Page 71 - Cyber Defense eMagazine - October 2017

Startups Get a Jump on Success with the LaunchPad Technology

Accelerator

Program Reinvents Company-Creation Process; Offers Innovators Business

Training and Technical Resources, Supports Promising Entrepreneurs

By Drew Cohen, CEO & President, MasterPeace Solutions Ltd.

Many startup companies begin life as an innovative idea with the potential to change the
world. And just as many never get very far beyond that point. When it comes down to it
the success of a technology startup relies approximately 10 percent on having a good
idea, and 90 percent on building up a reliable business to support it. In fact, the cold
reality is that moving a startup through the numerous steps and phases required to
eventually launch a successful company is demanding, difficult work.

It’s even more challenging if the potential founders are trying to push through those
barriers to a successful startup without support. Even if an entrepreneur could somehow
earn a living and survive after completely quitting their day job to work fulltime on their
startup, there are still countless legal, financial and technical hurdles which hinder or
sink most of those efforts.

Today, the owners of many potential new startups find the support they need using
technology accelerators. When designed correctly, a technology accelerator can offer a
distributed, collaborative environment for entrepreneurs to design the tools that turn
their ideas into reality. For example, an accelerator can provide expertise and
infrastructure in a supportive environment that is conducive to the development of
innovative technologies with access to early customers to allow rapid pivots and
alignment of a solution to a validated market need.

An ideal accelerator program should provide financial support and business expertise to
help entrepreneurs through all stages of a startup’s development. One where goals are
aligned, and both the entrepreneur and the accelerator have a vested interest in the
success of the new startup. When one succeeds, so does the other.

That was the idea behind the creation of the MasterPeace LaunchPad technology
accelerator from MasterPeace Solutions. A contractor working on some of the
government’s most challenging problems, with an existing cadre of world class
engineers. The ability to unlock that talent on the broader commercial market was the
genesis of LaunchPad and is a major factor that sets Launchpad apart from other
accelerators.

71 Cyber Defense eMagazine – October 2017 Edition
Copyright © Cyber Defense Magazine, All rights reserved worldwide.