UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — When his wife, Kat Mackenzie, suffered a massive stroke, Max Justice — a cybersecurity doctoral student at the time — began researching ways to support her recovery. He discovered research by Paul Stamets, a renowned U.S. mycologist, on the numerous health benefits associated with mushrooms. After regularly taking lion’s mane mushroom in capsule form, Mackenzie noticed significant cognitive improvement.
However, the mushroom capsules were expensive, so Mackenzie decided to start growing her own mushrooms in their garage. She found joy in the process and soon began selling them at local farmer’s markets. In 2020, the couple officially launched Setas Mushrooms. As demand grew, they quickly outgrew their garage, producing hundreds of pounds of mushrooms weekly. By 2022, they had purchased a farm in Greencastle, Pennsylvania.
Setas Mushrooms now sells fresh mushrooms, mushroom grow kits, medicinal tinctures and more.
Justice’s mushroom business journey didn’t stop there. When his younger sister suddenly passed away, Justice said he learned that the cremation process releases a significant amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and traditional burial options, like steel coffins and concrete vaults, also contribute to carbon dioxide pollution. He knew there had to be a better solution.
“I kept asking why — why are we burying people in steel coffins, wood, cloth liners or wool shrouds?” Justice said. “I wondered: Can we get to a carbon-negative option? And I found it — in fact, I grow it. I grow coffins that are carbon negative.”
In August 2024, Justice launched Setas Eternal Living. His flagship product, MyCoffin, is a biodegradable coffin made from mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms.
“We’re the only ones growing coffins in the United States, disrupting the funeral industry like no one else,” Justice said.
A Pennsylvania native and longtime fan of Penn State, Justice reached out to the Penn State Law Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic (EAC) to establish Setas Eternal Living as an LLC. The EAC also helped Setas Mushrooms define its organizational structure and register as a woman-owned business.
"They helped me understand the next steps, the necessary documents, and why an LLC was the right choice over other business entities,” Justice explained. “Even with my MBA and business experience, their support with the legal details was invaluable, allowing me to get the help I needed quickly."
Justice also utilized the Penn State Law Intellectual Property Clinic (IPC) to learn what could be trademarked or registered.
"I wasn’t sure how to determine what qualifies as valuable IP,” Justice said. “If you're starting something new, don't share it publicly until you've consulted the IP Clinic. They guide you through what’s possible and what isn’t. While the final decision is yours, they provide informed advice and best practices, which can be hard to find and understand on your own with so much conflicting information online."
Additionally, Justice participated in Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank’s Idea TestLab and received support from Ben Franklin Technology Partners. The Idea TestLab helped him explore how mushrooms could serve different industries and understand the distinct marketing and data requirements for each.
“I highly encourage anyone with an innovative solution to reach out to your local LaunchBox coordinator and utilize the EAC and IPC,” Justice said. “The clinics provide a plethora of resources. I’ve been in the business world for over 25 years, and I’ll always return to Penn State for their clinics."
Justice invites anyone curious about mushroom farming to come visit the Setas Mushrooms farm.
About the Penn State Law clinics
Penn State Law offers two cost-free legal clinics to Pennsylvania entrepreneurs — the Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic (EAC) and the Intellectual Property Clinic (IPC) — both of which are staffed by law students who work under the supervision of full-time lawyers. The IPC provides intellectual property services related to patents, trademarks, trade secrets and copyrights. The EAC offers counseling, document drafting, and entity formation assistance to startups and small businesses that otherwise would be unable to afford traditional legal assistance.
Although physically located at the Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank in downtown State College, the EAC serves all of Pennsylvania through videoconferencing. Potential clients who are interested in obtaining services from the EAC should submit an intake form.
This program is supported by Invent Penn State, a commonwealth-wide initiative to spur economic development, job creation and student career success.
This project was financed in part by a grant from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community & Economic Development.