Student startups at Penn State University are encouraged to apply for the 2024 Invent Penn State Summer Founders Program, which offers a $15,000 grant for selected teams to work on their startup, social good venture, or nonprofit over the summer. The program, hosted by Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank, provides funding, mentorship, and coaching to accelerate student startups. Participants are required to commit full-time hours to their ventures for the 13-week duration of the program. Applications are open until March 8.
Elizabeth Hay, the Jack White Family Director of Happy Valley LaunchBox, emphasized the value of collaborating with innovative student startups and gaining insights from seasoned entrepreneurs. The program also offers networking dinners, access to an extensive advisory network of experts, and field trips for direct interactions with successful business owners, creating an environment for emerging innovators to thrive.
Last year, eight student startups took part in the Summer Founders Program. Justin Leusner, a senior studying corporate innovation and entrepreneurship at Penn State’s Smeal College of Business, was a participant in the 2023 cohort. He founded TDAY Sports, a sports media startup aiming to be Gen Z’s ESPN. Leusner credited the program’s advisers, Bill Zimmerman and Elizabeth Hay, for their instrumental support in the success of TDAY Sports.
TDAY Sports has developed a following of over 1.2 million across various platforms, such as YouTube and TikTok. In September 2023, the startup signed a deal with Paragon Marketing Group to promote Fast Twitch, Gatorade’s newest energy drink.
The Summer Founders Program, a flagship initiative of the Invent Penn State initiative, is made possible through the donations of successful alumni entrepreneurs who are eager to support new student ventures. It is a partnership between Invent Penn State and Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank. Startup funding is also partially financed by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development.
Penn State University encourages philanthropic gifts to support student startups, and individuals interested in contributing can contact Heather Winfield, the director of strategic initiatives in University Development.
The application deadline for the Summer Founders Program is fast approaching, so Penn State students with entrepreneurial aspirations should not miss the opportunity to apply for this valuable program that provides essential resources, mentorship, and funding for their startups or social good ventures.
