Success Stories

Student Entrepreneurs and Changemakers Live, Learn, Travel and Launch with the Help of the ENTI Minor and Lion Launchpad

From the moment a student changemaker arrives on campus, Penn State’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is ready to support their passions and ambitions. Through the Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ENTI) minor and the Lion LaunchPad Special Living Option (SLO) student innovators find their tribe and participate in engaging courses and experiences that help…

New Corporate Engagement Center Welcomes Industry, Demonstrates Ingenious Power of Partnership

Penn State’s new Corporate Engagement Center, located in Innovation Park, welcomes industry partners as it gears up to serve as a central hub for the University’s industry engagement activities. Whether a corporate partner seeks a research partnership, a philanthropic opportunity or exceptional Penn State student talent, the Corporate Engagement Center…

Penn State Researchers Develop Topical Treatment for Diabetic Wound Healing

Every year 73,000 diabetic patients in the United States receive the devastating news that they must undergo a lower limb amputation. Surprisingly, 85% of these cases start out with a seemingly non-threatening diabetic foot ulcer (DFU), an open sore that’s usually located on the bottom of the foot. One in…

Beaver Valley LaunchBox Empowers Early-Stage Entrepreneurs as Community Poises for Unprecedented Industrial Growth

Penn State Beaver and the Beaver Valley LaunchBox are expectantly on the cusp of an outgrowth of innovation in their community. Shortly after LaunchBox opened last year, Royal Dutch Shell began construction on a $6 billion ethylene cracker plant just a few miles from Penn State Beaver campus. A boon…

Pet Proof Trashcan Protects Pets from Poisoning, Protects Homes from Mess

This is an excerpt from the Penn State News story “A Summer to Venture.” To read the full story and learn more about Penn State startups, Summer Founders Programs and the entrepreneurial ecosystem at Penn State click here. For some Penn Staters, entrepreneurship has been a lifelong endeavor. Jobe Matula—an…

Invent Penn State’s Fund for Innovation Awards $75,000 in Jump Start Funding to New Venture Developed in Eberly College of Science

Since the 2015 launch of the Invent Penn State initiative the Fund for Innovation has partnered with Penn State’s academic colleges to back dozens of emerging Penn State technologies, providing mentorship, guidance and proof of concept funding along their path to potential commercialization. During that time 11 promising new ventures, born of…

Penn State Startup NanoSpec Instruments Provides Researchers Spectrometers that are Smaller, Faster, Better and Less Expensive

Facing technology and equipment limitations when attempting to solve a challenge for the U.S. Department of Energy, Dr. John Asbury in Penn State's Department of Chemistry and his graduate students decided to build the equipment themselves. NanoSpec Instruments (DBA Magnitude Instruments) builds transient spectrometers with a Penn State developed technology for researchers…

1855 Capital Completes Initial Fundraising Round and Invests in Three Penn State Affiliated Startups

1855 Capital—a $10 million-plus venture fund created to help meet the growing need for Penn State startups to have access to seed and early-stage venture capital—completed its initial fundraising round in 2018. The raise included $500,000 from the Penn State Alumni Association. 1855 Capital focuses its investments on companies with…

From Ghost Writing to Rockets, Mont Alto Launchbox Shares a Successful First Year Supporting Entrepreneurship in Franklin County

The Mont Alto LaunchBox has used its first year in operation to provide Penn State Mont Alto and the surrounding communities with workshops, events, pitch competitions and access to a range of free entrepreneurial support services. They’ve assisted students, researchers and community members with projects from ghost writing to rockets…

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