The Launchpad selection committee provides high-quality feedback for each startup, and the top pitches qualify for Launchpad Pitch Day.
Qualifying teams will pitch their ideas virtually at the culminating Launchpad Pitch Day. They will enhance their pitching skills, receive high-quality feedback from judges, and share their work with a greater community. Finalists and winners of Launchpad Pitch Day will receive cash prizes. The money can be used for educational purposes or the growth of their startups.
After completing a pitching event, teams have “graduated” from their Launchpad chapter. They remain part of the Launchpad organization, but they are no longer affiliated with a school. At the start of summer, teams can grow into a full-running startup – marketing their offering, generating traction, and gaining sales.