LaunchLab
LaunchLab is Stellenbosch University's business incubator, supporting SU students, researchers, and alumni with incubation programmes (Countdown, Lift-Off), co-working space, and the CERIBIO biotech lab, monetising primarily through a 5% equity stake in Lift-Off ventures and institutional sponsorship.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersStellenbosch, South Africa
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What LaunchLab does
LaunchLab (legal name: LaunchLab), operating as SU LaunchLab, is Stellenbosch University's official business incubator and a unit within the university's Innovation and Commercialisation Division. Founded in 2013 and located on Hammanshand Road in Stellenbosch, South Africa, it supports SU students, researchers, and alumni to spin out and grow technology and science-based ventures, alongside peer units Innovus (Technology Transfer Office), SUNCOM, and Stellenbosch Network.
The platform runs a tiered incubation stack: the Countdown programme (a free 8–10 week feasibility-validation sprint culminating in a Demo Day), the Lift-Off programme (an 8-week investment-readiness sprint for which LaunchLab takes a 5% equity stake and concludes with an exclusive investor event), and the CERIBIO shared biotechnology laboratory opened in 2025 in partnership with CERI and managed by Fluorobiotech. Supporting offerings include co-working offices, the ResNova student business-builder programme, Matiepreneurs community platform, Entrepreneurship Bootcamps, the Entrepreneurial Traits Workshop Series, the Instant Startup learning environment for spin-outs, and recurring corporate Innovation Challenges with partners such as Nedbank, Multichoice, ATTACQ, Santam, Mercedes, and Nation Builder.
The business model is hybrid: Countdown and student programmes are free (institutionally funded), Lift-Off is monetised via a 5% equity-for-services exchange, and ecosystem activities (Cape Agritech Connect, Agritech Innovation Challenge, hackathons) are co-sponsored by Western Cape DEDAT, Von Seidels, South Africa Wine, Spatialedge, and Tanga Angels. Since 2015, companies LaunchLab has engaged with have raised R971m–R1bn+ in external capital, generated R1.5bn in combined 2025 turnover, and employed 400+ people, but these figures are portfolio-level outcomes rather than LaunchLab's own revenue, which is not separately disclosed. LaunchLab was ranked Africa's #1 university business incubator by UBI Global in both 2017–2018 and 2019–2020.
LaunchLab firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- LaunchLab
- Legal name
- LaunchLab
- Website
- https://launchlab.co.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- LaunchLab is Stellenbosch University's business incubator, supporting SU students, researchers, and alumni with incubation programmes (Countdown, Lift-Off), co-working space, and the CERIBIO biotech lab, monetising primarily through a 5% equity stake in Lift-Off ventures and institutional sponsorship.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
LaunchLab industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Business Incubation Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK), Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Makerspaces & Fab Labs (Open Build Studios) (EDAMADAC)
Keywords
Where LaunchLab is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stellenbosch
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
LaunchLab business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Incubation Services: LaunchLab provides free incubation programmes (Countdown) for new technology ventures to help determine if business ideas are feasible and desirable. The Countdown programme is an investigation programme with no associated cost.
- Equity Stakes: For the Lift-Off programme, a 5% equity stake is requested from participating companies in exchange for the 8-week programme that helps founding teams get ready for Angel and Seed stage investment.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | One time/ perpetual license | Countdown - Free investigation programme |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Lift-Off - 5% equity stake |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
LaunchLab product offering
Product offeringCore offering
LaunchLab is Stellenbosch University's business incubator that supports the SU entrepreneurial community (researchers, students, and alumni) in building impactful, sustainable, and profitable businesses. It delivers structured incubation programmes (Countdown for feasibility validation, Lift-Off for investment readiness), co-working facilities including the CERI Bio biotech laboratory, student entrepreneurship programmes (Matiepreneurs, ResNova, bootcamps), mentorship, and curated access to market and funding opportunities.
Product overview
LaunchLab is Stellenbosch University's business incubator providing a multi-tiered platform of incubation and support services for student entrepreneurs, researchers, and alumni. The core offerings include the Countdown Programme (feasibility validation) and Lift-Off Programme (investment readiness), supplemented by co-working facilities including the CERI Bio shared biotech laboratory. Student-focused initiatives include the ResNova business builder programme, Matiepreneurs community platform, Entrepreneurship Bootcamps, and Entrepreneurial Traits Workshop Series. Additional services span corporate innovation challenges with partner companies, the Instant Startup learning environment for spin-outs, and precision concierge support for portfolio companies. The platform operates as a technology transfer and venture-building ecosystem rather than a single unified software product.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- LaunchLab CERI Bio: A world-class shared biotech lab space for new ventures in wet biotech to build and test their products and services. Part of the LaunchLab community with focus on biotechnology startups.
