Episode Archive - Page 2 of 5 - Invent Penn State

Developing the Future of AI with poolside Co-founder Jason Warner

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Developing the Future of AI with poolside Co-founder Jason Warner

00:00 / 00:42:55

Jason Warner is co-founder and CEO of poolside, a generative AI company building the world’s most capable AI for software development & the applications to unlock the potential of developers. Prior to founding poolside, Jason was the Managing Director at Redpoint Ventures. He also served as the CTO at GitHub, where he was responsible for bringing products like GitHub Actions, Packages, Advanced Security, Connect, and Codespaces to market.

In this episode, Jason discusses the business challenges and successes he experienced as GitHub’s CTO and delves into the unique hurdles faced by a generative AI company. He also shares his philosophy on the future of AI and its potential impact on various aspects of our lives.

Episode Chapters

0:00 – 8:34 Penn State experience, learning coding

8:34 – 16:03 Experience as CTO of GitHub

16:03 – 30:18 poolside, how AI is going to transform the world

30:18 – 42:17 Student section

Inventing Dazzle Dry Nail Polish with VB Cosmetics Founder Vivian Valenty

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Inventing Dazzle Dry Nail Polish with VB Cosmetics Founder Vivian Valenty

00:00 / 00:43:07

Vivian is founder and president of VB Cosmetics, a fully integrated manufacturing company with global brands of clean, nature- and science-based, functional and proprietary beauty products. Its transformational product, Dazzle Dry, a quick-dry nail polish system, is revolutionizing the nail industry. After 17 years on the market, Dazzle Dry now still has no equal in performance.

In this episode, Vivian shares stories about her upbringing in the Philippines, overcoming discrimination and harassment in the workplace, acquiring nine patents as an accomplished bio-organic chemist and inventor, and inventing the foundation for what would become Dazzle Dry.

Episode Chapters

0:00 – 5:24 Growing up in a one-room hut in the Philippines

5:24 – 6:27 Studying chemistry at the MIT of the Philippines

6:27 – 9:18 Acquiring a travel grant to get to Penn State

9:18 –11:22 studying enzymes at Penn State

11:22 – 14:49 Overcoming discrimination and harassment in the workplace

14:49– 16:32 Discovering a replacement for phosphates when no one else could

16:32 – 20:05 300 formulations to innovate the nail polish industry

20:05 – 21:22 Creating the final formulation on a deadline

21:22 – 22:46 Pivoting away from UVA when newly deemed carcinogenic

22:46 – 24:24 10 years of inventions and patents

24:24 – 25:14 Why she doesn’t believe patents are for small businesses

25:14 – 27:15 Inventing the foundation of Dazzle Dry

27:15– 30:33 Overcoming the recession and building a business plan

30:33– 32:08 Leaving a legacy of helping others, preserving the planet

32:08 – 41:50 Student section

32:08 – 33:48 Securing funding

33:48 – 36:31 Building a team of experts

36:31– 38:30 Continuing to innovate based on customer feedback

38:30 –41:22 The complexities of scaling up for manufacturers

Pioneering Predictive Manufacturing Maintenance with Jeremy Frank

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Pioneering Predictive Manufacturing Maintenance with Jeremy Frank

00:00 / 00:42:27

Jeremy is co-founder and CEO of KCF Technologies, a technology company based out of State College PA. KCF Technologies provides proprietary machine health optimization hardware, software, and services to industry and military clients. Under Jeremy’s leadership, KCF has pioneered advancements in wireless vibration sensing and machine health monitoring. Today, the company is a global leader in predictive maintenance, monitoring over 80,000 machines across numerous industries, driven by Jeremy’s vision of eradicating unplanned downtime and enhancing industrial safety.

In this episode, Jeremy shares the evolution of KCF Technologies, from an imports/exports company to a consultancy to the thriving solutions software company it is today. He shares his background growing up in Pittsburgh helping with his father’s forensic engineering business. He also talks about the devastating realities of failure in business, juxtaposed with the allure of all the freedom entrepreneurship provides.

