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Brandywine LaunchBox News & Events

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Brandywine LaunchBox holds second annual LionCage Pitch Competition
The Brandywine LaunchBox partnered with the Great Valley LaunchBox and the Chester County Economic Development Council’s Ideas x Innovation Network (i2n) to present the second annual LionCage Pitch Competition on Nov. 14. The event highlighted entrepreneurs and innovators across southeastern...
Brandywine LaunchBox Hosts Dare to Disrupt LIVE!
We had the absolute honor of hosting this episode LIVE from the Brandywine LaunchBox, inside our brand-new makerspace at Penn State Brandywine—and it was unforgettable. Our guest, the founder and chairman of CTDI, Jerry Parsons, shares his story of building...
From Garage to Global: The CTDI Story with Founder Jerry Parsons
Want to hear the story behind a locally based tech company that went global? Join us for a special live recording of the Invent Penn State Dare to Disrupt podcast, presented by Brandywine LaunchBox powered by Penn State, featuring CTDI founder and chairman Jerry Parsons....
2025 Road to LionCage Social Impact Pitch Competition
Our July 23 stop on the Road to LionCage focused on Social Impact and hosted with Chester County United Way proved to be a resounding success!  With six presenters, four judges, three panelists and 48 audience members, it was an...
2025 Road to LionCage Open Category Pitch Competition
Our May 21 stop on the Road to LionCage hosted at The Discovery Labs in King of Prussia! This Open Category pitch session featured eight entrepreneurs competing for $500 and a spot at the main event in November. Congratulations to NoPlex for taking home the...
Brandywine hosts Main Line Chamber of Commerce for Workshop
For the second year in a row, Penn State Brandywine and the Brandywine LaunchBox hosted a workshop in collaboration with The Main Line Chamber of Commerce called "The Middle Market Business Growth Workshop." Multiple business owners across the region discussed...
Brandywine hosts youth STEAM event for middle school students
MEDIA, Pa. — The Brandywine LaunchBox held a Youth Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) and Startup Day for middle school students on May 15. More than 90 students from five local middle schools — Chester Charter Scholars Academy, Haverford Middle...
Brandywine LaunchBox hosts first Women Founders Pitch Competition
The Brandywine LaunchBox held its first Women Founders Pitch Competition on March 26. The event, which was held at Penn State Brandywine, is part of a series called "Road to LionCage," which features six small-scale pitch competitions that lead up...
Brandywine hosts Youth STEAM event for high school students
The Brandywine LaunchBox held a Youth Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) and Startup Day for high school students on March 12. More than 130 high school students from eight local high schools (Chester Charter Scholars Academy in Chester, Furness High...
Computer science student pursues passion for 3D printing through LaunchBox
Hunter Becker, a third-year computer science major, reflects on his Penn State Brandywine experience so far and how his involvement has helped him succeed. “I chose to attend Penn State Brandywine because it’s close to home, and my mom really...
Penn State Brandywine students raise $27,826.27 to fight childhood cancer
For Penn State students across Pennsylvania, one year of fundraising to support children fighting pediatric cancer culminated Feb. 21-23 in a 46-hour no-sleeping, no-sitting dance marathon at University Park in the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State THON raised a record $17,737,040.93...
Announcing the Road To LionCage
GET READY TO ROAR! Following the incredible success of LionCage 2024, we’re thrilled to unleash the ROAD TO LIONCAGE 2025! Prepare for an electrifying series of SIX smaller pitch competitions across the Greater Philadelphia region, running from March through October!...
Launch and Learn Workshop #5 – Prototyping and Testing: Building Your MVP
Overview: Entrepreneurs will focus on developing their Minimum Viable Product (MVP), the simplest version of their product or service that solves the core problem for customers. This workshop is all about building something quickly that can be tested in the...
Launch and Learn Workshop #6 – Marketing 101: Getting Your First Customers
Please note that this workshop has been rescheduled to April 17, 2025 at 12 p.m. Overview: During this workshop, the focus is on building a marketing strategy to attract and engage your first customers. This workshop covers the fundamentals of...
Launch and Learn Workshop #7 – Financial Basics: Managing Money and Resources
Overview: This workshop dives into the financial foundation every entrepreneur needs to build a sustainable business. This session focuses on understanding key financial concepts, managing cash flow, and creating simple financial projections. Entrepreneurs will learn how to keep their business...
Launch and Learn Workshop #8 – Sales Fundamentals for Founders
Overview: During this workshop, the focus shifts to sales—the critical skill of turning leads into paying customers. Entrepreneurs will learn how to build a sales strategy that works for their business, focusing on how to pitch their product or service,...
Launch and Learn Workshop #9 – Scaling Up: Managing Growth
Overview: During this workshop, the focus is on how to manage growth and scale a business effectively. Entrepreneurs will explore strategies for scaling their operations, managing increased demand, and building the systems needed to sustain growth. This workshop is designed...
Launch and Learn Workshop #10 – Building a Resilient Entrepreneurial Mindset
