Welcome to the Launch Program Community. The Launch Program is focused on providing entrepreneurial training to students.
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Launch Program Overview
We are a community dedicated to bringing innovative ideas to life. As entrepreneurs, we practice building, testing, and learning methodology. We celebrate our failures and look forward to the opportunity to iterate upon our ideas and actions.
We strive to build a thriving, equitable, and inclusive environment supportive of Wofford student entrepreneurs and innovators while strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
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As a member of this community, you will be encouraged and expected to build, join, or otherwise participate in a startup and Wofford’s entrepreneurial activities.
Students who are active participants of Launch will have to apply, be interviewed, and will be assigned an entrepreneurial stage: CONCEPT—STRATEGY—GROWTH
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Entrepreneurial StagesConcept, strategy, and growth are not only the stages of any startup venture but the framework by which we support our entrepreneurs. Our CONCEPT —STRATEGY —GROWTH framework provides targeted support for the demands your venture will experience, ultimately leading to success. Active students should make progress from one stage to another within two years. A Launch student will be assigned the most appropriate stage to their entrepreneurial journey regardless of academic classification.
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FAQ’s
1. How many students are in the program? To give each student the attention needed at their entrepreneurial stage, we have a threshold of serving 40 students. Each year we strive to admit 8-12 students into the program.
2. What is the weekly time commitment? There’s no correct answer to how much an entrepreneur should work per week, and entrepreneurs shouldn’t equate hours worked to success. However, it’s standard for a Launch student to spend approximately 5-7 hours weekly with program-affiliated activities. Most of the time is on one’s own schedule. Students participate in monthly events, workshops, and one-on-one coaching sessions.
3. Will I start a company by myself or with a team? Either format is suitable. The Launch Program Manager and mentor network can guide a business model that is right for your venture.
4. Will I continue to work on the venture I started in high school? You certainly can! The program will expose you to different business ventures and ideas, which may lead you to re-imagining where you want to invest your time. Being assigned an entrepreneurial stage instead of a classification cohort will allow students to move as needed through their process. Active students should make progress from one stage to another within two years.
5. What support will I get? All Launch students receive regular coaching from entrepreneurship educators, the chance to attend specialty workshops, co-working space, networking opportunities, and to pitch in the Terrier Start-Up Challenge. Depending on the entrepreneurial stage, students have additional access to be a showcased vendor, participate in esteemed pitch competitions, certification programs, and accelerators, be a presenter, connect with an alumni mentor, and/or gain seed funding.
6. Do I have to re-apply for the program every year? A student’s status will be reviewed bi-annually at the close of each major semester (Fall/Spring). An active status enables students to access resources and is expected to be involved in assigned activities and program-related functions. Inactive status disables the student’s responsibility to participate in assignment activities, and program-related functions and limits access to resources. A student can be temporarily inactive for reasons such as, but not limited to, studying abroad, addressing a mental/physical illness (accompanied by a note from a physician), or other extenuating circumstances. Reasons include but are not limited to habitually missing multiple indicated requirements from the program and violating the Wofford student code of conduct. A student can also be removed from the program or be permanently inactive.
7. What major do most Launch students pursue? Entrepreneurs come in all different shapes and sizes, and one’s major doesn’t define whether someone can be a successful entrepreneur. Our program is comprised of students from varying academic backgrounds and interests.
8. When can I enroll in the program? We host open enrollment bi-annually. It is a period when a student can sign up for the program and get a sneak peek into some of the Launch-hosted events. Interested students will submit an application, be interviewed, and be notified of acceptance.
