Blackstone LaunchPad

Entrepreneurial Skills for Career Success

The skills needed to build a successful business – growth mindset, creativity, critical thinking and leadership – are the skills needed to build a successful career.

Our programming helps students hone these innovation skills so they can compete in the job market and realize their potential. We draw from across the Blackstone network to offer students a wide range of internship and career readiness opportunities.

We also offer both on-demand digital and on-campus, in-person skills-building programs – with a particular focus on campuses that might not otherwise be able to provide these kinds of resources.

How it Works

Internships and Career Exposure

LaunchPad’s career exposure opportunities help students clarify their career goals and present themselves as competitive job candidates.

We offer students internship opportunities across Blackstone’s network. This includes roles ranging from marketing and data science to project management and research at Blackstone and Blackstone portfolio companies, as well as through partner organizations and select startups. During their summer internships, students receive additional mentorship and professional development opportunities that help them build entrepreneurial skills and succeed on the job. Students who intern at Blackstone’s New York offices may receive guidance and mentorship support from Blackstone professionals.

Companies present challenges and invite teams of students to create and pitch a solution. Winning teams may receive cash prizes, while companies forge relationships with promising student talent.

Innovation Skills and Career Readiness

LaunchPad’s wraparound approach means we not only connect students with internship opportunities, but we also help them put their best foot forward. Our digital career readiness curriculum helps students position themselves professionally and practice skills that will serve them well past graduation.

LaunchPad offers a robust innovation skills series with live and on-demand virtual workshops and a library of resources to help students develop their growth mindset, creativity, critical thinking and leadership.

LaunchPad campus staff prepare students for the LaunchPad internship application process with career readiness workshops focused on core skills like resume writing, interviewing and personal brand building, and Blackstone professionals review polished final resumes before students submit their applications. Students can also apply to BASTA Discovery and SEO Careers, which offer training programs that prepare students for success in internship roles.

LaunchPad on Campus

We work with a dedicated campus director and other faculty to set up programs where students can learn entrepreneurial skills and connect with likeminded peers. These programs have included:

Students can attend workshops on core entrepreneurial skills, such as ideation, design thinking, research, data analysis, customer discovery, business models, networking and more.

LaunchPad features speakers from our alumni community, local businesses, our partner organizations and Blackstone to share stories of what entrepreneurship and innovation look like in different careers and industries.

The LaunchPad Network

63

LaunchPad campuses

46

Minority-Serving Institutions

40K+

participants in 2023

$55M+

in related grants since inception

Our Partners

These select partners help connect LaunchPad students with premier internship opportunities, entrepreneurial education resources and career support.

Hear From the Students

What an eye-opening experience. I grew as a student, leader and professional simultaneously – this was truly a summer of evolving. I am beyond grateful for all of the hands-on training and technical skills I attained in my field, as well as the network and support of peers I gained. Thank you for an outstanding and unparalleled summer with long-lasting memories and lessons learned!

Social media intern at HBCU Founders Initiative portfolio company Adaya Beauty, student at Clark Atlanta University

Blackstone LaunchPad blends real-world exposure into industries with opportunities for professional development. The Entrepreneurial Mindset Bootcamp in particular emphasizes an innovative approach toward problems, reinforcing that novel solutions can emerge when combining creativity, strategic thinking and tenacity. It’s an invaluable blueprint for success that will remain instrumental throughout my career.

Philanthropy intern at the Gray Foundation, student at Baruch College

I had a great time at Centric Brands, a Blackstone portfolio company. I was able to apply everything I learned in school in a professional setting, where my colleagues were so supportive and collaborative and answered any questions we had. My project group won the Capstone Project with our research on AI and its integration within the company – this was the cherry on top.

Accounting intern at Blackstone portfolio company Centric Brands, student at College of Staten Island

LaunchPad News & Insights

Blackstone-LaunchPad-Announcement_Miami_Maura Pally

Blackstone Charitable Foundation Commits $5 Million To Five New Colleges in Florida, Including New Historically Black College and University and Hispanic Serving Institutions

Blackstone Charitable Foundation Commits $2 Million To Four Historically Black Colleges and Universities in North Carolina and Maryland

From Startups to Skill Sets: Blackstone LaunchPad Broadens Mission to Equip Grads for Any Career

SEE CURRENT LaunchPad Campuses

Note: All figures as of May 1, 2023 unless otherwise noted.

“We know that talent is distributed equally, but opportunity is not. By connecting students with entrepreneurial education, we’re giving them access to the opportunities they deserve – whether that’s pioneering their own venture or bringing fresh ideas and practical experience to an existing company.”
Maura Pally
Executive Director of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation

School	State	MSI Designation
Arizona State University	Arizona	HSI
Bowie State University	Maryland	HBCU
Chandler-Gilbert Community College	Arizona	HSI
Clark Atlanta University	Georgia	HBCU
College of Southern Nevada	Nevada	HSI
Cornell University	New York	N/A
CUNY Baruch College	New York	HSI
CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College	New York	HSI
CUNY Bronx Community College	New York	HSI
CUNY Brooklyn College	New York	N/A
CUNY City College of New York	New York	HSI
CUNY College of Staten Island	New York	HSI
CUNY Lehman College	New York	HSI
CUNY Queens College	New York	HSI
Estrella Mountain Community College	Arizona	HSI
Florida A&M University	Florida	HBCU
Florida International University	Florida	HSI
Florida State University	Florida	N/A
GateWay Community College	Arizona	HSI
Glendale Community College	Arizona	HSI
Howard University	Washington, D.C.	HBCU
Mesa Community College	Arizona	HSI
Miami Dade College	Florida	HSI
Montana State University	Montana	N/A
Morehouse College	Georgia	HBCU
Morgan State University	Maryland	HBCU
New York University	New York	N/A
North Carolina A&T State University	North Carolina	HBCU
North Carolina Central University	North Carolina	HBCU
Paradise Valley Community College	Arizona	HSI
Phoenix College	Arizona	HSI
Prairie View A&M University	Texas	HBCU
Rio Salado College	Arizona	HSI
Scottsdale Community College	Arizona	N/A
South Mountain Community College	Arizona	HSI
Spelman College	Georgia	HBCU
SUNY Albany	New York	N/A
SUNY Buffalo	New York	N/A
Syracuse University	New York	N/A
Temple University	Pennsylvania	N/A
University at Montana	Montana	N/A
University of California Berkeley	California	N/A
University of California Davis	California	HSI
University of California Irvine	California	HSI
University of California Los Angeles	California	N/A
University of California Merced	California	HSI
University of California Riverside	California	HSI
University of California San Diego	California	N/A
University of California Santa Cruz	California	HSI
University of Central Florida	Florida	HSI
University of Florida	Florida	N/A
University of Nevada Las Vegas	Nevada	HSI
University of North Florida	Florida	N/A
University of Southern California	California	N/A
University of Texas Arlington	Texas	HSI
University of Texas Austin	Texas	HSI
University of Texas Dallas	Texas	N/A
University of Texas El Paso	Texas	HSI
University of Texas Medical Branch	Texas	N/A
University of Texas Permian Basin	Texas	HSI
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley	Texas	HSI
University of Texas San Antonio	Texas	HSI
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center	Texas	N/A
University of Texas Tyler	Texas	N/A

Blackstone LaunchPad

Entrepreneurial Skills for Career Success