Overview: The final workshop is all about the mindset required to thrive as an entrepreneur. Building and growing a business is a long and challenging journey, so entrepreneurs need mental resilience and emotional intelligence to stay motivated through setbacks, failures,...
Brandywine LaunchBox holds first LionCage Pitch Competition
The Brandywine LaunchBox partnered with the Great Valley LaunchBox and the Chester County Economic Development Council’s Ideas x Innovation Network (i2n) to present the LionCage Pitch Competition on Nov. 8. The event highlighted entrepreneurs and innovators across southeastern Pennsylvania. Hosted...
Brandywine, Berks LaunchBoxes collaborate with Great Valley for pitch competition
Penn State Brandywine’s and Penn State Berks’ LaunchBoxes, powered by Penn State, collaborated with Penn State Great Valley to hold the fall 2024 Idea TestLab Pitch Competition on Nov. 4. Six startup entrepreneurs participated in the competition, which was held...
Brandywine LaunchBox Tables at The Global Impact Forum
On September 24, the Brandywine LaunchBox was invited to table at The Global Impact Forum: Accelerating AI for Good conference in Philadelphia, presented by Global Silicon Valley and Penn State University. The conference brought together leaders in education, artificial intelligence,...
Fall 2024 Idea TestLab – Applications Now Open!
The Brandywine LaunchBox is once again partnering with the Berks LaunchBox to be able to provide the Fall 2024 Idea TestLab program. Idea TestLab is a "customer discovery" investigation designed to help you better understand the customer, the problem you're...
Announcing LionCage Pitch Competition on November 8
The Brandywine LaunchBox is excited to announce a partnership with the Great Valley LaunchBox and i2n to deliver a new pitch competition to support entrepreneurs and innovators across all of southeastern Pennsylvania. Known as LionCage, the program features pitch presentations from...
Brandywine Hosts Annual Youth STEAM Event
The Brandywine LaunchBox held its annual Youth Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) and Startup Day on May 7. More than 60 seventh-grade students from four local middle schools (Haverford Middle School in Havertown, Lionville Middle School in Exton,...
Brandywine Entrepreneurship Club Hosts First Student Pitch Competition
Penn State Brandywine’s Entrepreneurship Club hosted a student pitch competition, its first major event as a student organization, on March 28. The competition featured six students in the club pitching their startup ideas to a panel of judges. The Entrepreneurship...
Brandywine Hosts Spring 2024 Idea TestLab Pitch Competition
The Penn State Brandywine LaunchBox held its Spring 2024 Idea TestLab Pitch Competition on March 19. Four startup entrepreneurs participated in the competition, which was held on campus in the Tomezsko Classroom Building. The Idea TestLab is a six-week business...
Mastering Sales Conversations
FREE WEBINAR! Wednesday, February 21, 2024: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Mastering Sales Conversations. With Strategies for Startup Success Join us for an insightful webinar that delves into the art of effective sales strategies tailored for young businesses. In this session,...
Marketing with AI for Beginners
FREE WEBINAR! Wednesday, January 24, 2024: 6 – 7 p.m. Marketing with Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Beginners In this hands-on webinar, we will delve into the transformative power of artificial intelligence in the realm of marketing. Participants will gain practical...
Brandywine and Berks LaunchBoxes collaborate for Idea TestLab Pitch Competition
Penn State Brandywine’s and Penn State Berks’ LaunchBoxes, powered by Penn State, collaborated with Penn State Great Valley to hold the Fall 2023 Idea TestLab Pitch Competition on Wednesday, Nov. 8. Nine startup entrepreneurs participated in the competition, which was...
Penn State Brandywine and Berks collaborate for Idea TestLab at Great Valley
Penn State Brandywine’s and Penn State Berks’ LaunchBoxes collaborated with Penn State Great Valley to hold the Fall 2023 Idea TestLab Pitch Competition on Wednesday, Nov. 8. Nine startup business owners participated in the competition, which included two students from...
Brandywine student receives funding for small business through Invent Penn State
Khalid Jordan, a third-year business major at Penn State Brandywine, was one of eight Penn State students across the commonwealth to receive funding for his small business at the 2023 Invent Penn State Venture & IP Conference in Hershey on Oct. 16. Each student’s...
Featured Speaker at InBIA Ecosystem Builders Forum – October 2, 2023
Tony Mattei, interim director of innovation and entrepreneurship at Penn State Brandywine and the Brandywine LaunchBox, will be a featured speaker at the International Business Innovation Association’s e.Builders Forum on October 2. He, along with James Delattre (director in the...
Fall 2023 Idea TestLab
Have a business idea? Figure out how to turn it into a viable business. Idea TestLab is a "customer discovery" investigation designed to help you better understand the customer, the problem you're trying to solve, and how to provide value...
Brandywine LaunchBox Hosts Inaugural Networking Night
Brandywine LaunchBox hosted its first Networking Night. The event included an Open House and Idea TestLab Pitch Competition at Brandywine LaunchBox on November 7, 2022. Click here to read the full story!
Brandywine LaunchBox Celebrates Grand Opening
Joined by several dozen community leaders, elected officials and business owners, former Penn State University President Eric J. Barron and Penn State Brandywine Chancellor Marilyn J. Wells presided over a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony on March 18, 2022 to mark...
Invent Penn State News
February 6 2026

