About LaunchX

Our story, our team, and more.

Female LaunchX staff member headshot
Female LaunchX staff member headshot
Female LaunchX staff member headshot
Female LaunchX staff member headshot

Our awards

The Buzz logo Awarded to LaunchX
CNBC logo

What we are about

Your goal at LaunchX is to start a real company.  

As educators, our metric for success isn’t creation of successful companies, but creation of entrepreneurs.  That means we’ll help you develop the entrepreneurial mindset to be decisive problem solvers capable of identifying opportunities, prototyping and user testing to ensure a customer need, and pitching to get feedback and support.  

By the end of the program, all startup teams are to come together and gain market validation. This includes the following:

  • Teaming: Work well within a team environment, fostering the highest level of performance possible from yourself and your teammates within an environment that is both collaborative, respectful, and mutually supportive of each other.
  • Testing: Explore a startup opportunity through market research and development of a Minimum Viable Product (an “MVP”) by utilizing and implementing the knowledge that you gain throughout the LaunchX Summer Program.
  • Selling: Your team will launch your offering into the marketplace and produce sales, pre-sales, or other revenues of no less than $250 on or before one calendar week prior to Demo Day.

Accomplishing this in the timeframe of the program is a lot!  But we also know what Launchies are capable of.

Large group of male and female LaunchX students wearing LaunchX shirts

Take a look at our numbers

2,500

Sucessful Launchies

Making waves throughout the world while influencing their local communities.

2012

Started in 2012

We continue to innovate our programs to provide the best porgram available.

We're in the news

Fox 40 logoThe Women Leaders logoDigital Journal logoStart Hub Boston logoThe Huffington Post logo
CNBC logoAlpha Gamma logoLifehack logoGetting Smart logoBest College Reviews logo
Ultimaker logoEmpowerly logoBostinno logoInGenius logoCrimson logo

The story how LaunchX got off the ground

We started over 10 years ago offering a robust and rigerous curriculum to help develop entreprnuers. We aren't done yet!

2012
The company was founded

The company was founded in 2012 by Laurie Stach with the first year of the summer program to be held in 2013.

LaunchX founder speaking

The entity started under the name Launch Summer Program with one location at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

2014 - 2016
MIT and The Launch Program

In the fall of 2014, MIT invited Laurie and the Launch program to become part of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship.

Boat graphic

The program ran within MIT for several years, able to leverage the resources of the school.

2016 – 2019
The growth of LaunchX

To reach the growing demand of high school entrepreneurship education, Laurie and the team decided to leave the Trust Center to expand to additional universities.

LaunchX logo

In 2018 and subsequent years, LaunchX grew locations and students.

2020-2022
Online Summer Program

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, LaunchX moved online in 2020, though continued to grow with record applications and student reviews.

Female Launchie wearing LaunchX shirt with LaunchX notebook in front of laptop

LaunchX leveraged more great resources of online learning and continued the 2022 summer program online.

2023
Innovation Program

LaunchX started the first Innovation Program. Students partnered with existing busineses and enterprises to solve real business problems.

Group of LaunchX students talking in front of panelists

LaunchX offered 4 programs throughout the summer, making it the largest year of Launchies.

Today
We continue to calibrate, innovate, and expand our programs to offer our rigorous yet practical programs to future Launchies around the globe.

And we can't wait for you to be part of it!