Success Stories
Penn State students can now access campus resources and connect with around 12,000 of their community members from a secured app called the Penn State Engagement App. Navengage, founded by Penn State alumni Andrew Strause (management information systems, 2017), Dan Lordan (biology and political science, 2017), and Colleen McBride (advertising,…
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Penn State’s I-Corps short course is accepting applications for its October/November cohort. The no-cost program helps researchers test a startup idea through customer discovery and lean startup methodology. The cohort will begin on Oct. 21 and runs through Nov. 11. Apply to the short course by Oct. 7 NSF I-Corps…
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In her customer-facing role at statistical software company Minitab, Tamela Serensits saw an opportunity to solve a problem she kept seeing her customers encounter again and again. “Because Minitab has been around for 50 years, every year there’s a new version and it just gets bigger and bigger,” Serensits, who…
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The Invent Penn State Summer Founders Program, a 13-week student startup accelerator, concluded with a Startup Showcase on Aug. 10, where each team presented their startup and answered questions from the audience comprised of members from the local entrepreneurial community. The Summer Founders Program provided selected teams a $15,000 grant…
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Penn State alumnus-founded startup Phospholutions, a leader in sustainable fertilizer technology, recently announced additional investment from leading global agricultural companies totaling $5.3M. This funding will support the commercialization of their RhizoSorb technology in the US row crop market. This new investment series includes investment from Ospraie Ag Sciences (OAS), Bunge…
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Last fall, Kelsey Lauer’s Entrepreneurship & Innovation (ENTI) class was challenged to make $500 in profit by the end of the semester. Lauer ended up surpassing that goal when she launched her unique candle business, Clove and Sprig. “All my friends and family members use candles, and I love candles…
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This fall, Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank will offer two no-cost startup accelerator programs, which provide community and Penn State entrepreneurs with resources and guidance to help turn their business ideas into scalable businesses. FastTrack Accelerator is accepting applications now until Sept. 1. Idea TestLab applications will open…
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Control LTD won the $10,000 first-place prize in the Ben Franklin Technology Partners TechCelerator @ State College virtual pitch event, where eight entrepreneurial teams pitched their business concepts for more than $10,000 in prizes this past spring. Teams showcased products and services which spanned health care, agriculture, and creative markets…
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When Mel McDaniel began her career as an interior designer in 2006, she quickly realized how many homeowners are constantly trying to get rid of or donate their old furniture. She never wanted her clients’ lightly used furniture to go to waste, so McDaniel would haul things like couches, chairs,…
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