Participation Terms
Last updated August 2026
These are the terms for applying to and taking part in Launchpad, Friday, October 2 to Saturday, October 17, 2026, in the Catskills, New York.
They are shown again, in full, before you submit an application.
Applying
Anyone may apply. Applying does not guarantee a place. We review every application and make decisions at our discretion.
One application per email address. Applying again with the same address updates the first one.
We select on a rolling basis. Interviews and places go out while applications are still open.
Filming and use of footage
Launchpad is filmed throughout, from check-in to checkout. Taking part includes granting permission for us to record you and to use those recordings.
This covers your name, image, voice, statements, biographical information, social handles, and any footage or photographs of you taken during the program or in connection with it.
Stan and its production and distribution partners may edit, reproduce, publish, display and promote that material in social content, marketing, trailers, brand films, and any Launchpad series or related production.
Filming is a core part of the program rather than an optional element, and participation is not possible without it.
Your relationship with Stan
You are not an employee or contractor of Stan, and you will not be performing services for Stan. You spend the program on your own company, and anything you build remains yours.
Program format
All 30 teams begin together. There are two selection rounds: the first on October 8, which reduces the field to the top half, and the second on October 12, which reduces it to ten teams.
Those ten teams continue to the launch and Pitch Day. If your team does not continue, we arrange transport back to New York City and cover travel home of up to $500 per person.
Prizes and investment
There is $100,000 in prize money, awarded as four prizes of $25,000: top team overall, product, distribution, and go-to-market. Awards are made at our discretion and judging decisions are final.
Teams reaching the final round present to a panel of five investors. Any decision to invest, and the terms of any investment, rests with those investors. Participation does not constitute a commitment of funding.
Travel and eligibility
You should be able to attend in the Catskills for the full program, Friday, October 2 to Saturday, October 17.
Contact
Email jay.chopra@stanwith.me.