The Launch Pad Resources

UM Law School Startup Clinic

Legal Resource

Free legal help for startups establishing legal foundations

Creative Studio

Digital Media Lab

For developing initial concepts and media content

Coulter Center

Uinnovation

Helps carry projects from translational stage to tangible products

UM Software

Miami.edu/Software

Basic tools like LinkedIn Learning, Zoom, Qualtrics, Adobe Creative Cloud for early development

Johnson & Johnson 3D Printing Lab

College of Engineering

Research and development facilities for prototype creation

Becoming a University of Miami Vendor

UM Vendor

Information on selling to the university market

Selling Your Product In UM Bookstore + UM Logo

UM

Retail distribution and branding guidelines

Supplier Diversity

For Suppliers

Registration as a university supplier for expanded market access

Create Employer Profile on Handshake

Hiring Resource

Hiring resources for growing teams

University of Miami Business Development Program

Human Resources

Advanced business development support

On-Campus Resources

The LaunchPad

Comprehensive resources for established businesses working with the university

Angel

Jason Calacanis

One of Silicon Valley’s most successful angel investors shares his rules for investing in start-ups.

Cost + Revenue Streams Chart

Brainstorming Resource

Cost and Revenue template to assist you with your business’s accounting and financial planning.

Pitch Deck Template

Pitch Deck

Having a strong pitch deck is essential to beginning your funding journey.

Competition List

Competitions

Check out our most up-to-date list of competitions.

Grants List

Grants

Check out our most up-to-date list of grants.

Funding Stages

The Launch Pad

View different types of funding for the different stages of your venture.

Investor Funding Resources

Investor Resources

Our extensive list of resources to assist in securing investors.

Black Girl Ventures

Community

Connect with and provide black/brown women-identifying entrepreneurs with funding and a community to help scale their venture.

Black Ambition Prize

Prizes

Prizes that fund bold ideas and companies led by Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs.

WomensNet

Support

Grants and other funding to help women achieve their business dreams, as well as encourage female entrepreneurs.

The Women’s VC Fund

VC Funding

Funding platform that makes investments in early stage (A/B), revenue-generating, and high-growth companies led by management teams inclusive of women.

PeopleFund

Investing

By partnering with management and entrepreneurs, PeopleFund has generated industry-leading returns for our investors.

Las Olas Ventures

Investing

Their investment themes reflect our view on the emerging technologies and business architectures that will have a fundamental impact on how the world runs.

Medina Capital

Investing

Medina Capital helps fill the gaps needed to accelerate the growth of a thriving business, by customizing their involvement based on the needs and requirements of each portfolio company.

Miami Angels

Investing

Miami Angels is comprised of over 100 angel investors who are passionate about early-stage ventures.

New World Angels

Investing

By being nearby in Florida, New World Angels tap into their extensive members’ skill set and contact list to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses.

Ocean Azul Ventures

Support

Ocean Azul Ventures is proud to support entrepreneurs building unique solutions that will shape the futures of their industries.

Secocha Ventures

Investing

Secocha Ventures focuses on Consumer Products & Services, Healthcare & Fintech companies. Most companies we look at are post-revenue, or have creatively proven Product Market Fit.

Tamiami Angel Fund

Funding

Tamiami Angel Fund empowers entrepreneurs who are ready to scale.

The Michelson Institute For Intellectual Property

Legal Resource

Free patent, copyright, and trademark resources for budding inventors and entrepreneurs.

Dade Legal Aid

Legal Resource

For inventors, artists, and small businesses.

UM Law School Startup Clinic

Legal Resource

Free legal help for startups by UM Law.

Google Forms

Form Creator

Create simple forms using a variety of field types free of charge.

Wufoo Online Form Builder

Form Builder

A cloud-based form builder that makes it easy to create a variety of surveys, registration forms, payment forms, and more.

Competitor Comparison List

Market Research Tools

Use the Competitor Comparison Chart for your business planning.

Survey Monkey

Market Research + Data Collection

Create detailed surveys to collect market research, and customer or employee data. Collect payments and manage teams.

Qualtrics

Market Research

Create surveys and gather market data and employee insights using an easy-to-use design interface.

