March 10, 2010 - Tulsa Community College will kick off Launch - Your Entrepreneurial Journey, a program designed to accelerate the start-up process by walking people interested in the entrepreneurial journey through the steps required to build a company. 

In 16 weekly experiential business-building sessions, aspiring entrepreneurs will move through the development of a start-up to the core business model to the bootstrapping process.  Each session will be led by entrepreneurial thought leaders who will share their unique and often challenging experiences on the start-up process.  At the end of the 16-week program entrepreneurs will have an operating business and/or prototype ready to go to market.

The Launch program provides:

• Hands-on mentoring and coaching from those who have "been there and done it"
• Donated legal counsel to assist with forming the appropriate business structure
• Introductions to a large network of entrepreneurs, funding resources and specialists in the start-up process.

TCC President Tom McKeon, in a Tulsa World interview, said each session will be held in different locations throughout Tulsa, including the TCC Center for Creativity, SpiritBank, McNellie's Public House, a local law firm, and the Collaboratorium, a downtown resource center for entrepreneurs.

"Rather than breaking ground to build a new structure filled with classrooms and laboratories, we're breaking ground with a program to build Tulsa's entrepreneurship base that will exist entirely outside of the walls of traditional classes," McKeon told the World.

The program kicks off at 5 p.m., May 3 at the TCC Center for Creativity.  Cost is $1,250 per person. Some scholarship help may be available.  Visit the TCC website for more information and to apply.