Products and services
- Countdown Programme An 8-10 week free incubation programme for new technology ventures that helps startup teams determine if their business idea is feasible and desirable, design their first value proposition and business model, and culminates in a Demo Day pitch to investors and potential customers. Available to SU community members.
- Lift-Off Programme An 8-week programme helping founding teams prepare for Angel and Seed stage investment by assembling a professional venture capital-standard investment dataroom, including templates and examples using free tools. Requires a 5% equity stake and concludes with an exclusive investor event.
- Co-Work Space
- SU LaunchLab CERI Bio A shared biotech laboratory space for new ventures in wet biotech to build and test their products and services without the expense of commercial equipment. Established as an extension of LaunchLab services and operated by Fluorobiotech under an SLA with SU's Innovation and Commercialisation Division.
- ResNova Programme A free 6-week business builder programme for SU students focused on building for startup success, fundraising, pitching, and customer discovery strategy, with weekly office hours and cohort learning sessions.
- Matiepreneurs Community Platform A collaborative platform and Community of Practice ensuring SU students have access to entrepreneurial support initiatives, including events, competitions, and workshops.
- Entrepreneurship Bootcamps Two-day intensive programmes taking students through discovering professional purpose, designing value propositions, designing business models, and pitching solutions, held during university recesses.
- Entrepreneurial Traits Workshop Series A six-part workshop series inspired by Disciplined Entrepreneurship principles from MIT, introducing students to key entrepreneurial traits for identifying opportunities, designing solutions, and creating market value.
- Instant Startup A learning environment created by Innovus and SU LaunchLab to support spin-out companies throughout their entrepreneurial journey.
- Innovation Challenges Corporate innovation challenge programmes facilitating partnerships between startups and established companies including Multichoice, Nedbank, ATTACQ, Santam, Mercedes, and Nation Builder across retail, safety, automotive, and social innovation sectors.
Quantifiable outcome
- R1+ billion in revenue generated by supported ventures
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use LaunchLab
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
LaunchLab technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
LaunchLab partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Zero Emissions Entrepreneurship for Universal Sustainability (ZEEUS) ConsortiumcoreLaunchLab is part of an international ZEEUS consortium including Trinity College, Prague University of Economics and Business, ISEC Lisbon University, Trier University of Applied Sciences, Luvent Consulting, and National Association of Young Entrepreneurs. The project aims to strengthen entrepreneurial capacity within higher education institutions while addressing global sustainability challenges.
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI)coreCERI partnered with LaunchLab to establish CERIBIO, a biotechnology laboratory for biotech startups. CERI, a globally recognised institute and WHO AFRO/Africa CDC specialized genomics facility, provides strategic direction and is engaged with large funders including Mastercard Foundation for expansion.
- FluorobiotechcoreFluorobiotech, an SU biotechnology spinout, serves as a prominent project partner for CERIBIO. They spearheaded the facility's renovations, design, and implementation, and under a Service Level Agreement with SU's I&C Division, manage and run LaunchLab CERIBIO.
- SpatialedgeminorSpatialedge, an SU alumni-founded company, sponsored the SU Data Science Hackathon 2024. They challenged students to develop algorithms for anomaly detection in cloud billing datasets and participated as judges in the competition.
- Von SeidelsminorVon Seidels sponsored the inaugural Cape Agritech Connect event, hosted by LaunchLab and Stellenbosch Network.
- South Africa WineminorSouth Africa Wine sponsored the inaugural Cape Agritech Connect event, contributing to the ecosystem building for agritech innovation.
- Innovus Technology Transfer OfficecoreInnovus is SU's industry interaction and innovation company and South Africa's leading technology transfer office. LaunchLab works closely with Innovus to provide business incubation support to SU entrepreneurs. Innovus manages the largest IP portfolio held by a university in Africa, and LaunchLab was established specifically to help spinout companies have a space to launch into and a community of other entrepreneurs to connect with.
- Stellenbosch NetworkcoreStellenbosch Network collaborates with LaunchLab on ecosystem events including Cape Agritech Connect, Success Factor events, and the Stellenbosch Startup Showcase. They work together to promote entrepreneurship and create networking opportunities for the startup community.
- Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT)coreDEDAT sponsors LaunchLab's Countdown agritech programme and created a fund to provide longer-term support to ecosystem building organisations. They are supporting 15 ecosystem building initiatives across biotech, AI, game development, and creative industries with a vision for Western Cape to become Africa's tech capital and a trillion-dollar economy by 2035.