Episode Chapters

0:00 – 2:54 Intro/Jeremy’s background information

2:54 – 3:32 Formative years growing up in Pittsburgh, Pitt fan

3:32 – 5:36 Decision to come to Penn State, studying mechanical engineering, unclear career path

5:36 – 6:11 Working at father’s forensic engineering business

6:11 – 7:14 Never applied for a full-time job, but good at making money

7:14 – 10:18 Crashing cars for science, acoustics and vibrations studies

10:18 – 11:51 From Tokyo to business launch

11:51 – 14:35 First go-to-market business idea

14:35 – 19:04 Dad’s advice on failure

19:04 – 21:17 What it means to be wired for entrepreneurship

21:17 – 24:32 The KCF business model today

24:32 – 31:21 Scaling and growing the business from 1 employee to 250

31:21 – 35:03 The entrepreneurial environment in State College, then and now

35:03 – 36:28 Penn State Athletics, measuring vibrations at Beaver Stadium

36:28 – 37:09 Intro for student guest Ankur Verma

37:09 – 38:20 Targeting mid-market companies

38:20 – 41:59 – AI and industry

Building the Content Marketing Community with Joe Pulizzi

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Building the Content Marketing Community with Joe Pulizzi

00:00 / 00:56:20

Joe Pulizzi is the founder of multiple startups, including content creator education site, The Tilt, Content Entrepreneur Expo, and the Content Marketing Institute, which he successfully exited in 2016. He is the bestselling author of seven books including Content Inc. and Epic Content Marketing, which was named a “Must-Read Business Book” by Fortune Magazine. Joe is a professional public speaker, having spoken over 400 times in 20 plus countries on content marketing, the creator economy, and entrepreneurship. He graduated from Bowling Green State University with a bachelor’s in communications in 1995, and from Penn State with a master’s in communications in 1997.

In this episode, Joe shares his experience building the Content Marketing Institute, the failures he endured along the way, his strong commitment to goal-setting, and his association with the color orange. He also talks about jumping into writing a thriller novel to challenge himself creatively. Joe also shares his insights around the difference between content creators and content entrepreneurs, and why he believes it’s an important distinction.

At the end of the episode, current Penn State student Riley Auer joins the conversation. Riley is the founder of Bootleg Boomerangs, which sells high-quality hand-made wooden boomerangs. Bootleg Boomerangs has a large focus on content creation, with over 31,000 subscribers on YouTube. Riley talks through some challenges he faces in growing his business with Joe, who gives advice regarding ad placement in video content, finding the true super fans through exclusive giveaways and experiences, and striking the balance between being a business and being a place for fun content.

Episode Chapters

0:00 – 3:49 Intro and journey summary

3:49 – 4:43 Growing up next to Cedar Point Amusement Park

4:43 – 6:42 Undergrad at Bowling Green – Do I have to declare a major?

6:42 – 9:32 Graduate student at Penn State, teaching speech class

9:32 – 12:12 Struggling on the job search

12:12 – 15:16 The evolving business model of content marketing

15:16– 19:30 The inception of Content Marketing Institute

19:30 – 22:11 The moment he realized he had made it

22:11 – 24:34 What’s the deal with Joe’s orange self-branding?

24:34 – 28:36 Setting goals and exiting CMI

28:36 – 30:41 Taking a sabbatical

30:41 – 31:59 Becoming a thriller author

31:59 – 33:45 Launching the Tilt and Content Entrepreneur Expo

33:45 – 35:54 The difference between Content Creator vs. Content Entrepreneur

35:54 – 37:50 Defining the Tilt’s audience

37:50 – 38:32 How to get connected to Joe

38:32 – 40:01 The Orange Effect Foundation, providing access to speech and play therapy for autistic children

40:01 – 55:51 Student Questions – Joe gives actionable advice to Riley Auer, Bootleg Boomerangs founder

Exploring Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) with Former NFL Player Omar X. Easy

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Exploring Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) with Former NFL Player Omar X. Easy

00:00 / 00:48:51

Omar X. Easy, Ph.D., is the recently appointed director of the all-new Penn State Brand Academy. The Brand Academy, a project recently launched by Invent Penn State in partnership with Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics and funded through the Wally Triplett Brand Academy Endowment, is designed to support student-athletes to manage and leverage their personal brand, name, image and likeness (NIL), and support their entrepreneurial interests more successfully.

