Invent Penn State: Facilitating Connections and Creating an Ecosystem Where Entrepreneurs Can Thrive
In just its first year of operation, the Invent Penn State initiative has created or strengthened several new promising programs to support a culture of entrepreneurship in the Penn State community across the Commonwealth.
According to Nena Ellis Koschny, Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications for Invent Penn State, there is daily work being done to continue to grow the initiative and its eco-system.
“What we do is look at the gaps in resources—space, funding for commercialization, investment, a lack of business training—and we work to facilitate the creation of resources,” Koschny said.
Invent Penn State, she explained, aims to create, coordinate, improve, and communicate about entrepreneurship-focused academic programs, business startup training, space for incubation, funding for commercialization (intellectual property licensing or startups), and visibility and access to Penn State programs, intellectual property, and startups.
A hidden Innovation Park gem is operating 24/7 to bring life-saving alerts to a 33-county area.
Between social media, newspapers, and TV broadcasts, there is no shortage of weather-related information floating around. Providers boast top-notch technologies that ensure precise and timely data. But if the only way to stay ahead of the storm would be to constantly refresh an Internet browser, how often would we be blindsided? What if we stepped away from the screen for a moment too long, missing the memo on an upcoming tornado or flashflood?
Cue the National Weather Service (NWS). They’re responsible for the public advisories, watches, and warnings that are streamed with no initiative required on our part. They bring us information about imminent, potentially catastrophic weather conditions in time to stay off the road and seek shelter.
Read more: National Weather Service: Providing Life-Saving Alerts to Our Community
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA — Dr. Andrew Patterson and his team are taking on a potentially silent killer that plagues nearly a third of Americans. His team is Heliome Biotech, and with a market that broad, the startup's potential impact is massive.
Patterson formed Heliome Biotech in the fall of 2015 with the goal of commercializing technology that combats non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NAFLD is often asymptomatic and goes undetected, but it can lead to more serious complications.
"Fatty liver disease is a growing problem," said Patterson, "so the applications of our technology are widespread." In NASH, the fatty liver becomes inflamed and damaged, with the possibility of progression into fibrosis, liver failure and cirrhosis, ultimately requiring transplantation.
Read more: TechCelerator Grad Hopes to Commercialize Cure for Prevalent Disease
President Barron Makes Appearance
On April 12, the Ben Franklin Networking Luncheon, a monthly event, brought together individuals from various Innovation Park resident companies.
Penn State President Dr. Eric Barron, who had been touring the Technology Center earlier in the day, stopped by the luncheon and spoke briefly about Invent Penn State. He described the four-pronged initiative: incentivizing entrepreneurship for faculty and staff, garnering visibility through the creation of a branded Penn State platform to pull in angel investors and venture capitalists, creating an ecosystem across all Penn State campuses, and focusing on involving and energizing students.
Read more: Ben Franklin Technology Partners Host Networking Luncheon
Congratulations to Kevin M. McGarry, CPA, who was appointed as Partner with the regional accounting and consulting firm Urish Popeck (effective January 1, 2016).