Welcome to the Lester Center's
UC Berkeley Venture Launchpad
...a comprehensive and integrated program of courses, events, activities, and other exciting educational opportunities to help you pursue your interests in entrepreneurship and innovation - whether you want to start a business right now or are just curious to explore what joining a start-up venture would be like and how an entrepreneurial career compares to your other options.
Once you enter the Launchpad, you will embark on an array of challenging and rewarding experiences designed to stimulate your thinking, strenghten your "innovation quotient," and give you access to a progressively more tailored set of supportive resources to improve your chances for sucess in launching a new venture.
This guide illustrates what's available at each stage of our Launchpad. You can use these steps to keep track of your progress or remind you of other resources you might explore...
All ventures start with an idea – somebody’s dream, invention or insight into what the world needs next. Sometimes you can find a venture idea in a lab, a classroom, a book or article, a website or blog; and sometimes they just pop up when you least expect them. You may come up with ideas on your own, or you might join forces with somebody with a better one. (more)
The threshold question for many students is simply one of curiosity: what’s it like to be an entrepreneur? What does it take to develop a venture idea into a viable business? How should you choose which ideas are worth pursuing? (more)
Once you’ve decided to explore an entrepreneurial path, choose from an expanding array of Exploration Courses like “Opportunity Recognition: Technology and Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley” through which you can pursue and develop particular interests or skills; and sample other resources like Entrepreneurs Corner, where you can talk about your interests and venture ideas 1:1 with experienced mentors and advisors at the Lester Center. (more)
Every entrepreneurial team faces common challenges in converting its ideas into a successful business opportunity. (more)
Entrepreneurship and innovation often manifest themselves differently in different market sectors. That’s why we’ve designed a changing series of Context Courses to let you delve more deeply into areas of particular interest to you, and complement your other Launchpad experiences. Examples include: Entrepreneurship in Biotechnology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Telecommunications and Media, Innovation & Entrepreneurship in Information Technology, and Case Studies in Entrepreneurship. (more)
If you’ve decided you’re serious about starting a venture, you have several resources to help you refine your strategy and improve your chances for a successful launch, from courses like the “Entrepreneurship Workshop for Start-Ups” to competitions like the UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition, Global Social Venture Competition or the Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) [where you can look at ventures from an investor’s perspective]. (more)
There’s no one or best way to launch a venture. So we have a variety of resources available to support you in whatever way you decide to launch yours. Each year, we have a limited number of openings in our Berkeley Entrepreneurship Laboratory, which can offer you basic office logistics for up to a year free! (more)
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