LAUNCHPAD IGNITE FUND
Capital that follows the work.
We back pre-seed B2B software and AI companies in the Southeast,
sourced entirely from inside our Ignite program.
sourced entirely from inside our Ignite program.
500+
Companies evaluated each year
The Southeast has entered a new phase. Company formation is up, talent is arriving from higher-cost coastal markets, and AI has compressed the capital required to build real products. What lags is pre-seed capital. Regional entry valuations remain below coastal comparables, yet fewer funds write the first institutional check. Ignite Fund exists in that gap.
Proprietary
Pipeline
Pipeline
Intensive
In-Person Diligence
In-Person Diligence
Disciplined
Early Ownership
Early Ownership
Five criteria shape every investment.
Every Ignite Fund investment meets five criteria. We look for companies
building commercial software or AI for problems worth paying to solve, with founders who know their market and revenue models that scale.
building commercial software or AI for problems worth paying to solve, with founders who know their market and revenue models that scale.
Recurring or scalable revenue models. Software economics that compound, whether subscription, transactional, or usage-based.- AI-enabled tools that improve productivity. Products where AI shortens workflows and removes real cost from existing operations.
- Software built for large industry verticals. Companies addressing entrenched markets where software adoption is accelerating.
- $100MM+ venture-scale markets. Markets large enough to support a venture outcome if the company executes.
- Strong founder-market fit. Founders whose experience, relationships, and instincts match the problem they're solving.
Apply to Ignite!
How We Build Conviction
Conviction at pre-seed requires more than a thesis. It requires access, time, and discipline.
Proprietary pipeline
We source exclusively from companies inside our Ignite program. No cold inbound, no pitch contest shortlists. Every prospective investment is already part of Launchpad's operating work.
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Intensive in-person diligence
We work alongside founders inside Ignite for at least twelve weeks before the Fund considers capital. Conviction comes from watching execution up close over months.
Disciplined early ownership
We write SAFE investments at disciplined valuation caps and reserve capital for follow-on rights in breakout companies. Early entry, concentrated conviction, room to support winners.
Request the Prospectus
Every investment begins inside Ignite.
Every Ignite Fund investment starts as an Ignite engagement. Ignite is Launchpad's growth-stage program for existing companies with early traction, run as an ongoing, phase-based partnership. By the time the Fund evaluates a potential investment, Launchpad has already been working directly with the company through product reviews, go-to-market work, hiring conversations, and customer development. The program itself is the diligence process. By the time we consider investing, we've already done the work. By the time we write a check, we've watched the company operate for months.
Pre-seed is where the math starts.
Pre-seed ownership is the only entry point where price discipline and breakout upside still coexist. Entry valuations in the Southeast remain below coastal comparables, which means earlier ownership for comparable companies. We compound that advantage with follow-on rights, giving the Fund room to concentrate into the companies that break out once larger rounds arrive.
A few companies do most of the work.
Venture returns follow a power law. Most investments return modestly or fail. A small number of standout companies generate the majority of fund-level outcomes. Our job is to find and back that small number through disciplined selection inside Ignite. That means passing on companies that look fine and concentrating conviction on the ones we've watched execute up close.
The prospectus has the rest.
Accredited investors can request the full prospectus, the private placement memorandum, and a follow-up call with the Launchpad team. Verification of accreditation is required before we share fund materials.
Ignite Fund by Launchpad is offered to accredited investors only. This page is informational and does not constitute an offer or solicitation. Prospective investors must request the full prospectus and private placement memorandum.
We are currently raising into and deploying from our first fund to founders graduating into Ignite from our upcoming June cohorts