Launch Pad

The Tsai CITY Launch Pad is designed to take early-stage founders to the next level with their ventures through asynchronous and synchronous teachings that can be immediately applied to your venture. It creates a safe space for like-minded innovators to reflect on what they have learned so far and to make additional progress on their ideas.

Hand with post-its and Sharpies

Launch Pad Resources

  • Core content and elective workshops to help you build your idea
  • A student Portfolio Manager dedicated to helping you develop and test your idea
  • One-on-one sessions with industry experts 
  • Access to Tsai CITY’s various funding sources
  • The chance to join an awesome community of innovators from around Yale!

 

Application and Criteria

To participate in the Launch Pad, you should meet the following criteria:

  • You can clearly articulate your idea and the problem you are trying to solve.
  • You have researched it sufficiently to answer basic questions about your target customers and key competitors.
  • You can describe how you might implement this idea in a way that is sustainable over time.
  • You can share what milestones you have reached.
  • You have the first prototype and have begun working on customer/user discovery (Examples of first prototypes include the first recipe; paper-prototype sketch; unedited film; program proposal; first draft of a series; pilot designed or running; the number of potential users interviewed or surveyed.).

The Launch Pad is part of a broader venture development sequence at Tsai CITY: if you are further along in your project,  our Accelerator or Summer Fellowship might be a fit. The Launch Pad, Accelerator, and Summer Fellowship share a common application. 

*Programming has ended for the spring semester. Subscribe to our newsletter for more updates about this and other programs/events happening at Tsai CITY.