This podcast is about Penn State alumni who are innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders, and the stories behind their success.
In 2013, Swatee launched Litesprite, a health tech startup developing award-winning digital therapeutic purpose-driven games for chronic conditions. Litesprite has the mission of destigmatizing mental health issues and removing barriers to the tools people need.
She received her MSME in Control Systems and Biomechanics from Penn State.
Norm Potter is the co-founder and co-owner of Allegiance Transportation, as well as the owner and Executive Director of the Winston Salem branch of Griswold Home Care. Allegiance Transportation is a non-emergency medical transportation provider, specializing in wheelchair and ambulatory transport services. Griswold Home Care provides non-medical home care to elderly adults by referring professional caregivers for personal care, homemaking, and companionship services.
In this episode, Norm talks about why he decided to make a career switch from banking to higher education to now running two businesses in the non-medical home care and transportation industries. He also shares his journey battling cancer and how it has changed his outlook on life.
At the end of the episode, biomedical engineering doctoral candidate Josh Reynolds joins the conversation. His startup, Atlas Biotech, is striving to overcome drug resistance and accelerate drug discovery efforts in the fight against cancer. He recently participated in the Penn State NSF I-Corps short course program and the Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank FastTrack Accelerator.
Norm graduated from Penn State with a degree in finance and economics.
Birgitt Boschitsch is the co-founder and CEO of spotLESS Materials, an advanced materials company and Penn State spinoff commercializing highly repellent anti-fouling coatings.
In this episode, Birgitt shares how her passion for helping others through research led to her co-founding spotLESS Materials. She discusses her formative experiences, academic challenges, and the pivotal moments that shaped her career path, including her time at Princeton and her decision to pursue graduate studies at Penn State.
She discusses the original inspiration behind the idea for a toilet coating that repels sticky waste, as well as the challenges of transitioning from lab work to startup life. She shares the importance of community support and the impact of media exposure on sales.
Towards the end of the episode, Viswanathan Ganesh, a current Ph.D. candidate in the department of architectural engineering at Penn State, joins the conversation. He is the entrepreneurial lead for NexDCCool, a Penn State research-based startup that aims to revolutionize data center efficiency with AI-driven solutions that optimize IT expansion, enhance thermal management, and reduce energy consumption. The startup team recently participated in both the Invent Penn State regional NSF I-Corps short course and the NSF I-Corps National Teams program. Viswanathan and Birgitt reflect on the customer discovery process, and Birgitt offers advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
This episode is brought to you by Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central & Northern PA.
Episode Chapters
00:00 – 6:07 An early interest in science, math, and making a difference
6:07 – 8:46 Being challenged at Princeton
8:46 – 11:38 Choosing Penn State because of now co-founder’s pitch
11:38 – 14:55 Creating a material to repel sticky substances like poop
14:55 – 19:22 Navigating the pathway from lab to startup
19:22 – 23:00 The right timing to launch a consumer product
23:00 – 26:04 Keeping up with demand after NYT Wirecutter feature
26:04 -27:41 Future applications of the spotLESS Materials technology
27:41 – 29:37 Benefits of being based out of State College
29:37 – 36:27 Student section
30:12 – 33:37 Overcoming challenges presented by NSF I-Corps program
33:37 – 36:27 Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
About Birgitt Boschitsch
Birgitt is the CEO and co-founder of spotLESS Materials. She graduated from Princeton University with a BSE mechanical and aerospace engineering. She received her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Penn State.
Robert is a serial technology and media entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in digital media and marketing. He has founded, grown and exited four digital media technology companies with teams and locations around the world. Robert’s current company, Infolinks Media, is an exclusive ad marketplace helping emerging publishers grow and succeed.
Robert received his bachelor’s degree in communications and business from Penn State.
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!
Dare to Disrupt LIVE: Innovating the Future of EV Infrastructure brought together three Penn State alumni at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution to explore the challenges and opportunities shaping the industry’s future. This live episode features an engaging discussion with Benjamin Birnbaum (Keyframe, Terawatt), Zander Isaacson (Xeal), and Diallo Powell (Stak Mobility) as they share insights on EV infrastructure, charging technology, and the role of innovation in accelerating adoption. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or EV enthusiast, this conversation offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from industry leaders driving the future of electric transportation.
Benjamin Birnbaum is co-founder and partner at Keyframe, a New York City-based investment firm focused on the energy transition’s impact on industry. Prior to Keyframe, he founded Terawatt, an infrastructure developer, owner, and operator for large-scale EV charging. Terawatt has raised over $1 billion and provides fleet charging for companies like Pepsi and Waymo. Ben is a graduate of the Penn State Smeal College of Business.
Diallo Powell is co-founder and CEO of Stak Mobility, which addresses urban mobility challenges with an automated vertical carousel system for vehicle storage and EV charging—combining smart software with space-saving infrastructure. Diallo graduated from the Penn State College of the Liberal Arts.
Zander Isaacson is co-founder and CEO of Xeal, a technology-first EV charging company at the intersection of proptech, energy, and the Internet of Things. Xeal partners with more than 70 of the largest real estate companies nationwide. Zander, a Penn State Smeal College of Business graduate, is also our first-ever repeat guest on Dare to Disrupt.
Together, Ben, Diallo, and Zander discuss the broader trends and challenges shaping the EV landscape, how their companies are uniquely tackling these issues, strategies for scaling and financing capital-intensive projects, and their predictions for the future of the industry.
Episode Chapters
0:00 – 7:09 The EV industry landscape at large, building infrastructure
7:09 – 16:35 Fleet vs. consumer charging, offline charging, and urban charging
16:35 – 27:10 Scaling capital-intensive companies
27:10 – 36:38 The future of the EV industry
36:38 – 45:19 Advice for entrepreneurs entering this industry
45:19 – 50:33 Audience questions
Dare to Disrupt is made possible by the generous support of the Penn State Smeal College of Business.
David Rosenberg is the former Executive Vice President and Principal at Environmental Compliance Services (ECS). David and his two partners grew ECS from a small 12 person, $5 million in annual written premium agency to a 500 person, $200 million in annual written premium agency and a leader in the environmental insurance business. ECS was sold to XL Capital Inc., a publicly held company in 1999.
David received his bachelor’s degree in individual and family studies from Penn State.
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.
Susan Robinson is a speaker, consultant and leader making an impact on the world in a truly unique way. Through her corporate and conference keynote, commencement addresses, workshops, client initiatives and writing, she masterfully blends over 25 years of multi-sector leadership with her experiences being legally blind to shift thinking, elevate potential and inspire action. She has worked with global firms and Fortune 500 companies, top not-for-profit organizations, leading universities and the United Nations. She presented a TED Talk in 2017 entitled “How I Fail at Being Disabled,” which has over 1.5M views.
She graduated from Penn State in 1994 with a degree in health policy and administration, and received her masters of public administration in health policy and management from New York University.
