WVU Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab

What WVU Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab does

The Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab is a non-profit university entrepreneurship support center at West Virginia University, founded in 2014 and headquartered on the fourth floor of Evansdale Crossing in Morgantown, West Virginia. It operates as the front door of WVU's broader Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem and serves primarily WVU undergraduate students from any major or class year who want to develop a business idea. The program provides free, in-person and virtual services Monday through Thursday (9am–4pm) with limited summer hours, and accepts new clients through an online intake form.

The core offering centers on the newly launched Pre-Accelerator program — an 8-week cohort experience split into "Discover" (problem and customer definition) and "Test" (customer conversations using The Mom Test and the Lean Business Model Canvas), culminating in a Demo Day. Surrounding programs include LaunchLab Studios, a multimedia workspace with cameras, audio gear, and lighting for product photography, video pitches, and social media content; a portfolio of semester-based pitch competitions (Zinnstarter, Veterans Pitch, Women's Pitch, Safety Pitch, EngageWVU, Hayhurst Invitational); and weekly Startup Support Sessions co-hosted with the West Virginia Small Business Development Center. A formalized April 2026 partnership with the Lane Innovation Hub creates a referral pathway to advanced prototyping equipment (metal/plastic 3D printing, CNC milling, laser cutting, waterjet cutting, welding, electronics prototyping). Marketing and outreach are delivered through the launch.wvu.edu website, active social channels (Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, YouTube), email newsletter, and direct student organization engagement.

The LaunchLab does not generate revenue from clients. All services are provided free of charge, and the program explicitly takes no equity in student ventures (per WVU Board of Governance Rule 1.5, ideas remain student-owned). The entity is funded by West Virginia University — a state land-grant institution — and a concentrated donor base led by the Hayhurst Family, with additional support from Ray Zinn (Zinnstarter), Huntington Bank, Women of WVU Foundation, First Impressions Marketing, and Wilson Martino Dental. Since 2014, the program has coached 5,000+ clients whose ventures have collectively raised over $2.1 million in capital, including a Walmart Golden Ticket winner (Best Dam Tape) and clients accepted into the 2026 Regional NSF I-Corps program.

Name

WVU Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab

Legal name

West Virginia University Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab

Website

https://launch.wvu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab is a free WVU entrepreneurship support center founded in 2014, providing customer discovery coaching, multimedia production, pitch competitions, and a pre-accelerator program to WVU undergraduate students in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Entrepreneurship Support Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship support center
• Student startup incubator
• Pitch competitions
• Customer discovery coaching
• University pre-accelerator

Headquarters

HQ city

Morgantown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Free Entrepreneurship Services: The LaunchLab provides free services to all WVU undergraduate students. As a university program funded by the institution and donors, it does not generate revenue from its client services. Operating since 2014.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab is a free university-based entrepreneurship support center that helps WVU undergraduate students develop business ideas through customer discovery coaching, business model development, pitch preparation, multimedia content creation, and pitch competitions with funding prizes. All services are provided at no charge and the program takes no equity from participants.

Product overview

The Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab operates as a comprehensive entrepreneurship support center for WVU undergraduate students, offering a unified portfolio of programs and services. The core offering centers on the LaunchLab Pre-Accelerator (comprising Discover and Test modules), supplemented by LaunchLab Studios for multimedia content creation, semester-based Pitch Competitions, and weekly Startup Support Sessions. The client intake process provides access to business coaching from ideation through commercialization. Strategic partnerships with the Lane Innovation Hub extend services to physical prototyping, while the annual Mountain State Innovators Summit connects participants with the broader West Virginia entrepreneurial ecosystem. All services are provided free of charge to WVU undergraduate students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LaunchLab Studios: A collaborative studio space on the 4th floor of Evansdale Crossings (Room 411) where LaunchLab clients can create promotional content including product photography, video pitches, and multimedia content with assistance from LaunchLab staff.
• LaunchLab Pre-Accelerator

Products and services

• LaunchLab Pre-Accelerator
• LaunchLab Studios
• Pitch Competitions
• Summer Startup Support Sessions

Quantifiable outcome

• $2,119,704 in capital raised by clients since 2014
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Lane Innovation HubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 April 2026Formal partnership creating a structured pipeline from idea to prototype. LaunchLab handles ideation and customer discovery; validated students receive referral cards to access Lane's prototyping facilities. Lane spans nearly 9,500 square feet in the Engineering Sciences Building with metal/plastic 3D printing, CNC milling, laser cutting, waterjet cutting, welding, and electronics prototyping capabilities.
• West Virginia Small Business Development CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosts weekly Summer Startup Support Sessions every Tuesday from 12-1pm. Sessions cover varying topics for students to learn about growing their businesses or ideas, followed by 'Ask Us Anything' discussions.
• Davis College of Agriculture Natural Resources and DesignsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with LaunchLab and WVU Extension Services to host the 2023 Fashion Impact Challenge, helping high school students learn about fashion, design, and entrepreneurship.
• WVU Extension ServicessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with LaunchLab and Davis College to host the Fashion Impact Challenge, providing outreach and support for high school students exploring fashion entrepreneurship.
• WVU Innovation and Entrepreneurship EcosystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe LaunchLab is part of the broader WVU Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem. Tara St. Clair serves as Director of the entire ecosystem, which includes LaunchLab, Lane Innovation Hub, Vantage Ventures, and IgniteWV programs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ASU Startup School: Arizona State University's entrepreneurship programs supporting student founders through coaching, accelerator programs, and pitch competitions. Comparable academic-affiliated entrepreneurship support with structured programming.
• George Washington University Innovation Center: GW's entrepreneurship center providing startup mentoring, pitch competitions, and incubator programs for students. Directly comparable as a university-based entrepreneurship support center with similar service offerings.
• Babson College Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship: Babson's entrepreneurship center offering resources, mentorship, and accelerator programs for student entrepreneurs. Comparable in offering incubation-style programming and pitch competitions for student founders.
• Harvard Innovation Labs (i-lab): Harvard's entrepreneurship center offering co-working, mentorship, and venture programs for students. Directly comparable as a university-run entrepreneurship hub offering free services, programs, and pitch events.
• Princeton Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education: Princeton's hub for entrepreneurship and innovation, providing ideation support, prototyping, and pitch competitions. Comparable in scope of services (ideation, prototyping, funding) and student-only access model.
• Stanford's StartX: Stanford-affiliated startup accelerator and entrepreneurship program supporting student and alumni founders through mentorship, founder community, and Demo Days. Comparable audience of university-affiliated founders and offering of structured accelerator programming.
• MIT Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship: MIT's flagship entrepreneurship center providing undergraduate entrepreneurship education, mentorship, and pitch competitions. Directly comparable in mission (student-founder development) and program structure (coaching, prize funding, no equity).

Others

• USASBE (United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship): Professional organization supporting entrepreneurship education and research across universities. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler for university entrepreneurship programs, though serving educators rather than founders directly.

Emerging players

• Venture For America: Nonprofit fellowship and entrepreneurship program supporting early-stage founders through training, mentorship, and placement. Tangentially comparable as a non-profit focused on developing entrepreneurial talent, though VFA operates more broadly than a single university center.
• gener8tor: Accelerator network running university-affiliated programs and skill-development cohorts. Comparable focus on early-stage founder development with mentorship and pitch competitions, though operates as a for-profit accelerator network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/launchlabwvu
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXJ1r-ecOSqYMMtlH2XtEfg
• Facebookfacebook.com/LAUNCHLABWVU
• Instagraminstagram.com/launchlabwvu/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wvu-launchlab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WVU Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab