Protocol Labs Launchpad is a training and personal networking program for anyone new to Web3 or the PL Ecosystem. It focuses on the PL stack, including IPFS and Filecoin, but also covers Web3 basics and many 3rd-party projects adjacent to the decentralized storage space.
We are the only Web3 ecosystem still offering live facilitators, direct access to engineers, and a customized experience, to help you become comfortable and well-connected within the ecosystem. We can accommodate founders, engineers, marketing, sales, and recruiting — disciplines at any technical level.
The program runs over four weeks, with 4-5 guided 1-hour sessions per week. All sessions are optional and recorded for later viewing. A syllabus is provided and residents typically spend 2-10 hours per week reading/watching the curriculum, based on their desired learning depth. The program concludes with a small capstone project, which is presented to the cohort two weeks later.
The full program cost is $2,500, and includes admission to our week-long in-person summit in July in Paris, which also aligns with ETHCC. The summit offers a full-time, fully catered, schedule, which includes customized lectures, personal introductions, and some individualized guidance through the massive ETHCC event. Participating in-person is truly a unique and valuable opportunity!
The virtual-only program cost is $500, and includes the full 4-week cohort experience. Separate tickets for the summit may be purchased later, but at a higher price.
Anyone with any background, who is interested in advancing in web3, may register for a Cohort. There are tracks for both heavier-technical (developers, CTOs) and lighter-technical roles (leadership, marketing, recruiting, business development, etc). Everyone in web3 is technical to a degree! Having a mix of both enhances ranges of experience that is shared with everyone.
2023
v12: June 12 - July 7
Anyone who attends a Cohort may also register for a Summit. One cannot attend the summit without completing the Cohort, because the knowledge gained in the Cohort is a necessary prerequisite for the material presented at the Summit.
2023
Paris Summit with ETHGlobal: July 16-21
(TBD) Bangalore Summit: October 29 - Nov 4
How to Register for a Launchpad Cohort:
After you sign up, you will be connected with a cohort manager and e-mailed further instructions about logistics.
The virtual-only Launchpad cohort ticket for costs $500. This fee covers:
The in-person Launchpad Summit ticket costs $2,000. This fee covers:
The fee does not cover:
The Web3-Basics-only Launchpad ticket costs $100. This fee covers:
Register here for Web3-Basics.
Q: Who is eligible to Join Launchpad?
Any new or recent hires to the Protocol Labs Network are eligible to register for Launchpad. PLGO (Filecoin or Protocol Labs) teams are welcome to sign up as many team members as the hiring manager chooses. For PL Network companies and teams, you are welcome to sign up any long-term contract and full times hires on your team.
Q: What should I do if I want to attend?
First, check with your manager to confirm you can spend the time learning and on-boarding, and that the colo-week dates work, then fill out the registration above.
Q: How much time should I expect to spend on Launchpad
Launchpad is a program designed to meet the needs of residents, with what we call a ‘choose your own adventure’ style program. We have 3 weeks of remote content with 1-2 hour-long online sessions a day and one week of full-time programming during colo-week. All sessions are recorded and shared.
You choose the sessions to attend and the amount of time you want to spend digging into the content during the remote weeks. Generally we recommend spending 10-20 hours a week of time put towards reading the curriculum, joining 1 or 2 hour-long online sessions a day, and attending the colo-week on location. Colo-week is also flexible. If you can only attend a few of the days, you can still participate remotely or watch the recordings.
Q: What is the cost of the program?
Q: What is colo-week, and what should I expect?
Colo stands for colocation. Though much of the curriculum is remote (with an average of 1-2 online sessions a day), there is one week where the cohort will come together in a location to connect & work in person. The Launchpad team prepares a full week of interactive sessions on the culture, tooling, and technology, and guides the cohorts through an experience designed to make participants effective, connected members of the PLN community.
Q: What do I need to book and take care of for colo-week?
Residents from PLN companies must book their flights & hotels.
Residents from Protocol Labs should book travel to and from the colo-week location.
A week or so before colo-week, you will get an e-mail asking about your travel dates, and we will provide you with information about the meeting rooms, schedule and meals.
Q: What is the Demo Session?
The demo session is held 2 weeks after the end of your cohort. During Launchpad you will be both learning and building as you embed into your new team.
There will be sessions where you will plan a project (with guidance from your manager) and collaborate with your team. This project can be something you are already working on, fixing bugs, or a new process or initiative for your team.
There will be two presentation sessions. In the first you will share your work plan and gather feedback from your peers. In the second you will present the MVP (minimum viable product), mock-up, or POC (proof of concept) at the final demo session!
See an example highlight reel of a previous demo.
Q: What topics and skills are covered in the Program?
Visit the curriculum website to learn about the different areas you will have the option to learn and dive into during the program. If you’re new to web3, check out the prerequisites before you begin!