In this episode, Omar shares his experience growing up in Jamaica and moving to the United States as a teenager. He shares lessons learned from his time as a student-athlete at Penn State as well as his time in the NFL, where he played as a running back for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders. He then discusses his vision for The Brand Academy and how it will serve student-athletes in building and leveraging their personal brand.

At the end of the episode, current Penn State student Miranda Heffelfinger joins the conversation. She is the captain and president of the Penn State women’s rugby team. She talks to Omar about how The Brand Academy will eventually serve all student-athletes, as well as how The Brand Academy will set student-athletes up for success to continue to benefit from NIL post-graduation.

LIVE from State College: honeygrow Founder Justin Rosenberg

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LIVE from State College: honeygrow Founder Justin Rosenberg

00:00 / 00:46:17

Justin Rosenberg is Founder and CEO of honeygrow, a fast-casual stir-fry and salad concept founded in Philadelphia in 2012. With a mission to create a unique, spirited brand focused on simple, wholesome foods, Rosenberg has led the company’s creation and growth, which currently has 41 locations.

In this special LIVE episode recording, which took place during Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC on Wednesday, March 20, Justin shares his story of perseverance and success with honeygrow.

Justin first pitched honeygrow 93 times to investors before finally landing a deal and opening the first location in the Rittenhouse neighborhood of Philadelphia. Since then, the company has raised over $80 million in equity financing and has grown into the Boston, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington DC and the New York City metro areas.

Towards the middle of the episode, in-person audience members got the opportunity to ask Justin a few questions of their own.

Watch the livestream on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/xzn1YlRV_0A?feature=share

Windows of Opportunity: Navigating Growth with MITER Brands CEO Matt DeSoto

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Windows of Opportunity: Navigating Growth with MITER Brands CEO Matt DeSoto

00:00 / 00:47:20

Be sure to come to our upcoming LIVE podcast episode recording with honeygrow CEO & founder, Justin Rosenberg!

Matt DeSoto is the President and CEO of Harrisburg-based MITER Brands, a family of leading window and door brands designed for residential projects in the new construction and remodeling markets. Under Matt’s leadership, MITER Brands has become one of North America’s largest fabricators of vinyl, aluminum, and fiberglass windows and patio doors.

In this episode, Matt talks about his experience working for Student Painters as a student at Penn State, enduring the Great Recession of 2008, how he and his team maintain top-quality products and service, as well as how he prioritizes giving back to the communities they work in through the MITER Foundation.

At the end of the episode, current Penn State student Ryn Rizer joins the conversation. Ryn is a junior studying mechanical engineering. He works as a technician at OriginLabs, Invent Penn State’s newest prototyping and fabrication space in downtown State College. Ryn talks to Matt about how MITER has implemented robotics and AI to make jobs safer and production and sales more efficient.

Scaling a Stress-free Home Remodeling Business with West Shore Home Founder B.J. Werzyn

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Scaling a Stress-free Home Remodeling Business with West Shore Home Founder B.J. Werzyn

00:00 / 00:38:45

B.J. Werzyn is the founder and CEO of West Shore Home, one of the largest direct to consumer home remodelers in the nation. Through a combination of acquisitions and new office openings, West Shore Home has over 38 locations in 18 states with over $750 million in revenue.

In this episode, B.J. talks about how he is revolutionizing a traditionally fragmented and tech averse industry. He talks through how West Shore Home mapped out the 67 processes of home remodeling, removed inefficiencies, and implemented streamlined processes empowered by technology to ultimately make the easiest, quickest, most stress-free customer experience.

At the end of the episode, current Penn State student Jennifer Natale joins the conversation. Jennifer is a senior at Penn State majoring in finance with a minor in Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She is the president of the Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Society at Penn State. She talks to B.J. about overcoming initial entrepreneurial obstacles. B.J. graduated from Penn State in 1999.

Winter Break Message II and January Episode Preview – West Shore Home

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Winter Break Message II and January Episode Preview - West Shore Home

00:00 / 00:01:38

We are taking a break this December, but we’ll be back in late January with an episode featuring B.J. Werzyn, the founder and CEO of West Shore Home, one of the largest direct-to-consumer home remodelers in the nation. Listen to this episode for a quick preview of the interview. Happy holidays!