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APPLICATIONS OPEN EVERY SEMESTER

Application Cycle for Fall 2025 Cohort
Closes Sept 18, 2025

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Applying to the ZIP Launchpad

 

2025 Sample Application

Application Rubric

1. Apply at F6S - ZIP Launchpad
   •  As long as your application status is "in-progress", you can continue to make changes until you move your application to "finalized".
   • IF you move your application to "finalized" and want to make a change prior to the deadline, please email [email protected] and we can move your application back to "in-progress" allowing you to make further changes and improvements.
   • We recommend that you attend office hours and/or application workshops. Ideally, it is helpful if you do a draft application prior to attending one of these resources however it is not required.
2. Get feedback at Idea Office Hours
   • We have idea office hours available with one-on-one help from ZIP Launchpad staff for improving your idea and application. The applicants who come in for help have a much better chance of being admitted to the program. 
3. Submit! 
   • If you've completed your application, don't forget to submit! ZIP staff can always reset your application if there are changes you'd like to add, but we don't review applications that have not been submitted.  

ZIP Launchpad will not accept ideas in the following areas: Cannabis, Alcohol, Gambling, and other areas by discretion. 

 

Non-Actionable Problems

We often receive applications with problems that are non-actionable. When the selection committee reviews applications they are seeking actionable problem statements.

To further help applicants understand what we’re looking for we’ve provided the following example:

A non-actionable problem statement for a ride sharing app would be “people cannot find a taxi when they most need one.”

It is non-actionable for the following reasons:

• Can you identify people? No - it’s too broad of a term and represents the universe of all people. This makes it difficult to prove 100% correct.
  • You may hypothesize that it's “business people working in the New York Financial District.” This specific group would replace “people” in your problem statement. 
• Instead, hypothesize who do you think experiences this problem the most. 
• What does “when they most need one” mean? This is also broad and difficult to prove.
  • You may hypothesize that they “can’t find a taxi at rush hour, resulting in missing a critical cross town meeting impacting their credibility in the industry.”
• Instead, think “what is the acute pain point you hypothesize the New York business person is trying to solve”.

Your new problem statement would be, “business people working in the New York Financial District can’t find a taxi at rush hour, resulting in loss of credibility/revenue.”

While this sounds very narrow, the key is to identify something highly actionable to investigate.  Through our program, we will help you explore and identify critical problems seeking solutions in the most effective manner.

Summer 2025 E-Track Programming

 

Why Should I Apply to the ZIP Launchpad?

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