What Launchpad does

Launchpad Tech Ventures, LLC is a Greenville, South Carolina-based tech incubator and pre-seed venture fund serving founders building B2B software and AI companies in the Southeast US. The company was founded in 2019 and operates a four-stage pipeline: idea-stage founders enter a 12-week cohort-based Incubator (up to 20 founders, three cohorts per year across multiple cities); operating companies move into the phase-based Ignite program covering formation, traction, and scale; graduates of Ignite become the proprietary deal pipeline for the Ignite Fund, which writes SAFE-style pre-seed investments; and an alumni community persists via the Circle platform plus recurring events including Tailwind Tech Summit and Founder Fridays. Supporting infrastructure includes Tech Village, a 6,000 sq ft coworking space and headquarters at 25 Goldsmith Street in Greenville offering three monthly membership tiers ($100, $350, $850). As of the input data, active markets are Greenville, Columbia (Boyd Innovation Center), Myrtle Beach (eMYRge), Clemson, and a New York City satellite hosted at Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt LLP.

The business model layers four monetization streams on top of the same founder network. (1) Incubator program fees, with pricing varying by city and charged against a 20-founder cohort cap running three times yearly per active market. (2) Tech Village subscription memberships (Hybrid Office $100/month, Dedicated Desk $350/month, Private Office $850/month) sold directly via the website and in-person at HQ, structured as recurring monthly subscriptions with amenities tied into the Flywheel campus. (3) The Circle online community, free for current Incubator and Ignite participants and $50/month for external members, sold self-serve. (4) The Ignite Fund, which deploys pre-seed capital into Ignite graduates and generates returns through equity, with prospectus-level access gated to accredited investors through KYC/AML verification. Go-to-market is overwhelmingly community-led and event-driven: Typeform-based direct applications route prospects to either the Incubator or Ignite funnel; awareness is generated through mentor networks, alumni referrals, and a published calendar of Webinars, Graduations, Founder Fridays, and the annual Tailwind Tech Summit. Pricing is partially disclosed for coworking and the community subscription while program and fund economics remain private.

The company is privately held, founder-owned, and registered in South Carolina as Launchpad Tech Ventures, LLC. Leadership consists of CEO Dan Rundle, Co-founder Alan Blakeborough, VP of Go-To-Market & Ventures Jason Masciarelli, Community Manager Liesel Blakeborough, and Director of Operations Tom Brown (a 30-year technology veteran). No external institutional investors, parent company, mergers, acquisitions, patents, regulatory actions, or external funding rounds are disclosed in the input material.

Name

Launchpad

Legal name

Launchpad Tech Ventures, LLC

Website

https://launchpadtv.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Launchpad Tech Ventures is a Greenville, SC-based tech incubator and pre-seed venture fund running 12-week founder cohorts across five Southeast US markets, plus a phase-based Ignite program, the Ignite Fund, a coworking space, and a recurring founder community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Incubator and Pre-Seed Venture Fund

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Entrepreneurship, Business & Innovation Camps (EDAMALAL), Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

Keywords

• Startup incubator programs
• Pre-seed venture fund
• Founder mentorship network
• Coworking workspace memberships
• Southeast startup accelerator

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Incubator Program Fees: Launchpad charges fees for the 12-week incubator program. Pricing varies by city, with specific cohort pages containing local pricing details. Each cohort admits up to 20 founders per session, with three cohorts running annually.
2. Tech Village Coworking Memberships: Tech Village at 25 Goldsmith Street in Greenville offers three membership tiers: Hybrid Office ($100/month), Dedicated Desk ($350/month), and Private Office ($850/month). Members receive coworking access, Flywheel campus amenities, and direct access to Launchpad leadership.
3. Circle Community Membership: The Circle online community platform is free for current Incubator founders and Ignite companies. External members pay $50/month for cross-market access to threads, events, and the broader Community network.
4. Ignite Fund Management: The Ignite Fund is a pre-seed venture fund that invests in companies graduating from Ignite. The fund generates returns through equity investments in portfolio companies. Fundraising from accredited investors supports deployment into Southeast B2B software and AI companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Launchpad operates two core programs for Southeast founders: a 12-week cohort-based Incubator (up to 20 founders per cohort, three cohorts per year per city) covering product, go-to-market, fundraising, and leadership, and a phase-based Ignite growth program (Formation, Traction, Scale) for operating B2B software and AI companies that also provides a path to capital through the Ignite Fund. Supporting offerings include the Tech Village coworking space in Greenville, SC (three membership tiers) and the Circle-based Launchpad Community platform connecting founders and mentors across all markets, complemented by recurring events including the annual Tailwind Tech Summit, Webinars, Graduations, and Founder Friday meetups.

