point of departure

English Thesaurus

1. a beginning from which an enterprise is launched (noun.act)

hypernym	:	beginning, commencement, start,
definition	:	the act of starting something (noun.act)

2. a place from which an enterprise or expedition is launched (noun.location)

hypernym	:	beginning, origin, root, rootage, source,
definition	:	the place where something begins, where it springs into being (noun.location)