You ARE an Entrepreneur

Sam Shorts

Entrepreneurial mindset and identity development

Validating Your Idea

Sam Shorts

Essential techniques for testing and validating business concepts

Learning Your Industry

Sam Shorts

Research strategies for understanding your market and industry

Knowing Your Competitors

Sam Shorts

Competitive analysis and market positioning fundamentals

Business Plans

Sam Shorts

Creating effective business plans for your startup

Naming Your Venture

Sam Shorts

Strategies for choosing the right name for your business

Creating Your Digital Home

Sam Shorts

Building your online presence and digital foundation

Networking For Insight

Sam Shorts

Strategic networking to gain industry insights and connections

The 5 Essentials of Starting Your Business (Episode 1)

The LaunchPad

Building your MVP

The 5 Essentials of Starting Your Business (Episode 2)

The LaunchPad

Growth Platforming

The 5 Essentials of Starting Your Business (Episode 3)

The LaunchPad

Talking to customers

Web/App Prototyping

Sam Shorts

Creating functional prototypes for web and mobile applications

Financial Series (Episode 4)

The LaunchPad

Pitch Deck Financials

Art of the Pitch

Daniel Herrera (Miami Angels)

How to pitch your company to investors effectively

How To Tell Your Company’s Story

Tyler Koenig

Crafting compelling narratives for your business

Inbound Marketing

Julieta Sopeña (Grupo Mass)

Half-day workshop on improving inbound marketing efforts

Social Media 101

Sam Shorts

Fundamentals of social media marketing for startups

Administration Emergency Funding Intro

Althea Harris (Small Business Association)

Emergency funding, Economic Injury Disaster Loans, and Paycheck Protection Program

Building a Team

Sam Shorts

Strategies for hiring and building effective startup teams

Demand Curve

Marketing Education

Free marketing masterclass on the science of the demand curve.

Canva

Digital Marketing

A great, easy way to make content. From flyers to Instagram-dimension posts.

Later.com

Social Media Marketing

A way to automate your social media posting to maintain a consistent posting schedule.

MailChimp

Email Marketing

Mailchimp is a great way to engage your subscribers through engaging, interactive email blasts.

Vistaprint

Physical Marketing Materials

Create custom marketing materials for your company.

Fiverr

Freelance Business Services

Freelancers offer their services for all of your business needs on Fiverr.

Goldie

Bookings/Appointments

Appointment scheduling, text reminders, online booking, and payments.

Adobe Illustrator

Graphic Creation

The Adobe graphics app for logo and vector creation.

Lean Canvas

Ideation Resource

Help flesh out ideas and get on the right track with this handy resource.

Lean Canvas Business Model – TLP Walkthrough

The LaunchPad

This presentation was created by The Launch Pad. This resource is geared towards breaking down and explaining each section.

SaaS Strategy Worksheet

Strategy & Planning

Use this worksheet to assist with SaaS strategy planning.

Ampersand Studios

Co-Working Space

Location: Miami (Edgewater)

MADE at the Citadel

Co-Working Space

Location: Miami Shores

The Lab Miami

Co-Working Space

Location: Miami (Wynwood)

Pipeline

Co-Working Space

Locations: Brickell, Coral Gables, Doral

Buro

Co-Working Space

Locations: Miami Beach, Midtown, Coconut Grove, South Miami

WeWork

Co-Working Space

Locations: Brickell, South Beach, Coral Gables

Expansive

Co-Working Space

Location: Miami (Edgewater)

Forum

Co-Working Space

Location: Coral Gables

General Provision

Co-Working Space

Location: Ft Lauderdale

A World of Opportunities for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Greg Smogard, PhD

Creating Your Own Job in the New Normal

Design Thinking

Robert Curedale

Design thinking has become the new design doing that is sweeping the globe

Disciplined Entrepreneur

Bill Aulet

24 Steps to a Successful Startup

Entrepreneur-ship for Dummies

Kathleen Allen

A comprehensive beginner’s guide covering the fundamentals of starting and running a business.

Gadget Nation

Steve Greenberg

Celebrates American inventiveness with over 100 quirky and clever gadgets, offering a fun look into the creative world of everyday innovation.

Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism, & the Economics of Growth & Prosperity

Robert Litan & William J. Baumol

Capitalism’s success depends on balancing

Head First Object

Brett Mclaughlin, Gary Pollice, David West

A beginner’s guide to flexible, maintainable object-oriented software.

It’s Your Biz

Susan Wilson Solovic & Ellen R. Kadin

Motivational guide for women entrepreneurs starting their first business venture.

Lean Impact

Anna Mei Chang

Applies lean startup methodology to social impact ventures and mission-driven organizations.

Principles

Ray Dalio

Shares key principles of radical truth, transparency, and systematic decision-making to help individuals and organizations succeed.

Profit First

Mike Michalowicz

Revolutionary cash management system that ensures profitability from day one.

Value Proposition Design

Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur, Gregory Bernarda, and Alan Smith

Provides a practical framework to design, test, and refine products that fit customer needs.

When Coffee and Kale Compete

Alan Klement

Explains the Jobs to be Done framework, helping businesses understand customer motivations to create products that truly meet needs and drive growth.

Without Their Permission

Alexis Ohanian

A personal guide from Alexis Ohanian on leveraging the internet to create impactful businesses and communities, sharing lessons from his Reddit experience to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs.

Talking to Humans

Giff Constable

A practical guide to mastering customer interviews, helping startups vet ideas and turn insights into actionable improvements.

Teaching Entrepreneur-ship

Heidi M. Neck, Patricia G. Greene, and Candida G. Brush

Explores methodologies and frameworks for developing entrepreneurial thinking and skills.

