About Us
The drive to solve society’s most pressing challenges often comes from creative entrepreneurs who have personal experience of these challenges. From endemic poverty to a lack of educational opportunities, these innovators understand the problems in their communities and are best placed to design initiatives to solve them. Unfortunately, they often lack the necessary support to get their ideas off the ground.
That’s why the State Policy Network designed LaunchPad: a sophisticated accelerator system that combines intensive learning opportunities with high-impact mentorship.
We foster an environment where innovators can rapidly test, refine, and scale their market-based solutions—and solve real-world challenges.
What We Do
We IDENTIFY innovative solutions.
We find exceptional entrepreneurs, reward new ideas, and advance promising projects through the Ed-Prize and Pathways to Prosperity grant programs.
We ACCELERATE them.
We invite select entrepreneurs to our co-creation Accelerator Workshops, where Advisors—leaders in for-profit and nonprofit fields—help sharpen and refine the entrepreneur’s project proposals.
We ACTUALIZE them.
We connect entrepreneurs with policy professionals who test and turn their projects into on-the-ground realities; we also share case studies and field guides to help others implement these tested, replicable solutions in their own communities.
LaunchPad advances the work of social entrepreneurs through an unparalleled network of guidance, resources, and financial support. We identify promising individuals, accelerate their ideas with the guidance of our teams of expert advisors, and help actualize their innovative projects with the resources of State Policy Network’s unparalleled 50-state network.
Why We Do It
As an initiative of the State Policy Network (SPN), LaunchPad shares SPN’s vision of an America where all people can flourish because collaborative, entrepreneurial leaders have secured lasting social change, personal freedom, and economic opportunity.
Our mission is to fast-track localized and market-based solutions that seek to eradicate poverty, maximize educational outcomes, and create lasting opportunities for all. We do this by finding and supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs who advance ideas that align with our principles.
Meet the Team
Jennifer Thompson
Senior Director of LaunchPad
Jennifer is the Senior Director of LaunchPad, State Policy Network’s incubation and acceleration lab. Along with SPN team members from across the organization, she works to support entrepreneurs who are creating innovative solutions to the challenges our communities face. She joined SPN after serving as the Executive Director of Civil Squared, a project dedicated to reducing political polarization and improving civil discourse. Previously, Jennifer was the founding Vice President of Co-Sponsored Programs at Liberty Fund, Inc. and Senior Director of Programs at the Institute for Humane Studies.
“I’m humbled and blessed to have the opportunity to collaborate with people who bring creativity, passion, and diligence to the important work of improving lives and communities. It’s my privilege to be a part of LaunchPad and to learn from these innovators!”
Eric Heidenreich
Director of LaunchPad Acceleration
Eric is the Director of LaunchPad Acceleration at State Policy Network, working primarily on the planning, execution, and growth of LaunchPad Accelerator Workshops. Prior to joining SPN, Eric worked in operations for the Commonwealth Foundation, helping Commonwealth defend and expand freedom for all Pennsylvanians. Prior to that, he spent almost a decade working at the Institute for Humane Studies in program management. He holds an MA in Philosophy from the University of Missouri.
“I get to work with some of the best and brightest up and coming social entrepreneurs every single day. It's a lot of fun to watch them turn their passion into action and see that action impact lives.”
Elyssa Webber
Director of LaunchPad Identification
Elyssa is the Director of LaunchPad Identification at State Policy Network. In this role, she works mainly on the Ed-Prize and Pathways to Prosperity Prize grant programs, which seek social and business entrepreneurs who have innovative solutions to address pressing problems related to human freedom and civil society in the states. Prior to this, Elyssa worked on managing various sized events and finding the best ways for them to tie into organizational strategy. Elyssa currently resides in Bergen County, NJ with her husband Ryan, their children, and mini-poodle, Biscotti.
“LaunchPad is meeting people across the country who believe so deeply in creating the best community and environment for their families. It is so moving to see how dedicated people are to improving human flourishing, mainly without the assistance of the government. I’m grateful that I get to meet and learn about so many of them every day!”
