Brook T. Smith Launchpad

The Brook T. Smith Launchpad creates a visible home for Clemson’s entrepreneurial community, bringing students, businesses, and ideas together in a space designed for exchange.

Through incubator and accelerator spaces, mentorship, and opportunities for collaboration, the Launchpad supports a range of businesses and programs while extending Clemson’s entrepreneurial resources beyond the University.

Located beneath a student residential complex in downtown Clemson, the Launchpad operates as an off-campus storefront, increasing access for students and the surrounding community. Its street-level presence creates a point of connection between the University and the city.

The Launchpad serves as a resource for both emerging and established ventures. Its flexible design supports collaboration across a variety of settings, from private meeting rooms for small teams to larger pitch and event spaces. Adaptable furniture systems allow users to tailor the environment to their needs, accommodating different ways of working and gathering.

Originally composed of two separate retail units, the space is unified by a new mezzanine that connects the two units while meeting the project’s spatial and functional needs and maintaining openness and transparency across both levels. Clear views to the LED display wall from both levels enable large-scale community events within the compact footprint.

Aligned with Clemson’s core values, the Launchpad was envisioned as a catalyst for economic and individual growth, with the potential to support continued expansion over time. Its impact can be seen in the achievements of its users, from patent development to the launch of new businesses, advancing entrepreneurship at Clemson and beyond.

Dedicated program and utility spaces are consolidated along the rear wall, leaving the majority of the floor plan open and placing collaborative areas along the storefront. This organization puts activity within the Launchpad on display to the street.