University of Miami’s Innovative Launch Pad Entrepreneurship Program

In 2008 the University of Miami started a student entrepreneurship program called Launch Pad. Unlike most academic entrepreneurship programs, its not a major or set of courses. Instead, its mostly an individual study programusing outside advisers to teach aspiring student entrepreneurs what they need to know about starting a business.

Miamis Launch Pad is housed in their career centerand positions entrepreneurship as an alternative to a traditional job. It is available to all Miami students. Miami also has a traditional entrepreneurship major and set of courses in their undergraduate business school.

Since the program started, University of Miami students and recent grads have launched 45 companies.This level of success led to the Blackstone Charitable Foundation committing to spend $50 million over the next 5 years setting up Launch Pads at other schools, starting with Wayne State and Walsh College.

Inc. Magazine has a nice Launch Pad summary and Business Week also covers it in an article on youth unemployment.

Based on our work with entrepreneurs, were strong supporters of entrepreneurial education and training. Miamis approach is an exciting innovation in this field.

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