Launchpad, the award-winning incubator/accelerator building high tech startups in Cornwall

by Startacus Admin

Launchpad, an innovative, post-graduate incubation & acceleration programme developed by Falmouth University, building high tech startups in Cornwall to meet identified market demand in just 12 months.

Fancy earning a no-fees Masters and starting your own business at the same time in something you are passionate about? Step forward, Cornwall-based Launchpad, an innovative, post-graduate incubation and acceleration programme developed by Falmouth University that aims to create new digital businesses to meet identified market demand in just 12 months.

Launchpad is looking for postgraduate software engineers, digital creatives, and business people to come together and solve industry challenges set by strategic partners in this 12-month programme.

Part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Launchpad is an innovative, award-winning postgraduate incubation and acceleration programme aimed at defining the next generation of digital startups. 

The ambitious programme provides support from leading business coaches and the chance to work alongside some giants of industry in Launchpad’s strategic partners, including Sony Interactive Entertainment, Amazon, and BBC Worldwide. A win-win for both parties with the strategic partners gaining access to work with the freshest talent backed by Falmouth University to create solutions to industry challenges. 

What’s more, as Launchpad is driven by Falmouth University, the programme is interwoven with a specially designed, no-fees MA in Entrepreneurship degree.

Other benefits of being a part of the programme include working in a team of four co-founders, put together from people of complementary skills and knowledge; access to the aforementioned strategic partners and their expertise, customer base, and market demand; access to investors looking to finance high-growth, innovative startups; and a tax-free £16k stipend to support living and travel during the programme.

In exchange for all this and a year of intensive training and coaching, all you need to do is base your new business within Cornwall for the first five years. Cornwall was recently highlighed for its “impressive growth” in this year’s Tech Nation report, which surveys UK’s tech sector, so Cornwall is a natural place to launch and grow a tech business. 

Part of Launchpad and Falmouth University’s aim with the programme is to retain talent in Cornwall, creating opportunities in a higher education hub that produces 4 times the national average of self-employed graduates, building tech clusters across Cornwall, and boosting the local economy.

Sophia Djerkallis, part of the 2017 intake said: 

‘Launchpad is a win/win situation for everybody. Best case scenario, you earn a Masters and you have your own company in something you are passionate about. At worst, you have a Masters, plus all the experience of the year that you can take with you in any direction you want to go.’

With Rob Sanders, Founder of Glas Data, also from the 2017 intake, going on to explain:

‘My experience on Launchpad has been both challenging and highly rewarding. I have been fortunate enough to work on something about which I am very passionate. This coupled with the incentive of having a major stake in the company which is being incubated makes for a very exciting year. It's certainly not a course that you can enter half-heartedly!’

To apply for your chance to be a part of this intensive, outstanding opportunity, head to Launchpad’s website here: falmouthlaunchpad.co.uk

Launchpad is an innovative postgraduate incubation and acceleration programme. It is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund. 

Content written by Startacus in partnership with Launchpad.

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Published on: 21st June 2018