Swift Launch also has a larger mission. With a modular design, it is easily replicable across cities, allowing teams to pool resources and to cost-effectively catalyze the local ecosystem. It draws local and international resources together, enhancing accessibility for 200 new entrepreneurs in each city every four months.
Leading Swift Launch is Stephen Lin, a UC Berkeley alumnus (BA, BS) and an MBA holder from the University of Southern California. Stephen’s diverse career spans finance roles in Taipei, IT and innovation roles in Florida, and entrepreneurial ventures in Singapore and the US. Before coming to Uzbekistan, Stephen taught in Kazakhstan at institutions including KBTU, AlmaU, Geneva Business School, and Suleyman Demirel University. His curriculum emphasized applied entrepreneurship and vital soft skills. In total over 1,000 students have benefited from Stephen’s expertise across Central Asia.
A former student, now a successful executive, reflects, “Stephen is an incredible teacher and the best one I had at university. I made a lot of money in his class, but more importantly he gave me lessons I have used in starting many new businesses and in my career.”
Stephen remarks, “Swift Launch redefines incubation in Uzbekistan and other emerging markets. We don’t just screen entrepreneurs; we nurture them. Our mission is to mentor, connect, and empower them to think like an entrepreneur and to dream bigger.”
Sturgeon Capital Partner Robin Butler said, “There is a talent gap and scarcity of investable ideas across the emerging venture ecosystems in Central & South Asia. This is not for lack of bright young individuals and problems that plague the day-to-day lives of businesses and consumers. Swift Launch is set up to bridge the gap between latent talent and workable solutions, giving individuals real-world, hands-on experience in building a company. We are excited by the impact this will have in Uzbekistan and across the region as it scales, both directly through the companies that are born out of the program and indirectly through the entrepreneurial mindset it will instil in hundreds of graduates each year.”
Are you a company looking for an IT solution? Do you dream of being a new entrepreneur? Join Swift Launch and take the ecosystem to the next level – www.swiftlaunch.co