Launchpad: The First Step to Becoming an Entrepreneur 🚀
Stop Guessing and Start Testing
💭 Are you dreaming of becoming an entrepreneur or starting your own business, but unsure about which of your ideas to take forward?
🤔 Want to turn your curiosity into something real?
Launchpad is your chance to test your ideas fast, learn what works, and build confidence in your entrepreneurial skills. No business experience is needed, just an idea and the drive to turn it into something real.
What you’ll do:
🔍 Learn simple, practical ways to research and test your business ideas with real people
🛠️ Experiment, iterate, and pivot (just like real founders do)
💡 Build confidence and clarity about your next steps, whether that’s growing your idea or moving on to the next one
What is Launchpad?
Launchpad is a short, intensive programme at MEC (Masood Entrepreneurship Centre) that helps you take your business ideas forward, test them with real people, and start gathering signals about whether your idea is worth pursuing.
Launchpad is the first step in bringing your business idea to life. In under a week, you’ll explore if your idea has real potential to pursue and go further.
🗓️ Programme structure
Launchpad runs over three weeks, featuring three intensive, action-packed days designed to help you test and refine your ideas. Sessions will take place on
Tuesday 3rd February | 10.30 am - 4.30 pm
Tuesday 10th February | 10.30 am - 4.30 pm
Tuesday 17th February | 10.30 am - 4.30 pm
Each day will be filled with practical insights and hands-on exercises to help you validate your ideas, followed by time between sessions to reflect, refine, and move your concept forward at your own pace.
Why join Launchpad?
🎯 Gain early market signals and find out if your idea could take off
⏱️ Save time by learning what’s really worth pursuing
🧠 Develop an experimental mindset you can use in any career
🌐 Connect with like-minded students from all disciplines
After completing Launchpad, you’ll walk away with a clearer direction, new skills, and the confidence to take your idea further. Whether that’s moving on to Venture Builder, our 12-week programme that helps you shape your idea into a market-ready startup, or taking your creativity wherever it leads next.
Who can join?
🧑🎓 Current University of Manchester students (UG, Master’s/PGT, PGR/PhD)
🎓 UoM graduates within the last 2 years
🌍 Open to all degrees and disciplines, because entrepreneurship is for everyone! Studying science, art, engineering or humanities? If you’ve got ideas, Launchpad is for you!
Ready to stop overthinking and start testing? Apply now and discover what your ideas are truly capable of.