Penn State researcher turns decades of turfgrass work into startup success

David Huff, professor of turfgrass breeding and genetics at Penn State, recently earned the Research Innovator Award through the College of Agricultural Sciences for the research and entrepreneurial leadership that led to the founding of his startup, PennPoa. To launch his turfgrass startup, Huff utilized Penn State entrepreneurial resources. 
January 21 2026

Penn State York LaunchBox to host AI workshop for manufacturing leaders

Penn State York LaunchBox is hosting a hands-on workshop for area manufacturing leaders on Thursday, Jan. 29.
January 16 2026

Internship, hands-on experience makes business bloom for Abington student

Penn State Abington student Alina Ortiz combines creativity and the Abington Experience to grow her floral design business.
January 15 2026

Penn State programs help 'Changemaker' make difference, earn recognition

Jakyra Simpson is using Penn State resources to help her grow her business that teaches kids STEM concepts in an innovative and hands-on way.
January 6 2026

Accelerate research impact with the Invent Penn State NSF I-Corps Short Course

Invent Penn State’s NSF I-Corps Short Course is accepting applications for its virtual January/February cohort. The no-cost program helps researchers test a startup idea through customer interviews and educational programming on the lean startup methodology.
January 5 2026

Moving neural implant research closer to commercialization

A startup based on research conducted at Penn State is developing a soft, minimally invasive neural implant intended to reduce inflammation and improve communication with the brain for individuals with drug-resistant epilepsy or living with paralysis. The team recently participated in the Invent Penn State U.S. National Science Foundation I-Corps regional short course to learn more about how their product...