# The Fund That Creates the Founders It Invests In | Alan Blakeborough, Launchpad Ignite Fund

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/top-decile-podcast-7851283/the-fund-that-creates-the-founders-it-invests-in-alan-blakeborough-launchpad-ignite-fund
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/top-decile-podcast-7851283/the-fund-that-creates-the-founders-it-invests-in-alan-blakeborough-launchpad-ignite-fund.md
Podcast: [Top Decile Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/top-decile-podcast-7851283)
Published: 2026-06-01T09:02:50+00:00
Episode link: https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/40b5c061c1c8f6f560acdd55b8d0321711d4d53c309991460db885054dae8ead/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiIwNjQzOTYyNi1jNjkzLTRiNmQtYWZhOS0wZmIxYjdlNzBkNTIiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJmOGJlZWFlOC0wMDgzLTQ3NzktYmVlMy01YjRhMjdjYzIyMmYiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2OWMxNGUxYTM1ZDgwNDA3YmViYmZmNjciLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmEwYzk5ZDNkMDhlNWQ4YmZlODZhZmU5L2Nvbm5vci1zYXR0ZWx5cy1zdHVkaW8tY29tcG9zZXItMjAyNi01LTE5X18xOS0xMS00Ny5tcDMifQ==.mp3
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Duration seconds: 1521

## Resource

Alan Blakeborough is a military veteran and 35-year serial entrepreneur who built startup accelerator Launchpad after discovering South Carolina had no support system for tech founders. People were leaving for Atlanta, Charlotte, and Austin just to find a community. Now he's running the Launchpad Ignite Fund, which primarily invests in companies that stay on after graduating the accelerator. We get into why South Carolina's manufacturing culture creates a blind spot for tech founders, how Alan is converting local real estate investors into their first VC checks, and why the fund's Opportunity Zone status offers a tax advantage no other tech fund has figured out.

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## Transcript

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