The Program

Oakland has always been a city of builders: people with bold ideas, deep community roots, and the drive to create change. But too often, the resources, networks, and support needed to turn those ideas into thriving ventures aren't accessible to the founders who need them most.

The Social Innovation Launchpad exists to change that.

In partnership with the Kapor Foundation, Northeastern University Oakland brings together early-stage entrepreneurs ready to build ventures, with a focus on responsible AI principles, that generate economic opportunity and address real community needs. This isn't just an accelerator. It's an investment in Oakland's future, led by the people who know it best. The program runs twice a year, with cohorts in the Spring and Fall.

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Barbra Lee — Mayor of Oakland

“What you’re doing here in Oakland, you’re helping the city to become… the tech capital of the world.”

Our Aspiration

We're building more than a program. We're building the infrastructure for a new kind of innovation economy. One where a founder from Oakland has the same shot as one from Palo Alto, where the ventures scaling nationally are the ones solving problems that matter locally, and where Oakland becomes the national model for what community-driven, tech-enabled economic transformation looks like.

Over the next five years, we aim to move dozens of Oakland ventures from idea to funded, hire local talent into meaningful roles, and prove that inclusive innovation is a competitive edge.

Our Values

  • Place-based, not place-limited. Oakland is our starting point, not our ceiling. We support ventures rooted in local need and designed to scale.

  • Community wealth over extraction. We back founders building companies that generate quality jobs, keep value local, and answer to the communities they serve.

  • Responsible technology. AI and frontier tools are powerful and accountable. We teach founders to build with rigor, ethics, and community trust from day one.

  • Access, on purpose. Talent is everywhere; opportunity isn't. We open doors that have historically been closed — to capital, to networks, to expertise.

  • Rigor with heart. World-class curriculum, honest feedback, and high expectations delivered in a space where founders feel seen, supported, and pushed.

  • Founders first. Our founders' autonomy, voice, and vision drive the work. We're here to accelerate what they're building, not shape it into something else.

Program Details

What you get

  • Downtown Oakland co-working space for the full duration of the program
  • Small cohort size ensuring personalized attention, deep collaboration, and a tight-knit founder community
  • Expert-led entrepreneurial training and ideation workshops
  • Pro-bono legal assistance for incorporation
  • Marketing fundamentals workshops
  • Integrated responsible AI curriculum equipping founders to build technology ethically and equitably
  • Access to Northeastern faculty and student project opportunities
  • Mentorship and connections to Oakland investors and venture funding organizations
  • Networking events and access to a growing community of entrepreneurs
  • Exclusive cloud and tech credits including AWS Activate and Google Cloud for Start-ups

10-week tenative schedule

Week 1

Vision & Social Impact Theory

Articulate your mission, define your theory of change, and learn to measure social impact alongside business metrics.

Week 2

Customer Discovery & Community Engagement

Get out of the building, conduct interviews, understand unit economics, and balance mission with a sustainable business model.

Week 3

Business Model Design

Explore revenue models for social ventures — earned income, grants, hybrid — and learn to balance mission with sustainability.

Week 4

Legal Structures & Fundraising Basics

Choose between nonprofit, B-Corp, LLC, or hybrid structures. Understand grant funding, impact investing, and crowdfunding.

Incorporation Day

Week 5

Product Development, MVP & Go-To-Market

Build your minimum viable product, rapid prototype, incorporate user feedback, stay lean, and leverage your impact story.

Week 6

Storytelling & Pitch Development

Craft your narrative and learn to tell your story to potential investors.

First pitch practice

Week 7

Operations & Team Building

Set up systems, hire for mission-aligned culture, manage volunteers, build diverse teams, and establish healthy founder dynamics.

Week 8

Financial Management & Metrics

Understand financial statements, cash flow management, KPIs for social ventures, and reporting to stakeholders.

Pitch refinement with feedback

Week 9

Pitch Practice

Perfect your pitch deck, practice presentations, connect with Oakland investors and mentors, and create your 6-month roadmap.

Week 10

Demo Day

Pitch to local impact investors and community stakeholders — and take your first steps toward funding, partnerships, and growth.

Demo Day