STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Happy Valley LaunchBox is accepting applications for its second cohort for summer 2016. Interested business startups may apply online at http://launchbox.psu.edu/application and will participate in a competitive selection process. The application deadline is March 25.
Entrepreneurial teams from the community, as well as Penn State faculty, staff and students, with scalable business concepts, are encouraged to apply. Five to 10 LaunchTeams will be selected. Five teams are already working in the space.
LaunchBox offers a wide array of no-cost support services to selected teams, including:
- A 10-week business startup training program.
- Co-working space for up to nine months after training is completed.
- Professional consultation and research resources from Penn State Law and IP Clinics, Small Business Development Center, the Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship consulting solutions program, and University Libraries.
- One-on-one mentorship from local entrepreneurs and Penn State alumni.
- 24-hour access to the facility at 224 S. Allen St.
- Free Wi-Fi, video and teleconferencing capability.
During the 10-week program, LaunchTeams will commit to three hours per week for class and five hours per week out-of-class time. Classes will be held on evenings and weekends.
After the 10-week training, LaunchTeams will be eligible to retain their LaunchBox seats for an additional nine months to continue to develop their business concepts. Although Happy Valley LaunchBox does not provide funding, staff will connect teams that might need capital with potential investors when they are ready.
Located downtown State College at 224 S. Allen St. in the former Verizon building, Happy Valley LaunchBox also will serve as a walk-in information desk service for area entrepreneurs during weekday business hours in order to help them find the resources they need both inside Penn State and in the local community. The space will be open to the public beginning in April.
Happy Valley LaunchBox was created over many months with the help of numerous community collaborators, including New Leaf Initiative, Innoblue, Penn State Law, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, the Small Business Development Center, Innovation Park, CREN and the State College Borough.
The Invent Penn State initiative has provided seed grant funding for six additional entrepreneurship center programs in Commonwealth campus communities, including Abington, Erie, New Kensington, Harrisburg, Lehigh Valley, and Wilkes-Barre. LaunchBox programs have also been founded at Penn State Lehigh Valley and Abington.