We are UM’s interdisciplinary home for entrepreneurial thinking, idea development, and business support.
From side hustles to startups, to social impact to scientific breakthroughs, we help you shape your vision and bring it to life.
Whether you’re just beginning or already building, we’re here to walk with you from idea to impact.
Who We Serve
- Students: Whether you’re launching a passion project, growing a pre-college idea, or curious about freelancing, we’ll help you build skills, confidence, and opportunity.
- Researchers & Faculty: We’re your partners in commercialization, customer discovery, funding strategies, and ethical innovation design. Got a breakthrough? We’ll help you get it into the world.
- Entrepreneurs & Community Members: We support small business builders, local founders, and community change-makers, especially those historically excluded from innovation spaces.
- Cross-Campus Partners: We collaborate with Career Services, the Honors College, Accelerate Montana, Tech Transfer, and more to amplify innovation across every corner of campus.
Ideas Belong Here
At the UM Launchpad, we believe every idea has the potential to shape the world, from the lab to the studio, from your notebook to your neighborhood.
We’re the place where students, faculty, and community members come to explore, evolve, and launch their ideas into impact.
Whether you’re a researcher, artist, builder, or dreamer, this is your starting point.
What We Offer - Let's Build Together
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Personalized guidance for every stage, from brainstorming to business planning, from prototyping to pitching.
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Self-paced worksheets, templates, events, networking opportunities and short courses to support your growth, no matter your background.
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Customer discovery, market validation, operations, and business support.
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NSF-backed customer discovery cohorts and research-specific support for translating discoveries beyond the lab and into the world.
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Interactive spaces that offer a chance to prototype and develop ideas as well as connect you with collaborators, mentors, and inspiration from across Montana and beyond.