Center For Free Enterprise And Entrepreneurship Expands Catapult Membership To Support Growing Seed-to-Scale Program At Florida Southern College

The Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (CFEE) at Florida Southern College has expanded its Catapult membership from 10 students annually to unlimited members, responding to the rapid growth of Florida Southern College’s Seed-to-Scale program. Catapult is a business incubator in Lakeland, Florida, that supports aspiring entrepreneurs as they launch new businesses.  

Catapult was created to foster the growth of start-ups, and it now offers a direct connection between every project-based class at Florida Southern College and its incubation program, creating a new level of integration between FSC and the Polk County community. 

The Seed-to-Scale program provides students with an experiential pathway to develop business ideas, vet them with customers, and launch real revenue producing businesses all while getting the education, resources and financial support they need at every stage.  

Since launching the incubation initiative led by Justin Heacock, executive director of the CFEE, the Seed-to-Scale program has grown from 30 students to 420 students in just nine months. This was made possible through a partnership with Kanu, an entrepreneurial learning platform that enhances access to entrepreneurship through micro-learning content paired with venture creation tools.  

Catapult will now receive real-time data on student ventures and the overall entrepreneurial ecosystem at FSC. Students who reach a certain objective will be categorized as “Catapult’s Mission Fit Members” and be granted full membership to Catapult.  

“After reaching over 11 percent of the FSC student population with entrepreneurship, we have started to see the impact of a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem on our students and campus,” Heacock said. “Our hope is to see other universities in Lakeland adopt this initiative to build a stronger community and economy.” 

The Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship’s mission is to reinforce free enterprise principles and instill an entrepreneurial mindset for the Florida Southern and Central Florida communities that results in innovation for new and existing ventures.