Springboard
WordNet
noun
(1) A beginning from which an enterprise is launched
"He uses other people's ideas as a springboard for his own"
"Reality provides the jumping-off point for his illusions"
"The point of departure of international comparison cannot be an institution but must be the function it carries out"
(2) A flexible board for jumping upward
WiktionaryText
Noun
- A diving board consisting of a flexible, springy, cantilevered platform, used for diving into water.
- A small platform on springs and usually hinged at one end, used to launch or vault onto other equipment.
- Anything that gives a person or thing energy or impulse, or that serves to launch or begin something.
- The opportunity served a springboard to their success.