Hundreds of people are celebrating completing Westchester County’s Launch1000 program. The program is a free, six-month online course offered to Westchester residents to help with new business ventures.

“That program really changed my life from a business standpoint,” says Petra Pasquina, a Launch1000 graduate.

Nearly a dozen graduates who spoke to News 12 were all in agreement that the program changed everything.

“I was hooked. I learned how to identify my target market, how to price my jewelry,” says Anne Hayes Wilson, a graduate and program coach.

Since 2021, over 500 people have completed the program. Many of them went through the program during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We decided through COVID that we wanted to re-invent ourselves and that’s how we did it,” says Colby Jenkins, a graduate.

Almost a dozen graduates told News 12 that being an entrepreneur can be lonely, so this program not only brought them together but it took their businesses to the next level.

“It’s the reason I’m successful today,” says David Vogel, a graduate.

Those who have been a part of the program have launched jewelry, food service, technology and nutrition businesses.

“I learned a lot of great things and I met a lot of great people,” says Adrienne Michel, another graduate.

“It was a refresher and for me, just made me sharpen my skills,” says Althema Goodson, another graduate.

Pam Hoelzle, founder and CEO of Entrepreneur Ready, said the program’s most recent class created 191 new jobs in Westchester.

“The majority of the economic vitality comes from small businesses that then grow into medium-sized businesses,” says Hoelzle.

The next round of the Launch1000 program is expected to begin in early 2025.