Both of these programs are great for entrepreneurship, but I was wondering if anyone who has attended these programs could vouch for which they believe is better?
Any pros and cons of each? Really looking for some first-hand experiences.
Thank you!
Though I can’t say anything exactly about “LaunchX”, I can vouch for MIT Launch and say that it was an experience completely unique. The sheer amount of freedom they give you alone makes it stand out, but the resources, lessons, and people you meet are invaluable. I would 100% recommend the program, it is worth the money.
- 2017 Alum
bump for more opinions 
I can personally express as an alumni of the Catapult Incubator program (Quarter Zero) how amazing the program really was. Before I went to the Catapult Incubator , I just had an idea of what entrepreneurship was, and after, I had my very own company that I helped start, as well as the resources and knowledge to start another. At the Catapult Incubator, I was a free agent, which meant that my main role was collaborating with my team to work on my founder’s overarching vision. So even if I didn’t have a spectacular idea to start my own company, I could at least apply my skills to help start a company as a whole. In the first session of the program, we got to choose the startup team we wanted to work on, and from there, it was all about grinding in many different aspects such as Customer Acquisition, Identification of WIIFY’s (What’s In it for you (the customers in this case)), market analysis, authentic relationship development, development of a company pitch (such as to an investor), personal development, and much much more! Overall, the Incubator really launched my whole entrepreneurial journey, and it gave me the “business mindset” if you will, to succeed with any of my endeavors. I would definitely recommend the program if you’re looking to get serious about being an entrepreneur.
- 2017 Summer Alumni
I also was a part of the 2017 Summer Cohort for Catapult I completely agree that it was absolutely amazing. In terms of learning about entrepreneurship, one thing that really made it stand out to me was the fact that they don’t really focus so much on sitting in a classroom, but rather a hands-on experience where you actually build a functioning business. We go out on the streets and interview customers, we get paired up with some amazing successful mentors, and we constantly receive feedback on achieving both our team and individual goals.
In addition, something that makes the Catapult Incubator so unique is the fact that not only do you get to learn entrepreneurship hands-on, but you also get to do it traveling the country. In each city you visit, you get to learn so much about how different parts of the country add their own flavor to entrepreneurship. Personally, I was fascinated with how different people used their entrepreneurial abilities in ways you wouldn’t normally associate with startups.(plus, visiting New York, San Francisco, and Chicago at the same time is a pretty sweet deal).
The one thing that stood out to me over anything else at Catapult was getting to work with the people I met. Everyone at Catapult is pretty driven to achieve goals not because they’re pressured to but because they want to. As a result, I was able to have a really amazing experience working closely with a productive and awesome group of people, which, as a teenager, I’m sure you know is rare to come by. These teammates are now some of my closest friends. The connections you make here really are priceless.
- Member of 2017 Summer Cohort
I was accepted into both programs this year and I need to make a decision as to whether to attend LaunchX or Qø really soon. Which one, in your opinion, gives someone the best chance at (relative) success?
Thanks
Both are going to set you up really well to succeed in the realm of entrepreneurship, rather, it becomes a question of style. I myself am an alum of the 11th cohort of QZero, and in my cohort was a kid who had previously done LaunchX. He said that LaunchX has more of an emphasis on lecturing rather than applying the concepts. If trial and error is more your style, I’d recommend QZero.
Thanks! The advice is much appreciated
Do free agents (assuming they are passionate about the startup they chose) usually continue with their chosen company & continue to grow it after the end of the incubator?