The Pathfinder program is set to begin this fall with the goal of providing opportunities for students to present their business ideas throughout the year and work closely with faculty members to refine and make it a marketable pitch. 

Pathfinder is the successor to LaunchU, a Winter Term program last held in 2020 that allowed students to pitch ideas for startup funding and compete to earn money for their venture. In comparison, Pathfinder will be a year-long program. Pathfinder is also different from the microgrant competition, which is less competitive and a lower-stakes option for students interested in starting a small business or earning experience. However, microgrants can still be used for business ideas. 

The program was spearheaded by Associate Professor of Business Eric Lin, who first came to the College in January 2023. He wanted a more upfront way for students to develop a business pitch. As part of the program, Lin created a number of instructional videos about the Business Pitch Assessment, as well as other things essential for a pitch document such as feasibility, financial visibility, and customer desirability.

Lin explained more about what the program would look like regarding pitching. He highlights the accessibility of the program. For instance, the Google form offers a wide range of interest statements for students to use, varying from those who already have a venture or business idea to students who are interested in pursuing an MBA or want to have an entrepreneurial mindset as an artist or a musician. He also acknowledged that, while not all pitches would become a long-term business idea, the feedback would help students at their individual level for their pitch. 

“Students are going to come forward with their ideas, irrespective of where they are in the process,” Lin said. “They submit an idea through a video, and they get some feedback, and we do some rounds. Some people might learn, ‘This is not something I’m that interested in looking forward,’ which is fine, it’s a great thing to realize, or ‘Here’s some ways I can adjust it,’ but at some point, the people who stick around and keep iterating, they graduate to now starting to [have] a mature business idea.”

Entrepreneurship Program Manager Debra Herzog emphasized the importance of Pathfinder at Oberlin, especially in relation to the Business Integrative Concentration.  

“We know of several Obies who have gone on to have success in business, entrepreneurship, social-entrepreneurship and/or solo-entrepreneurship, and interest is growing with the implementation of the Business Integrative Concentration,” Herzog wrote in an email to the Review. “It is an important piece of the offerings, and it makes sense for students to have access and the ability to experience this in a co-curricular, experiential, risk-free, and systematic way.”

Director of Entrepreneurship Instructor in Business Ted Evans provided a vision for what the completed version of Pathfinder would look like in a couple years. The team hopes that, in a couple of years, Pathfinder would also involve alumni and community members from the City to help support students’ ideas. 

“If it’s successful, we would see Pathfinder taking in a healthy number of students and then taking their ideas to the point where they could pitch in front of investors who say  ‘I get your 10 minute pitch that you just gave me,’” Evans said. “It had all the elements that we’re seeking. You articulated them properly, you did your research. That’s how we would envision Pathfinder two or three years from now. We’re hoping for this ideal situation, the output of Pathfinder is a number of these sound business ideas that have been well-researched and well-documented that moved on to a funding stage.”

Admissions for the Pathfinder program are currently on a rolling basis. Students can get involved by filling out the interest form.