LaunchU
LaunchU is an entrapaneurial bootcamp run at Oberlin College. Some have called it a mini-MBA. There are hands-on activities through the Business Canvas Model to flush out all the elements of the venture. Primary and secondary research instills insights in the customer, competitors, supplier and market. Accounting and forecasting skills prepare the entrepreneurs to plan for costs and fund raising. The program includes sessions by specialists in areas of startup marketing, startup forecasting, branding, legal formation, intellectual property (patents, copyright, trademarks etc), angel and non-dilutive funding, nonprofit funding, team development/HR, pitch coaches, and so much more!
I entered the workshop in January 2020 on behalf of the Hilltown Youth Performing Arts Programs. My goal was to find a way to create sustainable revenue without raising tuition for our programs. With the help of the mentors there, I created a subscription donation model, where our participants could have a profile and donors can subscribe to donate to our organization starting at $3/month. This model is so exciting not because of the potential money it could raise, but because it allows our local community, the poorest part of the poorest county in MA, to engage with us and support us at an affordable level.
Zach Arfa 