About LaunchpadSummary: SummaryLaunchpad is a platform for turning promising ideas into new ventures. We currently have two active early stage social venture funds; the NESTA-Young Foundation Health Innovation Accelerator (health and long term conditions) and Learning Launchpad (education and practical learning); Launchpad has a long term vision that spans areas such as climate change, sustainability, innovation and justice, marginalised groups and the hard to employ. Launchpad's home is at the Young Foundation in Bethnal Green Related
Launchpad: a brief history Get in touch
Launchpad Office Launchpad develops promising ideas into new ventures by providing funding, social capital and entrepreneurial expertise. Launchpad both develops ideas internally, and funds external entrepreneurs and ventures at their earliest stage. Our aim is to scope, pilot and then launch new ventures through a staged venture capital style process allowing ideas to be fully designed, developed and launched. This approach allows us to provide both funding (grants, loans, equity) and intensive non-financial support to new ventures. An ‘inside-outside’ organisation, Launchpad leverages its connections with government, the public sector and industry to facilitate the growth of new organisations, whilst remaining sufficiently independent to ensure flexibility and innovation across public sector boundaries. Launchpad utilises current research, its network and frontline experience with practical work to identify unmet social needs. Today's society faces many challenges, yet many of these issues have made incremental progress despite ongoing attention from government and policy makers. We seek social impact through innovation, sustainability and scalability; we are looking for critical pathfinders that can break the mould.Launchpad is part of the Young Foundation, a centre for social innovation. Our goal is to speed up society's ability to respond to changing social needs though innovating and replicating new methods and models. Our working principles are based on the rich history of practical action of Michael Young, one of the most influential social thinkers and social entrepreneurs of the 20th century. The Foundation and its predecessors were involved in creating more than 60 new ventures, including the Open University, Consumers Association, Education Extra, International Alert and the Economic and Social Research Council as well as precursors to NHS Direct and the Expert Patients Programme.
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latest additionsEuropean Venture Philanthropy Association conference in Madrid
Simon Tucker and Andrew Brough attended the annual EVPA conference to highlight Launchpad's activities as an early stage social venture fund and share experiences of investing for social impact with other organisations around Europe.
12 December 2007 | Launchpad
Call for Ideas
Imagining a working world that supports people with long term conditions
12 December 2007 | Launchpad
School of Everything Launches Alpha Site
School of Everything, recently voted amongst Europe's twenty hottest emerging start-ups at Seedcamp, has launched its first version of its online market place for learning.
12 December 2007 | Launchpad
Launch of Studio Schools
Lord Andrew Adonis, Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Schools and Learners hosted the reception for the launch of the next phase of Studio Schools on Tuesday 4th of December at the RSA. In attendance were officials and representatives from central and local government, schools, national and local businesses, and a range of charitable foundations - all interested in building upon the progress made thus far.
25 January 2008 | Learning launchpad
Managing long term conditionsThe World Economic Forum has called on businesses to lead the fight against chronic disease, to embed a culture of health and to manage the change in a population where long term conditions are increasingly prevalent. 30 January 2008 | HIA
most readLaunch of Studio Schools
Lord Andrew Adonis, Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Schools and Learners hosted the reception for the launch of the next phase of Studio Schools on Tuesday 4th of December at the RSA. In attendance were officials and representatives from central and local government, schools, national and local businesses, and a range of charitable foundations - all interested in building upon the progress made thus far.
25 January 2008 | Learning launchpad
Studio Schools
A new version of 14-19 school hosting businesses where students are employed, earning real wages alongside a project-based curriculum. Practical Learning
Despite the importance society places on education, many individuals in our society lack the skills required of the 21st century. There is an ever expanding scope to acquire such skills through innovative approaches - benefiting society and themselves. Practical learning or ‘learning by doing’ can be a vital approach in achieving this – connecting motivated learners with innovative approaches through which their skills can be enhanced.
Faking It
Faking It aims to provide Young People with the experience and demands of the real-world.
Call for Ideas
Imagining a working world that supports people with long term conditions
12 December 2007 | Launchpad
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