ORLANDO, Fla. (May 22, 2017) – To provide support to graduating student startup businesses as they transition off campus, UCF College of Business’s UpStarts Accelerator and Blackstone LaunchPad have teamed up with non-profit, co-working space Canvs in Downtown Orlando. The new UCF Starters Transition Program at Canvs gives UCF entrepreneurs access to resources, mentors and space for up to a year after graduation.
As part of the UCF Starters Transition Program, approved students will receive a year-long membership to the co-working space, including orientation, scheduled mentor hours, pre-Starter Studio advisory meetings, specialized events and access to all of Canvs’ educational resources, facility amenities and networking events. Canvs’s mission is to make it easier for anyone in Orlando to start and grow a company.
The UpStarts Accelerator and Blackstone LaunchPad help students build ventures on campus through high touch point programs and readily accessible resources. They work in small groups with other starters and benefit from peer-to-peer learning while also creating a support network of others who are on the entrepreneurial journey.
“With the new UCF Starters Transition Program at Canvs, we hope to guide students to the same experience in the local community that they had at UCF, so they can continue to develop sustainable ventures and better integrate with the ecosystem at large,” said Michael Pape, Ph.D., Director of the Director, Upstarts Student Venture Accelerator, and Dr. Phillips Entrepreneur in Residence in the College of Business.
To learn more about the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, its programs and resources, visit cel.ucf.edu.