ZIP Launchpad a Great Motivator During Pandemic
色情视频s start-up incubator is thinking outside the box to encourage student entrepreneurs with virtual programming.
As students head into a third semester of a college experience upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, 色情视频鈥檚 start-up incubator continues to invent ways to provide high-impact experiences in a digital environment.鈥淭he event gave me such encouragement in my STEM endeavors, and it is so interesting to learn from different perspectives.鈥�
鈥淲e ask our entrepreneurs to think outside the box all the time, so the shift to virtual programming has allowed us to practice what we preach and really think creatively about our programming,鈥� said Cathy Pucher, executive director of the .
The ZIP Launchpad held 20 virtual events last semester, attended by more than 300 aspiring entrepreneurs. Pucher and her team have adapted events previously conducted in-person.
One example is during a Women Entrepreneurs in STEM 鈥淧aint Your Perspective鈥� event in the fall, the ZIP Launchpad delivered paint-your-own piggy bank kits that students worked on while a series of successful female leaders gave advice and answered questions. Then they voted for their favorite piggy banks, which symbolized 鈥渋dea banks鈥� to inspire participants to bank their creative ideas and use their best to apply to the ZIP Launchpad.
鈥淚t was so incredible to listen to inspirational women in STEM and be given the opportunity to ask questions about their careers,鈥� said Jeanette Marino, a biology major. 鈥淭he event gave me such encouragement in my STEM endeavors, and it is so interesting to learn from different perspectives.鈥�
Trevor Bailey participated in ZIP Launchpad during the fall semester to hone his idea for Shore Cubby, a company that would provide storage at the beach for surfers and others participating in water sports. Bailey and his partner recently won Pitch of the Semester for ZIP Launchpad鈥檚 experience-track (e-track) level, the first-stage teams undergo when refining their ideas.
鈥淶IP Launchpad鈥檚 e-track was a great motivator for Shore Cubby during the pandemic, our team felt it kept us on track and laid down specific goals for us to hit,鈥� Bailey said. 鈥淚t was a wakeup call for us that we had the potential and could take Shore Cubby really far with the right process.鈥�
Students interested in learning more about the ZIP Launchpad and applying to become a part of the incubator can visit their website for tips, help and instructions. The are due Feb. 14.
Teams who take advantage of ZIP Launchpad鈥檚 application resources 鈥� including office hours and an application workshop 鈥� have a 60% better chance of acceptance, Pucher said.
Students who don鈥檛 have their own idea, but want to get some entrepreneurship experience with one of the ZIP Launchpad teams like Shore Cubby. ZIP Launchpad teams are on track to hire 50 paid interns to work virtually this year.
