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Latest News from Invent Penn State

May 02 2022

Entrepreneurs compete for better future at Tech Tournament

Illuminate Therapeutics, a game changer in the way head and neck cancers are treated, earned the grand prize cash award of $75,000 at the Invent Penn State Tech Tournament, held April 28-29 at the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center, during the 2022 Invent Penn State Venture & IP Conference.

April 28 2022

2022 Venture & IP Conference kicks off

The 2022 Venture & IP Conference kicked off on April 28 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center on the University Park campus.

April 27 2022

Online marketplace for tenants wins top prize in IdeaMakers Challenge

A digital solution to problems faced by both tenants and property owners was the winning idea in the 2022 Bardusch Family IdeaMakers Challenge, held April 6 during Penn State Startup Week and hosted by the College of Information Sciences and Technology.

April 26 2022

Penn State alumnus Sean Black, co-founder of Trulia, focuses energy on Knock.com

Penn State alumnus Sean Black, 1996, entered the real estate world as a high school student – first working for his brother who was a contractor and then becoming fully immersed when he moved to New York after earning his master’s degree. Soon after moving to New York City in 2001, he happened to cross paths with New York City real estate mogul and future Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran, who offered to take him under her wing as vice president at The Corcoran Group.

April 26 2022

4 startups graduate from Happy Valley LaunchBox FastTrack Accelerator

Four startups founded by Penn State students and community entrepreneurs graduated from the Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank FastTrack Accelerator this April. FastTrack Accelerator, a 15-week program, helps early-stage startups refine and test their target markets and build actionable plans to acquire customers or expand their businesses.

April 25 2022

Tuft & Needle co-founder JT Marino featured on 'Dare to Disrupt' podcast

In the sixth episode of Invent Penn State’s “Dare to Disrupt” podcast, host Ryan Newman interviews JT Marino, who studied math and computer science at Penn State. Marino describes how he and his co-founder determined all the pain points of buying a mattress to create their customer-first, mattress-in-a-box solution called Tuft & Needle, which they grew to more than $250 million in sales. 

April 22 2022

Venture & IP Conference to showcase Penn State research innovations

The Invent Penn State Venture & IP Conference, one of the largest tech startup conferences in the Mid-Atlantic, will take place April 28-29 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. The conference will highlight innovations from high-growth and emerging markets, showcase disruptive technologies and early-stage companies born from Penn State research, and feature two special keynote events.

April 22 2022

Students explored innovation, entrepreneurship during Startup Week

Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC, which took place from April 4-8, inspired students across the commonwealth with a wide array of events showcasing and celebrating innovation and entrepreneurship, from expert panels and keynote speakers to workshops and networking opportunities.

April 21 2022

Lehigh Valley LaunchBox creates $135,000 endowment for long-term sustainability

Seven Advisory Board members from Lehigh Valley LaunchBox powered by Penn State have created a $135,000 endowment to sustain the business accelerator’s long-term efforts. The board members contributed $67,500 to the fund, which was matched by Penn State. 

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