The Pennsylvania College of Technology, a Penn State affiliate, has opened a new space designed to support entrepreneurs seeking to turn their ideas into realities.
The Williamsport LaunchBox – a new collaboration space for student and community entrepreneurs – becomes the 24th innovation site in the Invent Penn State LaunchBox & Innovation Network.
“Through the Invent Penn State initiative – supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) – Penn College is poised to advance regional economic vitality and innovation,” Penn College President Michael J. Reed said in the announcement.
The space will “provide a wide array of low- to no-cost resources to innovators and startups.”
Entrepreneurs, students, or small-business owners can utilize the space’s resources and programs to accomplish critical steps in the business cycle. Offerings include access to the Dr. Welch Workshop: A Makerspace at Penn College, a conference room, several 3D printers, startup accelerator programs, legal and intellectual property resources, entrepreneurial and small-business workshops, and an expert speaker series.
“The LaunchBox & Innovation Network is a statewide economic development engine, supporting entrepreneurs and startups through no-cost resources like collaboration space, prototyping tools, business mentorship and access to capital,” Reed said.
Located in the Carl Building Technologies Center, the LaunchBox opened to Penn College students, faculty, staff, and the public on Oct. 20, with a dedication ceremony held on Nov. 6.
The space is open by appointment on Mondays and Fridays and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays. Reed noted that the network’s impact to date includes engaging more than 24,000 students and faculty and over 8,300 entrepreneurs, with 770 internships and 708 jobs created statewide.
The project is supported by donors including the Ken and Kristie Healy Foundation, Barbara B. Hudock, and Paul and Tom Kerr.
State officials at the opening linked the LaunchBox model to long-term community development and talent retention.
“We often hear about population loss, brain drain and other challenges; some of the things we need to think about are solutions,” said Richard P. Vilello Jr., deputy secretary of community affairs and development for the Pennsylvania DCED.