Product overview

Launchpad is a tech incubator and pre-seed venture fund serving Southeast founders building high-growth software and AI companies. The offering consists of two interconnected programs: the Incubator (a 12-week cohort-based program with up to 20 founders per cohort, three times yearly) and the Ignite program (a phase-based growth engagement for operating companies, with capital access through the Ignite Fund pre-seed venture fund). Supporting these core programs are the Tech Village coworking space at 25 Goldsmith Street in Greenville, and the Launchpad Community platform connecting founders and mentors across all markets via Circle, with recurring events including Tailwind Tech Summit (annual), webinars, graduations, and Founder Friday meetups. The company also publishes educational content, including comparative buyer guides on no-code workflow automation platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ignite Fund: Pre-seed venture capital fund that invests exclusively in B2B software and AI companies graduating from the Ignite program in the Southeast.
• Tech Village
• Tailwind Tech Summit

Products and services

• Launchpad Incubator A 12-week cohort-based startup incubator for idea-stage founders, with up to 20 founders per cohort and three cohorts per year per active market. Operator-led curriculum covers product, go-to-market, fundraising, and leadership; founders arrive with an idea and leave with a running company, team, and plan. Delivered across Greenville, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, Clemson, and NYC.
• Ignite Program A phase-based growth engagement for operating B2B software and AI companies with early customers and revenue. Engagements cover strategy, operations, go-to-market, hiring, pricing, and positioning across Formation, Traction, and Scale phases; top engagements open a path to capital via the Ignite Fund.
• Ignite Fund A pre-seed venture capital fund that invests exclusively in B2B software and AI companies graduating from the Ignite program in the Southeast, writing SAFE investments at disciplined valuation caps with follow-on rights. Sources proprietary deal flow from inside Ignite and evaluates 500+ companies per year; offered via private placement to accredited investors.
• Tech Village (Coworking) A member coworking space and Launchpad headquarters at 25 Goldsmith Street in Greenville, SC, inside the Hartness family's former Pepsi-Cola bottling plant. Three monthly membership tiers: Hybrid Office ($100/month), Dedicated Desk ($350/month), and Private Office ($850/month). Members receive coworking access, Flywheel campus amenities, and direct access to Launchpad leadership.
• Launchpad Community (Circle platform) A founder network connecting founders, mentors, and operators across all Launchpad markets via a Circle-based platform, plus recurring events (Tailwind Tech Summit annual flagship, webinars, graduations, Founder Friday). Free for current Incubator founders and Ignite companies; $50/month for external members.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90+ founders have graduated from the Incubator
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026NYC law firm hosting the Launchpad NYC cohort at their office at 885 Third Ave, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10022. Provides physical space for the satellite cohort program.
• RhominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 June 2026Sponsor for the NYC Launchpad cohort. Contributes to the program's visibility and resource base for NYC founders.
• CartaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 June 2026Sponsor for the NYC Launchpad cohort. Provides cap table and equity management resources.
• WarpminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 June 2026Sponsor for the NYC Launchpad cohort. Terminal developer platform supporting the startup ecosystem.
• Boyd Innovation CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026Columbia's Tech Startup Hub hosting the Launchpad Columbia cohort. Offers coworking, startup programs, and tech events. Located in Columbia, SC.
• eMYRgecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026Myrtle Beach tech organization hosting the first Launchpad cohort in the Myrtle Beach market beginning June 2026.
• FlywheelcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Tech Village shares the Crescent One campus with Flywheel. Members get access to Flywheel events, drinks, gym, and shared spaces. The partnership provides amenities that complement the Launchpad coworking experience.
• Clemson UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner in the Launchpad network. Mentioned as one of the four Southeast markets with active Launchpad presence alongside Greenville, Columbia, and an NYC satellite.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Y Combinator: The largest US startup accelerator offering batch-based programs and a dedicated venture fund (YC Continuity). Comparable as an investor-operated accelerator funneling founders into capital, though YC operates at vastly greater scale and is not regionally focused.
• Techstars: Global accelerator with an investor-operated model (Techstars Ventures) running 13-week cohort programs in multiple US cities. Comparable in cohort structure and fund integration, but operates at much greater scale and brand recognition than Launchpad.
• MassChallenge: Global nonprofit accelerator running cohort-based programs for early-stage startups with mentor networks. Comparable in accelerator structure and mentor-led curriculum, though it does not operate its own venture fund at the same scale as Launchpad's Ignite Fund.
• 500 Global: Global accelerator and venture fund running cohort programs across multiple geographies with an investor-operated model. Comparable in combining accelerator programming with fund investment, though it operates internationally and at significantly greater scale.

Direct peers

• Village Capital: US-based nonprofit accelerator running cohort programs with an affiliated venture fund that invests in graduates. Comparable in integrating programming with downstream capital deployment for early-stage founders.
• Founders First Capital Partners: US-based fund and accelerator focused on underrepresented founders, offering cohort-based programming and revenue-based capital. Comparable to Launchpad's combination of regional programming, founder community, and integrated capital deployment.
• Capital Factory: Texas-based accelerator, coworking space, and founder community with an associated venture fund. Closely comparable to Launchpad's combination of incubator programming, coworking (Tech Village equivalent), community events, and fund deployment in a regional US market.
• gener8tor: US-based accelerator and venture fund running cohort-based programs with an investor-operated model across multiple regions, including Southeast and Midwest markets. Highly comparable to Launchpad's integrated accelerator + fund structure.
• Rev1 Ventures: Regional US (Columbus, Ohio) startup support organization combining accelerator programs, coworking, and a venture fund. Closely comparable to Launchpad's model of integrated programming, workspace, and pre-seed capital in a specific US region.

Regional players

• Atlanta Tech Village: Southeast US (Atlanta) coworking and founder community space for tech startups. Comparable to Tech Village as a coworking-plus-community hub, though it does not run formal accelerator cohorts or a venture fund at Launchpad's level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/launchpadtechventures
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/launchpadtv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Launchpad