news & events

Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank, in partnership with The Penn State Brand Academy, offered an all-new content creator-focused Digital TestLab accelerator program this spring. The Digital TestLab: Content Creators Cohort delivered social media and personal branding education specifically designed for content creators in the Happy Valley region. Justin Leusner, founder of TDAY Sports, and Omar X. Easy, assistant athletics director for The Brand Academy, co-coached the inaugural cohort. “In the past, we focused our Digital TestLab programming on website conversion and digital ads,” said Elizabeth Hay, Jack White Family Director of Happy Valley LaunchBox. “But with content creation becoming a...

Penn State student startup Saveware is using artificial intelligence (AI) to automate the sales tax refund process for businesses and tax firms. Saveware was founded by Braeden Davidson, a sophomore in the Smeal College of Business, and Ryan Jai Hokimi, a junior in the College of Engineering. “We can retroactively go through past invoices and use our algorithms to determine where clients overpaid,” Davidson said. “We then produce a refund claim that we ultimately will submit to the Department of Revenue.” Last summer, Davidson interned at a firm that specializes in sales tax refunds. As he manually searched for overpayments from clients,...

Six Penn State student startups have been selected into the 2024 Invent Penn State Summer Founders Program. The Summer Founders Program provides teams with at least one Penn State student founder a $15,000 grant to work on their startup, social good, or nonprofit idea over the summer at Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank. "This year’s Summer Founders Program has attracted some of the best teams from Penn State. From several campuses and majors, undergraduate to graduate students — the startups that applied were incredible,” said Elizabeth Hay, Jack White Family Director of Happy Valley LaunchBox. “Choosing only six teams was...

Invent Penn State’s LaunchBox & Innovation Network has launched a free, online, self-guided entrepreneurship education resource available to all. This digital curriculum, titled Customer Discovery 101, is for people with business ideas looking to get started, as well as those with existing small businesses looking to develop new products or services or to expand into new markets. The program is free and open to the public, with no Penn State affiliation required for use. The LaunchBox & Innovation Network regularly provides early-stage entrepreneurial support for Pennsylvania entrepreneurs through the statewide network. This resource will enable broader access and reach to founders unable...

Student startup teams from all Penn State campuses, including World Campus, are invited to apply to the 2024 Invent Penn State Summer Founders Program to receive a $15,000 grant to work on their startup, social good venture, or nonprofit over the summer. Applications are open from now until March 8. The 13-week program, hosted by Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank, accelerates student startups by providing funding, mentorship and one-on-one coaching. Founders commit to work full-time, 40 hours per week, on their ventures for the program's duration. Key program dates: Feb. 5 - Applications Open Feb. 21 - Virtual Info Session Mar....