To request a meeting, please complete the questions below.
Providing this background helps us understand the state of your business, the types of resources that may be best, and makes for a more productive first meeting.
After submitting answers, you will be contacted with open days/times to meet. At this meeting, we'll talk about next steps and you can schedule a follow-up meeting if desired.
We're excited to learn about what you're working on.
Best,
Lee Erickson, Chief Amplifier
The Summer Founders program gives Penn State teams $10,000 to work on their startup, social good, or non-profit idea for the summer. The program, in partnership with Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank, also provides mentorship and resources to help entrepreneurs to scale their new ventures.
Eligibility:
- At least one co-founder on the team must be a Penn State student in good standing.
- Students from all Penn State campuses and student scheduled to graduate May 2019 are eligible.
- Founders must commit to working full-time on their venture in State College, PA for the duration of the program - May 15th through Aug 7th. Founders can not have part-time or full-time jobs/internships, or be signed up for in-residence or online classes.
Benefits of participation:
- Teams have 24×7 access to the LaunchBox facility and space in one of our team rooms, with free Wi-Fi, coffee, and printing.
- Participants may be eligible to receive an additional $3,000 to support customer discovery and travel expenses through Invent Penn State NSF I-Corps Site program.
- Participants have access to mentors and other entrepreneurs to grow their network and accelerate their new venture.
- Participants meet with other founders, local business leaders, and experts weekly over dinner to discuss their current challenges, share successes, and learn from each other.
Key dates:
- Applications close: Feb 15th at midnight
- Team interviews: Feb 25th-26th, teams will be notified via email by Feb 21st if they have been extended an interview
- Teams selected and notified: Feb 27th
- Kickoff team dinner: March 19th, 5:30 - 7:30 at Happy Valley LaunchBox
- Weekly team dinners: May 15th through July 31st
- Startup Showcase Event: Aug 7th
Best,
Lee Erickson
Chief Amplifier, Happy Valley LaunchBox, powered by PNC Bank
Our 4-week Idea TestLab helps you get a better handle on what problem your customer really has, where they hang out, and what value you can provide that others can’t.
The Idea TestLab is open to the public, as well as Penn State affiliated individuals (students, staff, and faculty), and includes:
- 4 weekly 2-hour sessions where all teams learn about customer discovery tips and techniques and receive guidance on how to apply these techniques to their specific idea
- 24x7 access to our facility for the duration of the program
- Optional 1-on-1 coaching
By the end of the program, you’ll have a clearer idea of the problem, or job, your customer is trying to accomplish, what they are doing now to solve it, how that's working, what motivates them to keep looking for a solution, and how you can provide value to them with your solution.
Key dates:
- The 2-hour group meetings will be held from 6-8PM on the following dates here at the LaunchBox: Feb 12, 19, 26, and Mar 12.
- Optional 30-minute 1-on-1 mentor meetings can be scheduled during open officehours.
We look forward to reviewing your application.
Best,
Lee Erickson
Chief Amplifier, Happy Valley LaunchBox
