Penn State News
Three research-based startups win funding in Invent Penn State Tech Tournament
April 17, 2025
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.
Penn State Harrisburg student, veteran reinvents firearm holsters
April 17, 2025
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.
Penn State Berks students receive Student Enterprise Award funding
April 16, 2025
The Penn State Berks Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development (CEED) Center hosted its annual Student Enterprise Award ceremony on March 24. The award provides seed money to support enterprising and innovative students and allow them to utilize their Penn State Berks education to become entrepreneurs.
Berks LaunchBox fuels entrepreneurial growth and innovation in local community
April 9, 2025
Throughout 2024, Berks LaunchBox has continued accelerating startup growth in the Berks County community. In the last year, Berks LaunchBox has assisted 229 new entrepreneurs, taught new skills to 708 community members in its Makerspace, offered entrepreneurship classes to 463 community members, and impacted 339 students.
Alum Birgitt Boschitsch discusses taking her research to market
April 8, 2025
The latest episode of Invent Penn State’s "Dare to Disrupt" podcast features Birgitt Boschitsch, co-founder and CEO of spotLESS Materials, an advanced materials company and Penn State spinoff commercializing highly repellent, anti-fouling coatings. The startup is currently offering to consumers a toilet coating that repels sticky waste.
Five student startups win funding in Invent Penn State Inc.U Competition
April 8, 2025
Joy Tac LLC, a student startup from Penn State Harrisburg, won first place and $15,000 in the 2025 Invent Penn State Inc.U Competition. As a kickoff to Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC, six student teams from four Penn State campuses pitched their startups to a panel of judges, competing for prizes totaling $30,000 in funding.
Scranton health and human development alumna combines passion, entrepreneurship
March 24, 2025
Alumna Emily Pinto credits her experience at Penn State Scranton, where she earned a bachelor's degree in human development and family studies, with giving her the tools she needed to open her own business.
Explore innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities at Penn State this March
March 16, 2025
Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC will take place March 24-28, offering students across the commonwealth the chance to engage with the University’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem through a variety of free events.
AI-powered cooling startup aims to boost data center efficiency
March 13, 2025
NexDCCool Technologies, a Penn State research-based startup launched by Wangda Zuo’s lab, is developing a platform powered by artificial intelligence that aims to optimize the cooling systems in data centers, which would help maximize IT capacity by reducing cooling demand.