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= Overview =
<p style="text-align: center">[[File:BlackstoneLBL.jpg|frame|BlackstoneLBL.jpg]]</p><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: medium; text-align: right">Blackstone is the world's largesta largest alternative asset investment firm founded by Stephen A Schwarzman and Peter George Peterson in 1985. Blackstone currently has $311 billion in assets under management, and released an initial public offering in 2007. From its own description:</span>
<blockquote><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span style="font-size:medium"><span style="color: rgb(94, 94, 94); line-height: 17px">"Blackstone is the world’s largest independent alternative asset manager, serving the investment needs of leading </span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(94, 94, 94); line-height: 17px; font-size: medium; font-family: georgia, serif">public pension funds, academic and charitable institutions and other investors for more than 25 years. Our funds include private equity funds, real estate funds, customized hedge fund solution funds, credit-oriented funds and publicly traded closed-end mutual funds. In addition, we provide investment advice and management services to institutional investors through a variety of separately managed accounts. "</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span style="font-size:medium">The firm's culture of incorporating entreprenuerial elements began with the firm's founders and has continued to evolve through Blackstone's business units being very entrepreneurial in the way in which they provide solutions to their clients' needs. The Blackstone Charitable Foundation created the ''Blackstone LaunchPad'' organization in 2008 and was modeled after a successful entreprenurship program at the University of Miami. The ''Blackstone LaunchPad'' is a </span></span><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span style="font-size:medium">campus-based </span></span><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span style="font-size:medium">entrepreneurship program, accessible by over 600,000 students globally, designed to support and mentor students, staff and alumni - regardless of major, experience or discipline.</span></span> <span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span style="font-size:medium"><span style="line-height: 17px">This program is available mostly in economically depressed regions of California, Montana, Central Florida, Pennslyvania, Ohio and Michigan. Blackstone </span></span></span><span style="line-height: 17px"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span style="font-size:medium">recently partnered with VentureBoard to supply services for the ''LaunchPad'' program.</span></span></span><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span style="font-size:medium"> VentureBoard is two-sided 'Startup Data Platform', specifically oriented for universities and early stage startup ecosystems.</span></span>