As we start the new semester at Montana State University, the LaunchCats and Blackstone Launchpad would like to encourage everyone to continue to climb the mountains of your dreams and always be striving for something greater. Let us know your goals for this year!
Music by Pascal Horn
Last weekend fifty-one computer science, graphic design, and business-minded students took over Jabs Hall for twenty-four hours to build, code, draw and hack together the programs, websites, and games they had always dreamed of making. The event, considered by many students as a trial by fire, tested and demonstrated just how much these students could accomplish in a short amount of time.
Judging will be based on a variety of factors, however, for the purposes of assigning scores we will be breaking down each project into two main categories, interactive projects and services projects. Entertainment projects are any project that is built for the purposes of entertainment such as games, virtual reality, or simulations/simulators. Services projects solve a problem or serve a functional purpose. Most apps, websites, and programs fit into this category.
Code|24 will resume this Saturday morning! The LaunchCats have been working tirelessly over the past few weeks putting this event together and we have a ton of exciting stuff planned for everyone. I would like to give you a few updates on the event this weekend to give you a better idea of what to expect going into the competition.
Freezing temperatures, fragile ice, sharp objects and long approaches sound like a leisurely day outside right? Not for most. Who would ever think to go "have fun" in these conditions. Lucky for us, we can watch all the excitement from the comfort of our cozy couch this winter as the team at UrsaOutdoor.com takes on area climbing expeditions.
Entrepreneurship is intimidating. The word itself is difficult to spell, but does it have to be a difficult process as well? Is this a rare breed of humans or is it a group of people that figured out a similar process that works? Perhaps what drives people crazy is that there isn’t a one size fits all mold of how to be successful in the entrepreneurial world. In school, we’re taught to follow analytically complicated formulas that get us to one answer. In entrepreneurship, we are taught to question things and go against the grain to understand the underlying process. Here are five things that I believe will help you become successful from my experience working with hundreds of entrepreneurs. Let’s get started!
The evening progressed with Papu giving us a story relating some of his challenges as an entrepreneur and remain loyal to his ideas for a Montana lifestyle. He related to us some wisdom like, “My personal brand isn’t just about what I do” and “you can grow and scale without becoming generic and noisy.”
Design thinking is a process of divergent thinking. Divergent refers to a thought process used to come to many possible solutions rather than one correct answer, or convergent thinking. Traditional teaching has focused on analytical ideas and correct answers but in today’s world of technology, anything analytical or data driven can be found though the internet and its many resources. Lets teach each other how to think and problem solve, not how to memorize.
CSA is a matter of big farms with small organic "gardens" or medium sized farms selling to co-ops and grocers. CSA is designed to distribute risk. By having consumers pay upfront for their annual share; farmers no longer explicitly rely on a successful harvest to profit. Pain point? - Farmers are currently seeking shareholders by word of mouth with 1980s style websites or non-existent marketing.
Everyday we are faced with choices: the choice to wake up in the morning, drive or walk to school and even whether to go to class. More finitely, should we take notes with a pen or pencil? Should I be writing this blog and should you be reading it? The choices we face routinely are endless. Often we take the freedom of choice for granted. More importantly, the choices we make determine our future. Opportunity cost, indecision, regret, and comparison all factor in choices we make.
When thinking of ideas to launch, improving on existing ideas automatically takes a capitalism approach to business. If you can make a cellphone 20% more receptive to 4G service you may look good on paper, yet really aren't changing consumer behavior. Consumers may see this as strictly marketing and no different than the next product. Chasing trends will never set you apart or ahead of competition - this becomes a battle of marketing. The best marketing is a product that sells itself. Create something that doesn't yet exist and be not only the first to market, but the last mover.
Continuously, the LaunchCats, as an organization, are being asked to help design, promote and execute events for faculty, and other organizations at Montana State University. Often, an idea to present to a body of students is proposed. Something a speaker may feel inspired by or strongly about. The pitfall comes when empathy for the student is overlooked.
Featuring 240+ high school students from every corner of Montana, The Jake Jabs College of Business & Entrepreneurship, the MSU Blackstone LaunchPad and the LaunchCats helped organize and inspire big thinking for our future thought leaders. For a day long workshop, excitement and collaboration swept the student by surprise.
In a university setting, it can be tricky to acquire the 20 second attention span of college students. Often, students are not looking to the school for more ways to learn and engage themselves but rather looking for ways to get away from the education system. How do we instill motivation in students to own their education and look for opportunities? This would be our first idea to tackle.
Starting a business can be an intimidating concept and uneasy process. Before anyone considers starting a business we suggest entertaining these 7 questions every entrepreneur must answer. Industries are constantly changing and these ideas should be addressed consistently, not just once. Additionally, no idea is a bad idea. Ideas evolve to become viable.
The social market is on the forefront of transactions in the 21st century. This is great, but forces a long term commitment many businesses may have trouble keeping. Lets dive into the architecture of both social markets vs money markets regarding employees.
A hint of sweet icing from cookie decorators floated into the air as students and community members trickled into the room. Small groups conglomerated and the rising decibel level of the conversations made the room hum with activity. As the band picked up their semi-acoustic harmonies, the Lab swelled with energy.
Personal growth and progression are developed when a student is vulnerable, creativity is a correlation of curiosity and a simple idea is capable of changing the world. The LaunchCats platform is an education revolution allowing freedom and identity in a white wash academia.
Every effort marketers make to break through the clutter of other advertising is just more clutter. Because of today’s relentless advertising impression, culture has become clutter. Marketing is nothing but persuasion in an oversaturated industry in which consumers are no longer engaged.
