The latest episode of Invent Penn State’s Dare to Disrupt podcast features Industry Dive co-founders and Penn State alumni Ryan Willumson and Sean Griffey. Industry Dive is a digital media company delivering business news and original analysis through targeted newsletters.

The latest episode of Invent Penn State’s Dare to Disrupt podcast features Industry Dive co-founders and Penn State alumni Ryan Willumson and Sean Griffey. Industry Dive is a digital media company delivering business news and original analysis through targeted newsletters.

The Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) recently hosted the annual Pennsylvania SBDC Growth Conference, bringing together SBDC business consultants from across the state for professional development focused on emerging business trends, technologies and resources.

Invent Penn State’s NSF I-Corps Short Course is now accepting applications for its June virtual cohort, with an application deadline of Friday, May 30.

The Shenango LaunchBox powered by the Greater Sharon Community, along with the City of Sharon and the Community Foundation of Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio, have announced the eight local businesses that will receive a total of $150,000 in inaugural grant funding awarded through the Sharon Economic Development Fund. 

“Dare to Disrupt LIVE: Innovating the Future of Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure” brought together three Penn State alumni at the forefront of the electric-vehicle industry to explore the challenges and opportunities shaping its future. 

The Penn State Small Business Development Center will celebrate National Small Business Week from May 4–10 with a series of events designed to support and empower entrepreneurs. 

Matt Rhodes, past entrepreneur-in-residence of the Eberly College of Science’s Office for Innovation and managing director of 1855 Capital, recently received the inaugural Beecher Loftus Technology Transfer Catalyst Award at the 2025 Invent Penn State Venture and IP Conference, recognizing exceptional contributions to the commercialization of Penn State research-based technologies.

For the first time, the Tech Tournament technology showcase — held during the Invent Penn State Venture & IP Conference on April 10 — featured university innovators from across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The showcase highlighted 12 disruptive technologies and early-stage companies emerging from some of the state’s top research universities, including Penn State.

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Penn State Harrisburg kinesiology student, Erin Godfrey partnered with her husband — a law enforcement officer and defensive tactics instructor — to launch Joy Tac LLC, a company focused on developing a safer, more responsive firearm holster better aligned with modern training needs. Joy Tac recently won first place and $15,000 in the 2025 Invent Penn State Inc.U Competition.