Fuse SPC, a co-working community in Richland, is offering a series of start-up education and mentorship events to help entrepreneurs transform their ideas into businesses.

Launch University, a four-week ‘boot camp’ begins Mar. 31 at Fuse. The boot camp will be 7 – 9 p.m. every Thursday night from Mar. 31 through Apr. 21. The cost is $40 for entrepreneurs or $20 for students. The University is free for Fuse members.

The boot camp can help entrepreneurs build on their ideas and start a service, create a product or launch a business. People interested in the process of start-up creation can attend and collaborate with teams.

Heather Unwin, Fuse SPC executive director, said the boot camp program topics include customer validation, business model, legal and branding.

Faculty includes guest instructors from the tech sector, design and finance industries, as well as Erik Ralston of LiveTiles and Justin Kasparek of JMK Tech.

JMK Tech, a Kennewick-based technology service and support company that has grown from the Fuse community, is the event’s title sponsor.

“When I started JMK Tech, I did not have access to any of these great tools or experiences,” Kasparek said. “JMK Tech empowers users to confidently use technology. With that same mindset, we wanted to be part of empowering people to create businesses.”

The most successful ideas or business ventures that come out of Launch University will move on to Launch Weekend, which will be April 22-24 at Washington State University Tri-Cities.

“Launch Weekend is the real catalyst for wrapping the teams around ideas, but the actual ideas are first honed at the University,” said Ralston, who is also the Launch Weekend organizer. “It’s not about ‘one day I’ll do it,’ it’s about actually starting and making things happen.”

Launch Weekend is open to all entrepreneurs and students interested in collaboration and startup creation.

The weekend is an intense 54-hour experience designed to create teams around entrepreneurial ideas that become business plans.

At the culmination of the event, finale teams pitch their business prototype Shark Tank-style to a panel of judges from the tech, industry and finance sectors.

Nearly 200 people have a participated in the weekend over the past three years and alumni include Solar Spirits, Red Level Games and Thrive Fitness Adventures.

Launch Weekend will be 3 – 10 p.m. Apr. 22, 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. Apr. 23 and 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Apr. 24. The event will be at the WSU-TC CIC Building, 2710 Crimson Way, Richland.

The cost is $100 for entrepreneurs, $80 for students and $20 for Sunday spectators. The event is free for Fuse SPC members. Attendance is limited to 100.

For more information about Launch Weekend, contact Ralston at 509-312-9058 or [email protected]. For information about Launch University, contact Kasparek at 509-987-5526 or [email protected]. For more information about Fuse SPC, contact Unwin at 509-572-3820 or [email protected]. Register for Launch University and Launch Weekend online at eventbrite.com/e/tri-cities-launch-university-weekend-powered-by-fuse-coworking-tickets-21013507968.