jumping-off point

Noun

1.

jumping-off point - 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" Synonyms: point of departure, springboard

beginning, commencement, point of departure, springboard, start