Blackstone LaunchPad is a global network of universities committed to shaping and educating students to succeed in entrepreneurship and in their careers. Open to all students and recent alumni in all majors, campus-based Blackstone LaunchPad chapters enable participants to access mentoring, grow their network, and access the resources to accelerate the success of their business. Accessible to over 700,000 college students per year, LaunchPad is designed to complement existing entrepreneurship on-campus resources, coordinate off-campus opportunities for schools and students to expand their reach, and convene students and staff at world-class events leveraging our industry-leading mentors, networks, and brands.

The UTEP Blackstone LaunchPad Mentor Network is open to all UTEP students. Our program provides the necessary feedback for participants to advance their ventures. Mentors come from various backgrounds  and they are an essential part of our entrepreneurship culture. They impact the entire network of student entrepreneurs creating and supporting long lasting relationships.  Free benefits include:

• Meet one-on-one with an experienced and highly successful entrepreneur who has walked in your shoes before
• Ideas and feedback on your venture that can be applied right away
• The chance to network and learn best practices for starting and running a business

Annual Conference and Pitch Competition

LaunchPad’s global network event brings together hundreds of student entrepreneurs, Campus Directors, and subject matter experts from Blackstone, Techstars, and other industry partners to help participants grow their network and get the training and advice they need to propel their companies forward. 

LaunchPad Fellowship

In this 8-week virtual program, student founders receive $5,000 to support their time working on advancing their startups. The LaunchPad Fellowship is largely self-driven, but also offers relevant startup workshops, peer networking events, mentor connections, and other opportunities to build entrepreneurial skills. This program is delivered virtually, in partnership with Future Founders. 

LaunchPad Ideas Competition

Designed to provide students with early-stage ideas to compete for cash prizes! This signature program supports LaunchPad’s goal of de-risking entrepreneurship, broadening accessibility, and diversifying engagement with a focus on recruiting underrepresented and under-resource students to participate.