Overall Wrap Up News Release

April 28, 2022

Headline:

Invent Penn State’s Venture & IP Conference Brings Together the Foremost Leading Minds in Tech Entrepreneurship

 UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The most exceptional entrepreneurs out of Penn State gathered for Invent Penn State’s Venture & IP Conference. The two-day event brings together up and coming leading minds in entrepreneurship, venture capitalists, investors, sponsors and others for the opportunity to collaborate, network and support start-up companies with best practices on how to move their products and services to market.

The 2022 Invent Penn State’s Venture & IP Conference, held April 28-29 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center was back, live and in-person for the first time since 2019. The event brought 600 attendees and participants, 80 startups, and 40 venture capitalists – each working together to drive the efforts of entrepreneurs, researchers and others into the next phase of their businesses.

One of the largest tech start-up conferences in the Mid-Atlantic, the event highlights innovation from high-growth and emerging markets. The event shines a spotlight on Penn State’s robust and diverse technology entrepreneurial research efforts.

The Venture & IP Conference kicked off with a warm welcome from Dr. Eric Barron, president, Penn State, and presentations from 8 Penn State student start-ups, each of whom received $2,000 to help move their companies forward and into their next steps.

The Student Startup Showcase featured:

·      Eugene Ryoo, co-founder, Ballet Scout, a website for dancers to find auditions, training programs, and job opportunities.

·      Monem Rizvi, co-founder, Shamba Tek, seeking to radically change the productivity of small-scale farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and improve food insecurity by renting out agricultural equipment

·      Jake Grim, co-founder, Table Rock Markets, an agricultural-focused eCommerce platform designed to connect consumers with local producers by leveraging cloud-based technologies to build a more sustainable future.

·      Mikayla Agard, founder, Stack House Get Me Fit, adding variety to fitness routines by providing members with highly effective, customizable workouts centered around our unique stack class formats.

·      Nathan Bonslaver, co-founder, CarToCamp, a universally fitting sleeping platform for car camping which provides a flat area on top for two individuals to sleep and storage space underneath.

·      Marcella Marino, founder, MarRosa’s Old World Cuisine, an Italian specialty food line which currently has a marinara sauce, vodka sauce, and tomato basil sauce.

·      Joe Duncan, co-founder, Ithaka, a building software for landscapers which uses artificial intelligence to bring landscapers into the 21st century so that estimators, designers, and foreman can focus on what it is they do best.

·      Jaelyn Monroe, founder, Miss Monroe Collection, an organic and protective hair care company catering to the needs of people of color.

The two-day event also featured the Venture Connection rounds which included tables hosted by pre-selected investors who gave entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their businesses in a “speed-dating” style occasion. This gave start-ups the chance to share their visions and ask questions on next steps.

The first day rounded out with the Tech Tournament. The Tech Tournament is a dynamic and fast-paced competition featuring the best and brightest of Penn State’s early-stage innovators. The tournament showcases seven disruptive innovations with significant commercial potential. The seven competitors have the chance to win one of four monetary prizes to further their endeavors.

The final luncheon was hosted by James Pietropaolo, Associate Director of the Penn State Office of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization, who announced the four winners of the Tech Tournament.

·      1st Place was awarded to  _______________ for a $75,000 prize.

·      2nd Place was awarded to _______________ for a $50,000 prize

·      3rd Place was awarded to _________________ for a $25,000 prize

·      And People’s Choice was awarded to _____________ for a $10,000 prize

Entrepreneurs and investors also had the opportunity to partake in multiple panel discussions throughout the two-day event where they heard and learned from those who were once in their position and succeeded.

The event also included two prominent keynote sessions which detailed national market trends and how they are impacting small and midsized companies, and showcased Penn State alumni who founded startups and reached an estimation of $1 billion.

_________ from ___________ stated, “Invent Penn State’s Venture & IP Conference is a testament to our dedication to the advancement of entrepreneurs who are revolutionizing and completely disturbing the current marketspace for the betterment of not only our community, but hopefully, humankind. Our commitment to tech research starts and ends with the guarantee of furthering change in our world.”

For more information on Invent Penn State’s Venture & IP Conference, please visit invent.psu.edu.