Technion Nation

Maital

Chronicles Israel’s innovation ecosystem and the role of technology in entrepreneurship.

Testing Business Ideas

David J. Bland and Alexander Osterwalder

A practical guide to testing business ideas quickly to reduce risk, validate assumptions, and make smarter decisions.

The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development

Brant Cooper

A step-by-step guide to finding early adopters and achieving product-market fit using Lean principles.

The Future of the Professions

Richard Susskind and Daniel Susskind

Predicts how technology will transform traditional professions and create new opportunities.

The Origin of Wealth

Eric D. Beinhocker

Explores how complexity economics explains wealth creation and business innovation.

The Purpose is Profit

Ed Mclaughlin, Wyn Lydecker, and Paul McLaughlin

Shares lessons on building a successful startup through competence, funding, branding, profit, and ethics.

Side Hustle

Chris Guillebeau

Practical guide to starting a profitable side business while maintaining your day job.

Founders at Work

Jessica Livingston

A collection of candid interviews with famous tech founders revealing how they turned simple ideas into successful startups, offering insights into innovation, challenges, and business fundamentals.

Lean Analytics

Alistair Croll and Ben Yoskovitz

Lean Analytics helps startups focus on key metrics to validate ideas, find customers, and achieve product-market fit, using practical steps and real-world case studies.

Million Dollar Consulting Toolkit

Alan Weiss, PhD

Million Dollar Consulting offers step-by-step guidance for consultants to grow a million-dollar practice by attracting clients, setting fees, raising capital, and accelerating growth.

Nail It then Scale It

Nathan Furr & Paul Ahlstrom

Offers a step-by-step lean startup approach guiding entrepreneurs to avoid common mistakes by doing the right things in the right order, increasing chances of success and growth.

The Rise of the Creative Class–Revisited

Richard Florida

Examines how creativity drives economic growth and entrepreneurial opportunities

StartUp Communities

Brad Feld

Explores how to build vibrant startup communities by fostering connections, mentorship, and education, based on Brad Feld’s two decades of experience creating successful entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Nail It then Scale It

Nathan Furr & Paul Ahlstrom

Offers a step-by-step lean startup approach guiding entrepreneurs to avoid common mistakes by doing the right things in the right order, increasing chances of success and growth.

Competing Against Luck

Clayton M. Christensen, Taddy Hall, Karen Dillon, David S. Duncan

Transform innovation from a game of chance to developing products customers want to buy at premium prices

Explosive Growth

Cliff Lerner

A startup’s journey to 100 million users with practical growth tactics and lessons on product, metrics, viral marketing, and culture.

Business Model Generation

Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur

A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers

Angel

Jason Calacanis

How to Invest in Technology Startups–Timeless Advice from an Angel Investor Who Turned $100,000 into $100,000,000

Engineer to Entrepreneur

Rick De la Guardia

Success Strategies to Manage Your Career and Start Your Own Firm

Bootstrapping Your Business

Greg Gianforte

Start and Grow a Successful Company with Almost No Money

Conversational Marketing

David Cancel, Dave Gerhardt

How the World’s Fastest Growing Companies Use Chatbots to Generate Leads 24/7/365

Crossing the Chasm, 3rd Edition

Geoffrey A. Moore

Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers

A Random Walk Down Wall Street

Burton G. Malkiel

The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing

Crazy is a Compliment

Linda Rottenberg

The Power of Zigging when Everyone Else Zags

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management

Steve Mariotti & Caroline Glackin

Comprehensive management guide for established businesses

A New Brand World

Scott Bedbury

8 Principles for Achieving Brand Leadership in the 21st Century

Built to Last

Jim Collins, Jerry I. Porras

Successful Habits of Visionary Companies

Big Brands Big Trouble

Jack Trout

Lessons Learned the Hard Way

Coming Jobs War

Jim Clifton

Definitive leadership strategy for fixing the American economy

Bourgeois Dignity

Deirdre N. McCloskey

Why Economics Can’t Explain the Modern World

Conscientious Equity

Neal Asbury

An American Entrepreneur’s Solutions to the World’s Greatest Problems

Conscious Capitalism Field Guide

Rajendra Sisodia

Tools for transforming your organization

Design Patterns

Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, John Vlissides

Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software

Doing Business Anywhere

Thomas G. Travis

The essential guide to going global

Strategic Marketing Management

Alexander Chernev

Advanced marketing strategies for established businesses and market leaders.

Figma

Design & Prototyping

Figma is a great way to create an interactive design for your next application that you can bring to a developer.

Grass Hopper Celebration

Tech/Conference

The world’s largest gathering/conference of women and non-binary technologists.

pre.dev

Plan + Build Your Venture

Generate a development plan for your venture that includes detailed product documentation, roadmaps and customized code for your idea, all using AI.