Success Stories

spotLESS Materials experiences growth selling super slippery coating technology

Penn State startup spotLESS Materials, which sells its super slippery coating technology as an assistive cleaning product, has raised over $1.3 million of total venture capital funding to date, including a recently closed seed round of $900,000 in venture capital funding which closed on December 23, 2021. Their total funding…

Paint Ninjas make their mark on the Innovation Hub building

When a business starts growing rapidly, sometimes the biggest need is just a space to conduct business from. For Penn State alumni-founded Paint Ninjas, Inc., Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank was that space. State College residents Oakes Fletcher and Jim Kassab started their painting careers in Centre County…

Students can win up to $30,000 to fund their businesses

Students can apply to win up to $30,000 in funding for their company in the Inc.U Competition. Open to Penn State undergraduates, the Inc.U Competition will culminate in “The Investment,” a WPSU Shark Tank-like television production that will be livestreamed during Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC. Applications for…

Students can receive $15,000 to work on their startup this summer

Applications are now open for the Invent Penn State Summer Founders program, which provides a $15,000 grant to entrepreneurial teams with at least one Penn State student to work full-time on their startup, social good or nonprofit over the summer. Applications are due Feb. 13. The 13-week program, run in…

App connecting shoppers with small business deals wins $7,500

A first-place prize of $7,500 was awarded to local startup Marqo in the Ben Franklin Technology Partners TechCelerator @ State College virtual pitch event, where six entrepreneurial teams pitched their business concepts for more than $10,000 in prizes at the end of 2021. Teams showcased products, platforms, and services that…

Office of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization makes 3 key appointments

Last year, three appointments were made to the Office of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization at Penn State, expanding expertise within the University's innovation ecosystem. Lee Erickson has been appointed as the associate director, responsible for economic development and student programs, effective Dec. 1; Ryan Mandell has been appointed as the director of…

Happy Valley LaunchBox supports company serving underrepresented students

This article is part of a series celebrating the five-year anniversary of Invent Penn State’s LaunchBox & Innovation Hub Network. Learn more here. When Joel Sakyi first arrived at Penn State, he found himself far from home and in search of organizations and people to connect with. This yearning led him…

VenturePointe helps kickstart alumnae’s purposeful startup

This article is part of a series celebrating the five-year anniversary of Invent Penn State’s LaunchBox & Innovation Hub Network. Learn more here. Ali Izzo and Holly Masters co-founded Purpose The Therapeutic Subscription Box, LLC as students at Penn State Shenango in June 2018, working out of VenturePointe at the eCenter…

Penn State Law’s Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic Launches Outreach Program for Underserved Small Businesses

This fall, the Penn State Law Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic (EAC) launched an Underserved Small Businesses (USB) legal services program, which targets entrepreneurs who are generally categorized as socially and economically disadvantaged. The program is an extension of the existing EAC program, adding targeted educational outreach to qualifying entrepreneurs including people…

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