MONT ALTO, Pa. ― The Mont Alto LaunchBox, a business incubator funded by a seed grant from Penn State’s Invent Penn State initiative, provides free services and assistance to aspiring entrepreneurs. During the month of November, it will offer three events to provide inspiration and education for business startups. The events are free of charge and open to the public.
Mont Alto LaunchBox Entrepreneur Information Session
Nov. 12, 12:20 p.m.-1:10 p.m., Wiestling Student Center, Penn State Mont Alto
Mike Unruh, Shippensburg Small Business Development Center director, will help individuals learn how to cultivate business ideas and find resources to launch their ideas into the marketplace. He will also provide preparation tips for those who wish to participate in the Mont Alto LaunchBox LION Tank Competition, an event where competitors pitch their business ideas in a Shark-tank-like event with the top two receiving mini-grants and gaining access to the Mont Alto LaunchBox facility for one year. The second annual LION Tank Competition will be held on March 15, 2019, in the General Studies Auditorium at Penn State Mont Alto. Sign up for the information session at montalto.psu.edu/launchbox/workshops. To enter the LION Tank Competition, submit business ideas at montalto.psu.edu/launchbox/liontank/apply.
Entrepreneurship Fall Forum — Nov. 14, 12:20-1:10 p.m.
Wiestling Student Center, Penn State Mont Alto
Two Penn State students who have established successful startups through the Happy Valley LaunchBox will share their insights and experiences about their start-ups. Shevy Karbasi, a biology major, has established a company called Moichor and invented a smartphone application and a test strip that gives a full blood count, with a small drop of blood, in just 30 seconds. The results can be sent via smartphone to a healthcare provider. Jobe Matula, a marketing major, has established a company called LiveFirst and invented a pet-proof trash can that pets cannot tip over. His product addresses the problem of pet poisonings when pets eat out of tipped-over trash cans.
Come hear and learn from their stories and get inspired about becoming a successful entrepreneur. This event is part of Penn State’s Global Entrepreneurship Week (gew.psu.edu), Nov. 7-15, 2018. Sign up for the session at montalto.psu.edu/launchbox/workshops.
Mont Alto LaunchBox Entrepreneur Workshop Series: “Business Marketing Basics: How to Get the Word Out About Your Business”
Nov. 29, 6-7 p.m., 40 North Second Street, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Presented by Kristen Joy Laidig, author, entrepreneur, and owner and manager of Chambersburg’s Toy Box Gifts & Wonder. Laidig is a serial entrepreneur who has turned her love of writing into a career of teaching authors and entrepreneurs how to create books through her internationally-known brand, The Book Ninja. Since 2003, she has authored over 32 books, started over 50 publishing companies, published over 200 books and e-books, taught hundreds of webinars, coached thousands of authors from ideas to published works, and has built a multi-six-figure business. Register to attend at montalto.psu.edu/launchbox/workshops.
For more information about the workshops, contact Debra Collins at [email protected] or 717-749-6112. More about the Mont Alto LaunchBox is available at montalto.psu.edu/launchbox and Invent Penn State at invent.psu.edu.
