FlightPath
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Your Journey from Idea to Impact
Every great venture starts with a spark—an idea worth exploring. FlightPath is the Center for Entrepreneurship’s startup pipeline designed to meet you where you are and help you chart a course forward. Whether you’re still shaping your concept or ready to launch, FlightPath gives you access to consultation, mentorship, and funding to turn your vision into reality.
How It Works
FlightPath is built around two key stages, CheckPoint and Rise, helping you move from idea to market with confidence.
First, we'll focus on defining what you're building and why it matters.
Goal: Clarify your business idea, show your commitment, and design a quick experiment to validate your problem or market.
Your Steps to CheckPoint Funding ($500)
- Meet with the Center → Schedule a one-on-one consultation to discuss your idea.
- Build Your Pitch Deck → Create a short slide deck answering:
- What problem are you solving?
- What’s your solution?
- Who is your target customer?
- How will you reach them?
- Who is the competition, and how are you different?
- What experiment will you run to test your idea?
- Review Your Deck → Schedule a follow-up with the Center to refine your slides.
- Practice Your Pitch → Book a session with the USM Speaking Center. When complete, you’ll get a password to apply for an upcoming CheckPoint pitch event.
- Submit Your Application → Complete the online form.
- Pitch for $500 → Present to the CheckPoint board and request funding.
Gate 1: Complete all tasks and earn board approval for funding.
Goal: Validate your customer, value proposition, and market opportunity to prepare for launch.
Your Steps to Rise Funding ($2,000)
- Complete Your Lean Canvas → Map your business model and review it with the Center.
- Talk with Customers → Interview at least 30 potential customers and share names, dates, and key insights.
- Summarize What You Learned → Write a one-page takeaway from your interviews.
- Build a Proof-of-Concept → Show that your solution can work.
- Run the Numbers → Complete a unit financial analysis using the financial tool (Tabs A–D).
- Write an Executive Summary → Summarize your business opportunity.
- Recruit Your Team → Identify and secure a complete team capable of executing the business.
- Attend a Workshop → Join at least one Center workshop (e.g., Risk Capital, IP) to sharpen your startup skills.
- Update Your Pitch Deck → Revise your slides to reflect what you’ve learned and review with the Center.
- Practice Your Pitch → Work with the USM Speaking Center to refine delivery. You’ll get a password to apply for a Rise pitch event.
- Submit Your Application → Complete the online form.
- Pitch for $2,000 → Present to the Rise board and request funding.
Gate 2: Complete all tasks and earn board approval for funding.
Why FlightPath?
- Personalized guidance from experienced mentors and entrepreneurs.
- Practical tools to test and validate your ideas quickly.
- Opportunities for funding and access to pitch competitions.
- A supportive community of fellow student founders.
Ready to Begin?
Your journey starts with a single step. Schedule your initial one-on-one consultation with the Center today.