This article was originally posted on www.blackstonelaunchpad.org.

Tech innovation has helped mitigate and overcome many of the challenges experienced this past year. Tech solutions also happen to be what most young people are naturally attracted to and interested in.

Launched a year ago, the LaunchPad Fellowship has hosted two cohorts of student entrepreneurs, the latter of which was primarily focused on social impact ventures. With this third cohort, the Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars is narrowing its focus to technology ventures. Out of more than 125 nominations from across our 30 colleges and universities in the U.S. and Ireland, the 50 most innovative, interesting, and highly motivated student startups were selected.

Participating founders will receive a $5,000 grant to support their time working on advancing their technology ventures, as well as other resources, support, and mentorship to help them advance their startup ideas over the 8-week course. The program includes regular LaunchPad Campus Director coaching sessions, weekly entrepreneurial workshops organized by Future Founders, as well as two weeks of mentorship sessions with Blackstone employees and Techstars advisors. Students will also have the opportunity to join the LaunchPad Network Spring Speaker Series, a quarterly convening featuring successful entrepreneur speakers that provide insight into entrepreneurial skill-building and career readiness.

“While Techstars and the Blackstone Charitable Foundation have been working together since originating the LaunchPad Fellowship program in the Summer of 2020, we are especially excited to be partnering on this cohort with its focus on tech ventures. Techstars has been supporting tech-based startups and investing in this sector since our inception in 2006, and we’re founded on the belief that breakthrough technology is the history of people, teams, and partners working together to achieve goals and scale ideas,” said Amy Smith, Senior Vice President, Product for Techstars."

Startups selected to participate in the spring fellowship include many that are developing solutions in AI, VR, cloud, and blockchain technology to solve some of today’s pressing issues. Other participants are utilizing existing technologies to solve problems in new ways, including remote communication, sustainability, and security. In all cases, these students are primed for success in entrepreneurship or intrapreneurial careers, and with the added support and resources from organizations like the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, Future Founders, and Techstars, their potential is unlimited.

Meet the 50 student startups in this Fellowship cohort:

To learn more about this cohort, please see our Spring 2021 LaunchPad Fellowship: Tech Ventures - Student Lookbook. To stay up to date on their progress, follow the hashtag #LaunchPadFellowship and @BXLaunchPad, @FutureFounders, and @Techstars on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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