According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, STEM jobs are projected to grow roughly 470% faster than all other jobs in the 10-year period from 2022-2032. As of now, however, the U.S. does not have the qualified workforce to match this projected growth.
Furthermore, even those studying for careers in this space aren’t always ending up there. Per a 2021 U.S. Census Bureau study, the number of STEM graduates who do not work in STEM jobs may be as high as 72%. This speaks to a clear issue with retention on top of the raw need to fill the astronomical number of STEM jobs emerging this decade.
Triangle-based startup Launched2Lead seeks to address these problems specifically by providing support for the vast network of women and non-binary individuals who are underrepresented in STEM jobs as is. (According to MIT, women made up only 28% of the STEM workforce as of 2023.)
Launched2Lead was originally conceived by Founder and CEO Anne Hungate, a career leader in STEM fields who recognized in her own journey the need for more structured guidance and mentorship for women.
“When I got to the level I always aspired to,” Hungate recalls, “I realized my path could have been cleaner [and] more authentic if I had understood more about myself, my environment, and what opportunities and resources were available to me. And if I can do that for other women and non-binary professionals earlier in their career, I think we’re going to have a great impact.”
Hungate incorporated in 2019 and spent the first few years developing and testing her product: an all-original curriculum designed to help post-graduate women and non-binary professionals develop the skills, understanding, and networks required to become leaders in STEM careers.
Then, in August of 2023, Launched2Lead accelerated toward its current form when Andrea Mohamed came aboard as Co-Founder and COO. Hungate and Mohamed had been in one another’s orbit while both working as executives at RTP-based RTI International, but had not formally met until they were introduced by a mutual colleague last summer. As a career trailblazer with a background in high-level strategy and marketing, Mohamed proved to be just the partner Hungate needed to take the product to market.
A unique solution
The under-representation of women in STEM is well-documented, and as such there are other products and organizations attempting to tackle the issue. Numerous universities have programs designed to help undergraduate women eyeing careers in STEM, and some companies likewise make various forms of relevant mentorship available.
Launched2Lead operates primarily in the space between universities and companies, targeting recent graduates who are just embarking on their careers. But the startup also differentiates itself from other approaches in three key ways.
The first is the platform’s scalable nature. Says Hungate, “What sets us apart is that our program scales. It’s designed like software…. We have [an] original curriculum. That’s what I was doing for years, working with top experts in curriculum design and distance learning to model and build a program. There isn’t anything like it.”
The second unique aspect is that the Launched2Lead program directly involves management, rather than just employees. As Mohamed explains, “We require that managers are involved… and that companies provide in-company mentors. So we’ve got this personal development component of the individual, plus we impact her immediate environment by including her manager.”
Mohamed describes this as a huge differentiator on the grounds that women typically “join companies and quit bosses.”
Finally, the co-founders also stress that their program is “stickier” than other approaches. Rather than setting a candidate up with a finite course and wishing them well, Hungate notes, “We’ll stay with the women.” The commitment can be as short as a year, but Launched2Lead is there for “however long it takes.”
Launching this summer
In time, Launched2Lead’s product will consist of multiple offerings. These include an “ERG in a box” option that will help employers manage their employee resource groups, as well as an individual subscription model functioning as a “lighter-weight” version of the platform that women can access if, say, their companies aren’t buying in.
Right now, though, the startup’s focus is on selling “seats” for its flagship cohort, which will launch this summer. Companies can purchase seats in order to place women into the program that they have hired or are considering hiring. The initial cohort will consist of 20 seats, with a maximum of four cohorts set to be filled this summer.
Looking further into the future, the startup—which has been bootstrapped to this point—will explore funding to fuel its growth. That scaling will occur nationally, with Mohamed stressing that Launched2Lead is interested in forward-looking companies that not only recognize gaps in STEM employment but are ready to act now.
“We have a platform doused in jet fuel,” Mohamed says, “[and] the spark is going to happen…. The problem is just going to continue to get bigger [and] we need those that see where it’s going to start today with us.”
While companies fitting that description are the primary targets, Launched2Lead also encourages local engagement.
Says Hungate, “We want the flavor and the message to be rooted in this North Carolina, startup-friendly community. The more people from this region that are in here, the stronger our flavor will be. So join. Add a woman or two.”
