The Ultimate Guide to LaunchX - Is It Legit?
If you’re a high schooler interested in building your own business, there are a ton of options you can check out! One such option is a startup incubator program.
A typical startup incubator program offers a rigorous experience in pitching, marketing, and working on refining your product, all under the mentorship of industry experts!
As a participant, you can expect to work on refining business operations, understanding leadership styles, and learning how startups operate. Some startup incubators also offer opportunities such as mentorship from entrepreneurs, networking opportunities with CEOs and venture capitalists, and exposure to market opportunities. Whether you want to create your own business or not, these programs allow you to build valuable skills in business strategy, product development, and marketing. Additionally, they help build a strong resume and open doors to future opportunities.
Our blog post today looks at LaunchX, a startup incubator program designed to provide experience in building and running a startup.
What is LaunchX?
LaunchX offers multiple entrepreneurship programs that take high schoolers through the entire startup process, from idea generation to execution. At LaunchX, you will work alongside your fellow students or “Launchies” to co-found a startup. The experience integrates elements of a startup accelerator, business conference, and summer internship.
Currently, LaunchX operates as a private global education company offering five summer programs: the Boston Entrepreneurship program, the Bay Area Entrepreneurship program, an Online Entrepreneurship Program, the Online Innovation Program, and an Innovation Bootcamp. LaunchX collaborates with organizations like Connect Space, Human Element, Ecovia, and Genomenon, inviting business leaders, entrepreneurs, attorneys, and innovators to conduct sessions.
Is LaunchX Prestigious?
LaunchX carries some prestige due to its affiliation with MIT, but is not super prestigious because of its paid nature!
What is LaunchX’s acceptance rate?
Only 80-100 students are accepted annually per program, and their self-reported acceptance rate is 30%, making it a fairly selective opportunity.
How are the LaunchX programs structured?
1. Boston Entrepreneurship Program
Duration: 4 weeks
Location: Boston University, Massachusetts
Dates: June 15 - July 12
Pedagogy: This in-person program takes you through the three core phases of building your startup: ideation, iteration, and implementation. It emphasizes strategic business growth and product-market fit. You will engage with mentors and speakers from Boston’s startup ecosystem while working on your own business ventures.
Final Objective: The key objective here is simple–create and scale your startup, focusing on customer acquisition and early-stage funding. The program concludes with a Demo Day, where teams present their businesses to investors and mentors.
Cost: $9,995
2. Bay Area Entrepreneurship Program
Duration: 4 weeks
Location: Bay Area, California
Dates: July 13 - August 9
Pedagogy: This program follows the same pedagogy as the Boston Entrepreneurship program but focuses on the Bay Area startup ecosystem instead. You get to work with Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, attend guest lectures from industry leaders, and develop your startup.
Final Objective: Similar to the previous program, the end objective is to create and scale your startup. The program ends with a Demo Day, where teams pitch to investors and startup experts.
Cost: $9,995
3. Online Entrepreneurship Program
Duration: 5 weeks
Location: Remote
Dates: June 30 - August 1
Pedagogy: The online program mirrors the in-person curriculum, incorporating virtual classes, mentorship, industry guest speakers, and business development exercises. You will receive materials for prototyping and guidance on conducting market research.
Final Objective: Like the in-person programs, students launch real companies before an online Demo Day, where they pitch their ventures live.
Cost: $6,995
Duration: 3 weeks
Location: Remote
Dates: June 9 - June 27
Pedagogy: In this program, you and your team will work with corporate mentors to analyze market landscapes and solve an existing business problem. The program includes weekly check-ins with LaunchX instructors and sessions with your teammates.
Final Objective: Instead of starting a company, you will tackle real-world business challenges within an existing company. Using market research and customer feedback, you need to develop an innovative solution and present it to corporate mentors.
Cost: $4,995
Duration: 2 weeks
Location: Remote
Dates: May 26 - June 6
Pedagogy: This program is designed for those seeking a condensed version of LaunchX’s entrepreneurship training. It includes expert-led workshops, startup simulations, and group activities to build business skills.
Final Objective: Since this is an introductory experience, the objective is to learn the fundamentals of business-building, create a startup concept, and present it as a final pitch at the end.
Cost: $1,995
Note that LaunchX’s programs are open to all high school students regardless of grades and location. Their application form tries to assess your entrepreneurial mindset and the activities you have been involved in. Currently, applications are closed, so we recommend keeping a close eye on the website for the next batch of deadlines.
Pros and Cons to Consider
Pros:
The programs offer real-world entrepreneurial focus: LaunchX's programs emphasize practical learning, ensuring you gain experience in all aspects of starting a business
You will have solid networking opportunities: LaunchX makes a concerted effort to bring in industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators to serve as mentors and guest speakers.
This program is accessible to a broad range of students: LaunchX offers multiple avenues for accessibility, with three fully remote options in addition to in-person programs.
Cons:
It has hefty admission fees: Without financial aid, the cost of attending LaunchX can be prohibitive as the program’s fees are steep.
The program does not guarantee the success of your idea: While the program provides resources, startup success depends on individual effort, team collaboration, and external market factors.
The limited duration of the program reduces depth: The 2-week format of the online bootcamp makes it difficult to explore entrepreneurship comprehensively. It also limits the amount of face time students have with mentors, reducing the opportunity for deeper guidance and feedback.
It can be quite fast-paced and intensive: The condensed schedule can be overwhelming, especially for students new to entrepreneurship. There's a lot to absorb in a short time, which can lead to burnout or shallow understanding.
It is less immersive than in-person programs: While convenient, the online format may lack the energy and spontaneity of in-person interactions. Team bonding, collaboration, and mentorship can feel more transactional through a screen.
Our thoughts
LaunchX delivers a decent practical entrepreneurship experience with a strong focus on innovation, business strategy, and real-world application. It is flexible, and offers some financial aid! It is a solid option for international students and those with a clear entrepreneurial vision that require little hand-holding. However, it does have a hefty fee, and does not guarantee a profitable startup by the end of the program! It is also not a super prestigious addition to your resume, so if you’re looking for a more competitive opportunity that is super hands-on with mentorship,, check out other prestigious business programs or startup incubators!
If you’re looking for a competitive incubator program that helps you establish a developed startup in high school, consider the Young Founders Lab!
The Young Founders Lab is a real-world start-up boot camp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. In this program, you will work towards building a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a real-world problem. You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X.
You can access the application link here!