news & events

Partnerships to build startups. So much of what we do is providing support and resources to our startups. And, we can't do that without partners in our ecosystem. So, we're excited about the partnership between the College of Engineering's School of Engineering Design, Technology, and Professional programs (SEDTAPP) and Happy Valley LaunchBox. Ted Graef, over in SEDTAP (also a LaunchBox advisor and experienced entrepreneur himself) created the entrepreneurship internship (ENtern) program which pairs students in the intercollege entrepreneurship and innovation minor with startup companies participating in the FastTrack Accelerator or the Summer Founders program. Startups get an ENtern for 20...

A six-story, state-of-the-art, multi-use home for innovation in downtown State College is scheduled to open Oct. 2021. Located on South Burrowes Street, this will be the new home for the Happy Valley LaunchBox. We’ll still be offering open, no-cost co-working along with all our programs and events. The space has a 4000 sq ft state-of-the-art makerspace, a 3D printing lab, and a mixed reality lab for virtual and augmented reality projects. All open to the public. We hope you come check it out and stay for a while.

$15K grant, mentors, and free software. If you have a startup that you’re ready to build or grow, check out the Summer Founders program. Startups have access to: Weekly virtual meetings and 1-on-1 coaching sessions A network of 80+ advisors Up to $4,500 in additional funding for customer discovery and market tests Free server credits, SolidWorks, and a 1-year POWr subscription valued at over $8000 Applications open until Feb 14th. Startups with at least 1 current Penn State founder are eligible to apply– that includes students who are graduating this May and students from World Campus. You can use the grant to cover living...

Penn State startup encourages interest in science, technology, engineering, and math. We were excited to see the Girls Code the World startup, alumni of our Summer Founders program, spotlighted by Penn State News. The non-profit, started by Sydney Gibbard (Penn State) and Mina Shokoufandeh (Tufts Univeristy), has been working with schools and organizations to provide resources, opportunities, and role models to you girls through a series of programs and extended mentorship. Empowering girls through specialized curriculum and virtual workshops. Key to helping young women become leaders in STEM fields, is providing hands-on experiences across a variety of different STEM-related themes. As participants in our...

Get recommendations from experts in 25 minutes. No doubt if you’re a business owner, you’re having to figure out how to re-think your business. The world and business have changed. From new business models to new ways of looking at old problems, our experts will talk about “breaking in” new tactics to drive you and your business forward. After a successful rollout of our TOP 5 IN TWENTY-FIVE virtual Speaker Series this Spring, we’re partnering with the Smeal College of Business to bring back the series this Fall. Each Wednesday in October (and the first two Wednesdays in November), we’ll chat with...