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Brandywine LaunchBox holds first LionCage Pitch Competition

November 18, 2024

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 at Penn State Great Valley and presented in collaboration with United Way of Chester County, the one-day gathering offered new connections and access to inspiring creators and innovators who are transforming their industries and society.

The LionCage Pitch Competition is a new event that features pitch presentations from entrepreneurs and startup companies who compete for cash prizes while making new connections and bolstering their recognition. The competition had 63 applicants and 30 teams that were selected to pitch in five categories: New Startups, Penn State Students and Alumni, Social Impact Initiatives, Experienced Startups and Young Entrepreneurs, which featured high school students. Each category had one winner who was awarded $5,000 and one honorable mention who received a plaque. In addition, one team was awarded $10,000 for being named “Best of Show.”

New Startup
First Place: Lectra Technologies
Honorable Mention: EV Bots

Penn State Students and Alumni
First Place: Bottimals
Honorable Mention: SaveWare

Social Impact Initiative
First Place: The Community Grocer
Honorable Mention: BaKIT Box

Experienced Startups
First Place: H2O Connect
Honorable Mention: Cogwear

Young Entrepreneurs
First Place: Pathlight
Honorable Mention: Ace Tennis Academy

Best of Show
The Community Grocer

Stephen Stefanatos, a Brandywine student, and his team pitched their company, SponsorLabs at the LionCage Pitch Competition.

Brady Davidson (Penn State class of 2026) and Ryan Jai Hokimi (Penn State class of 2025) pitched their company, SaveWare.

Tejas Chigurupati, a Brandywine student, pitched his company PanicLock LLC at the LionCage Pitch Competition.

Jake Henry pitched his company, Lectra Technologies, at the LionCage Pitch Competition.

Bottimals are bottles with stuffed animals that help babies transition from nursing to bottle using their mother’s scent.

SaveWare won an honorable mention in the Penn State Students and Alumni category.

Julianne Gardner, a Penn State alumna, won first place for her company Bottimals in the Penn State Students and Alumni category.

H2O Connect won first place in the Experienced Startups category.

Ariyan Patel and his team won first place in the Young Entrepreneurs category.

The Community Grocer Wins the “Best of Show” Award

LionCage winners pictured with the event’s judges

Pathlight was coached by Tony Mattei, director of entrepreneurship and digital marketing at Penn State Brandywine.

Jake Henry won first place in the New Startup category.

Susan Springsteen won first place in the Experienced Startups category for her company, H2O Connect.

Two Penn State Brandywine students — second-year student Tejas Chigurupati and fourth-year student Stephen Stefanatos — pitched their startup companies at LionCage in the Penn State Student and Alumni category.

Julianne Gardner, a 2013 Penn State alumna, won first place in the Penn State Students and Alumni category for her company, Bottimals. Bottimals is a baby bottle with an animal attached to it with the goal of helping transition babies from nursing to bottle through their mother’s scent. Gardner noted how grateful she was for the experience to participate in LionCage.

“As a new business owner and entrepreneur, I was pleased to have the opportunity to participate in the LionCage Pitch Competition. I came in as a rookie and due to the coaching and mentoring received through the program, I was able to execute my pitch and win first place,” she said.

“It was a wonderful event to be able to connect with other like-minded people and receive feedback on my product and business. I appreciated the chance to be able to support others who are also trying to launch their own businesses. Overall, it was an incredible learning opportunity, and I look forward to getting more involved with LaunchBox and i2n.”

Two Penn State students — Brady Davidson (class of 2026) and Ryan Jai Hokimi (class of 2025) — received an honorable mention in the Penn State Student and Alumni category for their company, SaveWare, a platform that leverages artificial intelligence to automate the sales-tax refund process for businesses and tax firms.

“This event was a huge success. We had over 150 people in attendance, and everyone was very engaged,” said Tony Mattei, director of entrepreneurship and digital marketing at Penn State Brandywine and organizer of LionCage. “The pitch contestants brought their A-game, impressed the judges and wowed the audience. The future of entrepreneurship is in great hands.”

Judges for the pitch competition were Chris Bradley, part owner of i-core networks and Brandywine Advisory Board member; Faith Davis, lead of the Climate Change Venture Capital Fund at Exelon; Aaron Proietti, author of “Today’s Innovator” and former chief innovation officer at Transamerica; and Katie Teuber, director of startup engagement at Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs.

In addition to pitches, LionCage also featured keynote addresses from Teuber and Jen Gilburg, deputy secretary of technology and entrepreneurship for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

The next LionCage Pitch Competition is slated to be held in November 2025.

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