News & Events

In the News

May. 27, 2021

Startup's recent success tied to Penn State entrepreneurial ecosystem

In the past year, State College-based Phospholutions has grown from seven to 20 employees, and recently raised $10.3M in venture capital funding to support the development and growth of its RhizoSorb soil-enhancement technology across market segments and expand to global markets.

Dec. 08, 2020

ENtern program provides startup experience to entrepreneurship students

Created through a partnership between the engineering entrepreneurship program and Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank, the entrepreneurship internship program pairs technology-based cluster students with startup companies currently participating in Happy Valley LaunchBox’s FastTrack Accelerator or Invent Penn State’s Summer Founders program.

Sep. 23, 2020

FastTrack Accelerator helps community entrepreneur build collaboration app

State College community member John Stogin went to Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank in search of connections to people who could help advance a virtual collaboration app he created called Scratchwork. Through his participation in the Happy Valley LaunchBox FastTrack Accelerator, Stogin was able to focus on the business development side of his venture.

Sep. 08, 2020

Five startups graduate from 2019-20 FastTrack Accelerator

Five new startups launched by community and student entrepreneurs graduated from Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank’s FastTrack Accelerator. The startup ideas spanned concepts including a battery-charging laptop case, a better way to prevent tick bites, and an application called Scratchwork that allows users to turn paper drawings into digital workspaces.

Sep. 01, 2020

Summer Founders program showcases record number of teams

Invent Penn State’s 2020 Summer Founders program, a 13-week student startup accelerator, wrapped up Aug. 12 in a virtual showcase after funding seven student-startup teams with $15,000 each to work on their startup, nonprofit, or social good full time over the summer. The program also matched teams with resources and entrepreneurial experts who provided mentorship.

Jun. 08, 2020

LoanCrunch app helps students manage loan debt

Students in the United States owe upwards of $1.6 trillion in student debt and that number is growing every day. Trying to navigate post-college life is challenging enough. Toss in the increasing costs of living with the skyrocketing debt and trying to achieve the American dream can seem daunting. That’s why Penn State students Michael Miller and Jack Quinn are developing LoanCrunch, an app helping students through the loan repayment process.

Jun. 03, 2020

Entrepreneurial vision leads Jon Westlake Down intrapreneurial path

For Jonathan Westlake entrepreneurship is in his DNA – his parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were all entrepreneurs. Naturally, Westlake expected to take the same path, and was looking for the right inspiration and problem to solve in order to continue the family tradition.

May. 07, 2020

2020 Summer Founders Program draws record number of teams & increases amount

A record number of student startups from across Penn State campuses are getting ready for the 2020 Summer Founders program, a 13-week entrepreneurial bootcamp offering mentoring, networking, resources and $15,000 in funding to teams of Penn State student entrepreneurs from all campus locations and the World Campus.

May. 01, 2020

Student startup taps Invent Penn State resources, pivots to find new product

CastPak was one of eight student startups invited to present their concept in the Student Startup Showcase at the Invent Penn State Venture & IP Conference last October. AThe student companies were selected for their winning participation in Inc.U and/or the Summer Founders program.