Launchpad
Launchpad turns curiosity into things that get built
The American University of Sharjah's home for founders and builders: mentorship, flagship events, and a growing directory of student ventures.
What Launchpad is
A student-run organisation at AUS for the people building things here. Three parts, running all year.
An exec board built on real experience
Run by students who have been inside VC, startups, and family enterprise. They bring in the mentors, speakers, and alumni who work with AUS builders.
Meet the team
Flagship events, on campus
Workshops, talks, and sprint-style formats through the year, plus IGNITE, our full-day showcase every January.
See the programs
AUS Portfolio
A directory of student ventures and class projects, so mentors, alumni, and students can actually see what AUS is working on.
Submit a ventureIGNITE 2026
Our biggest day of the year. A full day of founders, mentors, and student ventures on the plaza, hosted with the support of AUS Alumni.
The people running Launchpad have worked here
Venture funds, banks, law firms, and operators across the region. This is the experience the exec board brings back to campus.
Every venture starts on the ground. Launchpad is how it leaves it.
Build with usEvents and programs
Events are where the whole ecosystem shows up in person. Programs are the ongoing ways we support founders in between.
Events
From a 24-hour build to our biggest day of the year, these are the gatherings that bring the whole ecosystem into one room.
Programs
Standing support for founders that runs year-round, not just on event days.
Ready to build something?
Join Launchpad
One full day that puts the whole AUS ecosystem in the same place: founders on stage, student ventures on the plaza, and the mentors and alumni who actually pick up the phone afterwards.
Get involved with IGNITEStartup Zone
Student and alumni ventures set up on the plaza, open to anyone walking past.
Talks and panels
Real-world entrepreneurship stories, women empowerment conversations, and comedy segments between sessions.
Workshops
CV-building and founder workshops running alongside the main programme.
Small business bazaar
Plus open networking across the whole afternoon.
Want to be part of IGNITE 2026?
Join Launchpad
Startups are hiring and students are looking, and the two rarely find each other in time. RISE puts AUS talent in front of the companies actually building in the region.
Register interestStartups and funds
Regional companies and portfolio startups looking for interns, part-timers, and graduate hires.
AUS students
Any year, any major. Bring a CV; the workshops at IGNITE are there to help you build one.
Tables and talks
Company tables, short talks from founders and operators, and open time to actually speak to people.
Warm intros
Launchpad follows up with the companies so conversations do not die at the door.
Want to hire at RISE, or get hired?
Join Launchpad
Twenty-four hours, one room, and something that runs by the end of it. No pitch decks, no business plans, just teams building until it works.
Register interestOne room, one night
Teams form on the spot or arrive together, then build straight through to the demo.
Builders of any kind
Engineers, designers, and the people who can sell it. You do not need a team to show up.
Mentors on the floor
Operators and alumni circulating through the night to unblock teams.
Demos, not decks
Every team shows the thing working. Judging is on what got built.
Think you can build it in a day?
Join LaunchpadVC Hours
One-on-one time with investors who actually deploy in the region. Bring whatever you have, including the version that is not ready yet.
Book a session30-minute sessions
Booked slots with a single investor or operator, one venture at a time.
AUS founders
Anything from a live company to an idea you want a straight answer on.
Regional investors
Drawn from the funds and firms the Launchpad team has worked inside.
Submit first
Ventures in the AUS Portfolio get first call on available sessions.
Want an hour with an investor?
Join LaunchpadLaunchpadLabs
Our student consulting arm. Small teams from AUS take on real briefs from real companies, and the work ships.
Work with LabsStudent consulting teams
Small groups taking a scoped brief from a company through to a delivered piece of work.
Bring a real brief
Market entry, research, go-to-market, operations. Scoped to a term.
Paid, credited work
Experience that goes on a CV, with Launchpad and mentors supervising delivery.
Talk to us
Whether you have a brief or want to join a team, the conversation starts the same way.
Have a brief, or want to be on a team?
Join LaunchpadThe people running Launchpad
Want to be on this list?
Join LaunchpadStories from the Launchpad community
Founder interviews, event recaps, and community updates.
First pieces are being written
Recaps from IGNITE and interviews with AUS founders land here soon. Want to write one?
Build with us
Whether you have a venture already moving, an idea you have not said out loud yet, or you just want to be around people building, there is a way in.
Join as a member
Get pulled into events, workshops, and the community around IGNITE.
Submit to AUS Portfolio
Put your project in the directory and get on Launchpad's radar.
Come through IGNITE
Showcase a venture, mentor a team, or just show up on the plaza.
Mentor or partner
For alumni, funds, and companies who want to work with AUS builders.