- NedbankcoreNedbank was among the first corporate partners to work with LaunchLab through innovation challenges. They activated their partnership through various innovation challenges and continue to support the ecosystem.
- Corporate Innovation Challenge PartnersminorLaunchLab ran 11 innovation challenges from 2015-2019 for partners including Multichoice-Media, ATTACQ (Retail and Smart City), Santam (Safety), Mercedes (Automotive), and Nation Builder (Social). These challenges brought exposure to incubatees and helped connect startups with corporate innovation needs.
- ACE Africa with ICLEIminorCollaboration on initiatives to help support innovation and entrepreneurship movements across Africa.
- Startup NamibiaminorCross-border collaboration to support startup ecosystems in Southern Africa.
- Makers LandingminorPartnership to support innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives in South Africa.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
LaunchLab competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Y Combinator: Global benchmark for startup accelerators. While geographically distant and far larger in scale, Y Combinator runs an equity-for-services model (standard 7% deal) that is structurally identical to LaunchLab's Lift-Off programme, making it the reference point for the incubator/accelerator business model.
- Techstars: Global accelerator network offering 3-month programmes in exchange for equity. Operates with similar mentor-driven, cohort-based, demo-day-focused model to LaunchLab's Lift-Off, serving early-stage founders globally.
- University of Cape Town (UCT) GSB / d-school Africa: UCT's Graduate School of Business and d-school run university-anchored entrepreneurship programmes in Cape Town targeting researchers, students, and alumni — the closest South African head-to-head competitor to LaunchLab in the university-incubator category.
- Impact Hub Africa: Pan-African network of innovation hubs offering co-working, incubation, and accelerator programmes across multiple African cities. Closest direct competitor in the African co-working-plus-incubation category, particularly for alumni and external founders.
- Antler: Global early-stage VC and accelerator running residency programmes in Africa and emerging markets with equity-for-services model. Comparable in targeting first-time founders and providing cohort-based support, but with larger cheque sizes than LaunchLab.
- Entrepreneur First: Global talent-first accelerator that helps individuals build companies from scratch via cohort programmes and equity investment. Comparable in mission of company-building from university/research talent, particularly in deep tech.
Regional players
- University of Pretoria TuksNovation: University of Pretoria's TuksNovation is a comparable university-based incubation and technology-transfer platform operating in Gauteng with similar researcher spinout and student incubation mandate, though serving a different South African region.
- Wits Entrepreneurship Centre: University of the Witwatersrand's entrepreneurship hub offering incubation and student programmes in Gauteng. Comparable university-anchored model serving a different geographic segment of the South African startup ecosystem.
Others
- Innovus Technology Transfer Office: Sister entity within Stellenbosch University that manages the IP portfolio feeding LaunchLab's deal pipeline. While not a direct competitor, Innovus is structurally inseparable from LaunchLab and would be the natural partner (or substitute) in any commercialisation discussion.
- Stellenbosch Network: Close ecosystem partner that co-hosts events (Cape Agritech Connect, Success Factor) and shares the SU stakeholder network. Operates as a complementary ecosystem builder rather than a competitor, but sits in the same deal-flow and partner ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
LaunchLab social profiles
Digital presenceLaunchLab financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
LaunchLab leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
LaunchLab funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
LaunchLab M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about LaunchLab
What does LaunchLab do?
LaunchLab is Stellenbosch University's business incubator that supports the SU entrepreneurial community (researchers, students, and alumni) in building impactful, sustainable, and profitable businesses. It delivers structured incubation programmes (Countdown for feasibility validation, Lift-Off for investment readiness), co-working facilities including the CERI Bio biotech laboratory, student entrepreneurship programmes (Matiepreneurs, ResNova, bootcamps), mentorship, and curated access to market and funding opportunities.
Is LaunchLab a public or private company?
LaunchLab is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was LaunchLab founded?
LaunchLab was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is LaunchLab based?
LaunchLab is headquartered in Stellenbosch, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does LaunchLab make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Incubation Services are the primary driver. The others are equity Stakes.
Who are LaunchLab's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Y Combinator, Techstars, University of Cape Town (UCT) GSB / d-school Africa, Impact Hub Africa, Antler and Entrepreneur First. Regional players are University of Pretoria TuksNovation and Wits Entrepreneurship Centre. Others are Innovus Technology Transfer Office and Stellenbosch Network.
Does LaunchLab have an API?
No public API is recorded for LaunchLab.
What industry is LaunchLab in?
LaunchLab's product category is Business Incubation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAHAC, Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators, with a secondary code of EDAMAKAK, Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8200.