The Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, in partnership with the Arts, Creativity, and Innovation Initiative, is excited to announce the launch of the Colgate Arts Launchpad, a venture studio and production house for new ideas, nonprofits, and creative works. This program will facilitate sustainable, high-impact projects led by Colgate students, faculty, and staff by providing structured mentorship, resources, and funding.
This unique program leverages the long-standing frameworks and resources provided by E&I to support Colgate entrepreneurs, while offering focused resources for creative ventures. As part of the Arts, Creativity, and Innovation Initiative, the Arts Launchpad joins a slate of vibrant new initiatives launched in recent years, including the Clifford Family Innovator in Residence program, the annual Arts, Creativity, and Innovation Weekend, and numerous interdisciplinary programs led by academic departments and offices.
The program supports four primary project types:
- Public Works and Placemaking: Physical or digital installations and event series that foster interaction between the University and wider community.
- Original IP and Media Production: High-quality creative works, including films, manuscripts, recordings, and performances, managed toward distribution, publication, or festival submissions.
- Social Practice and Impact: Projects leveraging the arts for social change and community building, targeting pilot testing, impact data collection, and nonprofit or sustainable program creation.
- Creative Agency and Service: Business ventures offering professional creative services, aiming to establish legal LLCs, obtain licensing, and serve paying clients.
Ventures selected for the cohort will gain access to a robust suite of comprehensive resources tailored to turn creative works into enduring enterprises. Participants will benefit from dedicated mentorship by participating in an arts-focused cohort section embedded directly within the TIA Incubator, allowing founders to leverage the infrastructure and advisor network of Colgate’s long-standing entrepreneurship program.
To turn concepts into market-ready realities, each venture is backed by $10,000 in milestone-based grant funding. This seed capital is distributed across three distinct tranches designed to support teams through initial development and research, production execution, and final launch or distribution. Beyond direct financial support, accepted teams receive dedicated execution resources, including funding to hire student collaborators, direct access to University makerspaces and tools, and targeted business advising for legal and entity formation.
The application window is now open, with proposals due by Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. Cohort members will participate in regular programming sessions from October through March.
The program will culminate in a celebratory showcase during Arts, Creativity, and Innovation Weekend (April 2–4, 2027), where team founders will present their final projects, progress, and long-term plans to the Colgate community.
“Being an artist is inherently entrepreneurial: it requires pairing creativity and vision with taking risks and acquiring resources to make that vision possible,” said Carolyn Strobel-Larsen, director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. “Through the Colgate Arts Launchpad, we are providing targeted resources and focused support for promising, high-impact ideas from our students, faculty, and staff, helping them turn compelling creative concepts into sustainable, lasting realities.”
How Alumni Supporters Can Get Involved
Our alumni community plays an essential role in guiding Colgate’s next generation of founders, creators, and leaders. As the Arts Launchpad kicks off, we invite our alumni network to engage with this cohort by serving as advisors, industry mentors, or creative soundboards.
If you are interested in connecting with cohort participants or learning more about the program, please reach out to Strobel-Larsen at cstrobellarsen@colgate.edu.