UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Six teams of Penn State student startup founders recently wrapped up what turned out to be an impactful summer for their businesses.
Invent Penn State’s Summer Founders Program, which provides each student team with a $15,000 grant to work on their startups over the summer at Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank, concluded with a final "Demo Day” on Aug. 7. In addition to the grant, teams gained access to regularly scheduled business accelerator programming, a network of 100+ advisers, and hands-on learning opportunities at Pennsylvania businesses.
During “Demo Day,” teams showcased how much traction their startups have gained over the course of the program to community members, faculty and staff, advisers, family and peers at the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub.
“This summer, we were privileged to work with six outstanding teams, each bringing a unique business model and a distinct set of challenges to solve,” said Elizabeth Hay, Jack White Family Director of Happy Valley LaunchBox. “We are incredibly impressed by the progress made by each team. Week after week, we grew together, celebrated successes, and overcame challenges, all while watching these talented entrepreneurs evolve into capable CEOs. The dedication and resilience displayed by every team has truly set a high standard for the future Summer Founders.”
As part of the program, teams had weekly dinners with program advisers, mentors and business founders who provided advice and expertise to the student founders.
“What I got the most out of the experience was all of the introductions and the stories,” said Nicholas Cole, Summer Founders Program participant and founder of Bool. “We had the pleasure of meeting many successful entrepreneurs and hearing how they got to where they are. It’s incredible to hear how someone can build something from nothing, and so many of these people got their start at Happy Valley LaunchBox.”
In addition to weekly dinners, the student founders also went to Philadelphia for the program's first ever overnight field trip.
In Philadelphia, the teams visited with SLCKR, a 2021 Summer Founders Program alumni startup selling elevated barber wear. The teams also visited Lungpacer Medical, a medical device company led by CEO and Penn State alum Doug Evans.
“Talking to these founders who have gone through the process of building a company from the ground up was extremely valuable,” said Joshua Reynolds, Summer Founders Program participant and founder of Atlas Biotech. “I especially enjoyed meeting the wonderful folks at Lungpacer Medical, who shared their journey from conceptualization to ongoing clinical trials.”
The 2024 Summer Founders Program participants included the following startups:
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OfferPilot is an artificial intelligence platform that aims to help college students land the highest amount of job offers in the least amount of time. It uses AI to create resumes, build cover letters and recommend jobs based on each user's information. The startup is led by College of Engineering student Stephen Leshko.
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Fourth State Therapeutics is developing cold-plasma-based devices for biomedical applications. The startup’s flagship product, Plasma Patch, is designed to treat dermatological conditions. The initial therapeutic targets are acne, eczema and wound healing. The startup is led by biomedical engineering doctoral candidate and Diefenderfer Fellow Ali Kazemi.
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Streamline Charging builds EV charging solutions that make financial sense for apartment owners. The startup provides a patent-pending system that slides a DC charging station across multiple parking spaces. The startup is led by College of Engineering student Jonathan Smith.
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Bool creates live wait time predictions for bars, clubs and restaurants. The startup is led by College of Engineering student Nicholas Cole.
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Atlas Biotech is developing preclinical assays for drug discovery with the goal of bringing better therapeutics to patients faster and more efficiently. Atlas Biotech specializes in oncology and is currently commercializing a drug screening platform that evaluates targeted therapies for chronic myeloid leukemia and non-small cell lung carcinoma. The startup is led by College of Engineering doctoral candidate Joshua Reynolds.
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Saveware leverages artificial intelligence to automate the sales tax refund process for businesses and tax firms, identifying and recouping overpaid sales taxes on invoices. The startup is led by Smeal College of Business student Brady Davidson.
About the Summer Founders Program
The Summer Founders Program is a signature program of the Invent Penn State initiative and is provided in partnership with Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank. Startup funding is made possible through the donations of successful alumni entrepreneurs interested in supporting new student ventures. To learn more about supporting student startups at Penn State through a philanthropic gift, contact Heather Winfield, director of strategic initiatives in University Development, at hbw11@psu.edu.
This program was financed in part by a grant from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Economic Development.