Bill Kalivas, co-founder and managing partner of Spokane-based professional networking and interactive media company LaunchPad Inland Northwest Inc., is handing off day-to-day operations of the company and has accepted a new job with Liberty Lake-based cloud computing provider 2nd Watch Inc.

Kalivas says he has been transitioning operations of LaunchPad over to business partner and co-founder Allen Battle and to Zan Deery, membership and events coordinator. Kalivas started at 2nd Watch earlier this week and is a senior sales executive for the company.

Kalivas says he will take on an advisory role with LaunchPad.

"I want to assure you, I will continue to be deeply involved as the majority owner of LaunchPad and the Launch Spokane program," Kalivas said late last week in a letter to LaunchPad members.

Launch Spokane, a program geared toward providing startups and small businesses with mentorship opportunities, recently launched a new website.

Kalivas says he hopes the Launch Spokane website, which went live last month and can be found at launchspokane.com, will act as a portal for startups to find and access resources they need to succeed. The website includes access to an events calendar and information on local organizations and service providers that startups can use.

"We send them to local resources here," Kalivas says. "We're not re-creating the wheel. We're just making it more efficient."

Kalivas says the program currently mentors six or seven startups, connecting them with other businesses that are willing to provide mentorship.

Kalivas says he will continue to be involved with decision making at LaunchPad, specifically with strategic planning, event moderating, and co-hosting the Launch Spokane TV show.

Monique Cotton, principal of DMC Communications and Launch Spokane co-host, will take over strategic communications and sponsorships.

"I am confident in the continued growth of LaunchPad and our programs," Kalivas says.

LaunchPad was founded in 2009 and has roughly 5,300 members.