Blackstone Launchpad, the student entrepreneurship programme, was officially in the Berkeley Library today, where the programme will be based.
In a press release, the Provost, Patrick Prendergast, said: “Trinity, with our long tradition of bridging the academic and entrepreneurship communities, is committed to educating students not just to get a job but to create jobs too”.
He added: “We believe that by acting as a focal point for innovation and education in Dublin city centre, Trinity can help support the growth of entrepreneurship across the economy”.
The aim of the Blackstone Launchpad programme, which began in the University of Miami, is to support students to build on their ideas and connect them to entrepreneurs around the world.
Last summer, An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, announced that Blackstone Charitable Foundation would receive a €2 million grant for the establishment of the entrepreneurship programme in Trinity, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) and University College Cork (UCC).
Speaking at the launch, executive director of the programme, John Whelan, said that he hopes that students will, through the programme, be able to “grow their ideas into viable businesses through mentoring, support, ideation and venture creation.”
He added that Trinity students can now benefit from the “global network” of entrepreneurs in other universities around the world where Blackstone Launchpad is being used.
Finn Murphy, former Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Ents Officer, who helped develop the digital student card for mobile phones, spoke at the launch.
Describing the support he received from the programme, he said: “I am now in the final stages of arranging a license agreement with the College so that we can develop this venture and bring our unique service to other institutions across the country”.
The app was developed over the summer by Conor Brennan and Peter Meehan, both third-year Computer Science students, and was then integrated with College systems by IT Services, making it the first digital student card in Ireland.
Murphy added: “I hope that the investment being made today, and further investments made in encouraging entrepreneurship at Trinity will continue to create more stories like my own”.
The launch was also praised by Librarian and College Archivist, Helen Shenton. In a press release, she called the programme a “great example” of how library spaces can be reimagined, adding that the programme is “in keeping with our overall vision for the Library to be at the core of the Trinity community, providing increasingly diverse facilities and partnerships.”
