The Latest Invent Penn State News
January 24
2025
Reimagine your research: Apply for Invent Penn State NSF I-Corps Short Course

Invent Penn State’s NSF I-Corps Short Course is accepting applications for its virtual February cohort, with a deadline to apply of Jan. 31. The no-cost program helps researchers test a startup idea through customer interviews and educational programming on the lean startup methodology.  

January 24
2025
'Dare to Disrupt' features alum Paul Suhey on implementing urban-area EV charging

The latest episode of Invent Penn State’s Dare to Disrupt podcast features Paul Suhey, Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Revel. Paul shares how he drives Revel’s mission to accelerate electric vehicle (EV) adoption in U.S. cities by focusing on fast-charging infrastructure.

January 13
2025
PlantVillage empowers farmers around the world to combat climate change

PlantVillage, a Penn State-based research lab, is working with smallholder farmers in Africa, Asia and the Americas to adapt to climate-related challenges. To guide its expansion and commercial efforts, PlantVillage participated in the Invent Penn State NSF I-Corps regional short course, which helps researchers start on the path toward commercializing their innovations. 

January 13
2025
Penn State startup tackles chronic wounds with 'Plasma Patch'

Penn State startup Fourth State Therapeutics has developed a cold plasma-based technology called the Plasma Patch, intended to tackle chronic wound treatment. Fourth State participated in Invent Penn State’s Summer Founders Program and NSF I-Corps Short Course.

January 8
2025
Penn State students tackle farming challenges in Kenya with ShambaShare

Through Penn State’s Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship (HESE) program, Sam Marshall’s student startup team developed ShambaShare. They later won funding in the Invent Penn State Inc.U Competition to pilot their agricultural equipment-sharing platform in Africa.

December 6
2024
Veterans win startup funding through business bootcamp

Six veterans, including a Penn State Harrisburg student, were awarded funding to help launch their business ideas during the Veterans Business Bootcamp pitch competition hosted by Harrisburg LaunchBox powered by Penn State and the Rotary Veterans Initiative.

December 4
2024
Global Entrepreneurship Week at Penn State brought local entrepreneurs together

From Nov. 18-22, Penn State campuses and surrounding communities were full of entrepreneurial energy for Global Entrepreneurship Week 2024, offering a diverse array of events designed to inspire and connect innovators across the community.

December 2
2024
Alum Mario Ciabarra discusses delivering empathy at scale through AI and data

In the latest episode of Invent Penn State’s “Dare to Disrupt” podcast, host Ryan Newman interviews Mario Ciabarra, the chief executive officer and founder of Quantum Metric, a customer-centered digital analytics platform for today’s leading enterprise organizations. 

December 2
2024
Student startups: Attend a virtual info session on Inc.U Pitch Competition

Penn State undergraduate student startup teams from across Pennsylvania are invited to attend a virtual info session on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. to learn more about participating in the Invent Penn State Inc.U Competition. The session will cover the application and selection process as well as eligibility criteria.

November 27
2024
The five entrepreneurs who won the LionCage Pitch Competition

Thirty teams of entrepreneurs gathered on Nov. 8 at Penn State Great Valley for the LionCage Pitch Competition, where they showcased their companies to a panel of judges to seek business advice and compete for prize money. Each team had just five minutes to present their groundbreaking solutions to pressing issues such as healthy food access and navigation for people with low vision.