QCC Blackstone LaunchPad

Entrepreneurial Journey at QCC

• About Blackstone LaunchPad

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Blackstone LaunchPad presents: Beyond the Court: Equity, Inclusivity & Innovation

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Through the Blackstone LaunchPad, entrepreneurship becomes a viable option for students to lay the foundation for building companies and developing the skills needed to move forward with any chosen career.

QCC's Blackstone LaunchPad program supports and elevates underrepresented students from diverse backgrounds and perspectives to level an unequal playing field.

Whether you have the next big idea or are simply curious to know more about the skills necessary to succeed in entrepreneurship, get going with a profile on StartupTree!

What is entrepreneurship?

An entrepreneur is a risk-taker with an idea and a passion. An entrepreneur is someone with drive who will continue to persevere even after hearing no. You must decide that your idea is worth investing in!

Pitching a business idea in front of an audience can be downright terrifying.

Sometimes what's even scarier than hearing a no, is someone saying yes. What if your pitch results in someone telling you to run with it?

Are you prepared?

Well, there's no better time than now to start a company. So, what does it take?

• Believe in your idea
• Be willing to pitch it over and over again in front of a wide variety of audiences
• Learn how to network
• Be open to growth
• Be open to criticism
• Know when and how to pivot
• Get comfortable with being uncomfortable

Does that sound intimidating? Our team knows it can be! The good news is that you do not have to do it alone. Let Blackstone LaunchPad at QCC help launch you into entrepreneurship!

What is the Blackstone LaunchPad?

Since its founding in 2007, the Blackstone Charitable Foundation has been committed to creating economic opportunities for diverse and historically underrepresented communities. The Blackstone LaunchPad network helps college and university students gain entrepreneurial experiences and competencies to build successful companies and careers.

The Blackstone LaunchPad network makes entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills accessible and relevant for all college students to help them build thriving companies and careers. Students learn by doing, gaining knowledge and critical skills to help them succeed as a founder or contributor to the innovation economy.

With connections to a global network of mentors, events, funding, talent, job opportunities, and more, you can gain key entrepreneurship skills to build a successful company or build your resume for success in landing a job after college and advancing your career. LaunchPad's ever-expanding network encompasses campuses with predominantly underrepresented populations.

Blackstone LaunchPad at QCC

Entrepreneurship is now a viable option for students. The QCC Blackstone LaunchPad program helps lay the foundation for building companies and develop the skills necessary to move forward with any chosen career. What's more is the Blackstone LaunchPad offers opportunities to widen your network beyond the QCC campus with participants at other CUNY schools, as well as many colleges around the world.

Who is it for?

Whether you are curious about entrepreneurship, have an innovative idea, or are ready to take the next steps with your business, the QCC Blackstone LaunchPad has an option for you! There aren't any prerequisites to participate! The Blackstone LaunchPad is open to QCC students and alumni with an innovative idea or desire to learn more about entrepreneurship regardless of their major. 

What can I expect?

The Innovation Challenge:

The Innovation Challenge is the first program in our entrepreneurship series. It is designed for you to understand the problem you are solving with your innovation and push you to get out of your comfort zone through customer discovery to understand the market and the needs of your potential customers. This virtual cohort includes three workshops and mentorship designed for you to truly begin understanding the market you are entering. You will walk away from this cohort with a clearer understanding of how to move forward with your innovation. You will receive a stipend!

Startup School:

The Startup School is the second program in our entrepreneurship series. Now that you have a clearer understanding of your innovation and the market you are entering, this cohort is designed for you to work with our team to understand the legal, financial, and marketing implications of forming and running a business. This virtual cohort includes six jam packed workshops designed for you to truly begin understanding the necessary steps to take before going to market. You will walk away from this cohort with advice from experts in the fields of law, marketing, and finance. You will receive a stipend! *Participation in the Innovation Challenge or comparable program is necessary as a prerequisite for this cohort as it will build on content from the Innovation Challenge.

Talent LMS:

Are you curious about entrepreneurship but not ready to commit to a program? Enroll in a 10-module self-paced course! Email Christine Mooney at [email protected] to enroll.

Ready to begin? Visit StartupTree to create a profile.

Startup School

In June, QCC and BCC partnered for the inaugural Startup School cohort. This cohort was so unique because most participants were returning Blackstone LaunchPad participants from the Innovation Challenge.

Startup School focused on three significant areas to consider when creating a business: finance, marketing, and law. The three-week cohort consisted of 2 workshops per week. Stewardship Council members assisted in lining up four spectacular guest speakers.

The industry experts educated the participants on steps to consider before taking a business to market. The LaunchPad team provided workshops to break apart concepts, spoke to how the concepts directly relate to individual businesses and looked at case studies to problem-solve concepts. Participants walked away from workshops with actionable steps to take in each area, a plethora of resources and contacts to utilize as they build their businesses.

Testimonials:

“I gained so much information. I will be revisiting my notes for at least the rest of this year as I start up my business. All the speakers were amazing. I love the community that we have built from last cohort to now.”-Startup School Participant

“This Cohort was amazing and provided a great learning opportunity. It helped to bridge the gap from concept to actually making the business.”-Startup School Participant

"The StartUp School was an extremely informative virtual program, as I accumulated tons of information about starting a business from the legal responsibilities, marketing, and accounting. Each session had new people and new information. Having new people at each meeting benefited me because it was excellent to hear different opinions and perspectives, opening up new thoughts for my business."

The Innovation Challenge

Participants entered the cohort with only a business idea and quickly learned how to research whether or not there is a market for their idea. Business ideas ranged from customizing uniforms to creating a storefront in the local community. Participants learned about the importance of problem-solution fit when starting a business and how to conduct customer discovery interviews. Each week, students reflected on their learnings from their interviews and shared how their ideas evolved.

Testimonials:

“After attending this program, I gained the insight and confidence to take the next steps to creating an actual product instead of just holding onto my idea.”

“My mind was bending around my customer discovery, and my big idea kept changing because of my customer interviews. This was more valuable than any business dream could have been because my customers made me face reality through their honest interviews.”

“The mentorship meetings with the professors that took the time to assist us with our innovations was very helpful and motivating during this entire process.”

“Joining the program, I was very anxious and scared of interviewing people. However, after conducting my 16 interviews, I feel much more calm talking to people. And I feel like that is such a valuable skill I have developed over the 6 weeks.”

Professor Christine Mooney - [email protected] - Program Director and Teaching Team

Professor Mark Ulrich - [email protected] - Teaching Team

Professor Wilfredo Moran - [email protected] - Teaching Team