A look at the impact of the Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank

By Staff Writer

The LaunchBox’s offerings are expansive, addressing various entrepreneurial needs:

• E-Ship CrashCourse is a one hour monthly overview of everything you need to know about entrepreneurship and starting a business in Happy Valley open to anyone to join no matter where they are in their journey.
• Digital TestLab enables individuals to harness the power of digital media, promoting their businesses online. Participants receive $300 for digital advertising and expert guidance to optimize and monitor these promotions.
• Idea TestLab provides a nurturing environment for budding ideas, with individuals getting $500 to test the viability of their concepts before they even launch a venture.
• MVP DevLab is designed for those ready to prototype a product or service, equipping them with $1,000 for their initial product launches.
• FastTrack Accelerator is a rigorous 10-week program that propels businesses to sales initiation or growth.

Furthermore, beyond just being an incubator, the LaunchBox is a vibrant community hub. It functions as a FREE co-working space open to the public from 8-5, Monday to Friday, offering free amenities like coffee, Wi-Fi, conference rooms, and an atmosphere that fosters creativity and inclusivity.

Despite our discussions and praises of LaunchBox’s services and resources in our articles on HappyValley Industry, we are curious about its tangible impact. What do the numbers show about its influence on the entrepreneurship scene?

Impact Metrics of the Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank for the 2022-23 Fiscal Year:

• $11,758,500 in investments to startups
• Engagement with 895 Penn State students
• Support to 238 entrepreneurs
• Introduction of 31 innovative products
• 95 teams graduating from their transformative accelerator programs
• Execution of 17 educational programs
• Providing 26 microgrants with a total of $26,164

Additionally, the LaunchBox undertakes initiatives beyond these metrics:

• Happy Valley LaunchBox is the host of the Invent Penn State Summer Founders program, offering student teams from around the state a $15,000 grant to spend their summer in Happy Valley developing their startups,
• The Happy Valley LaunchBox also proudly hosts two free Legal Clinics. the Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic, run by Tom Sharbaugh, aids entrepreneurs with legal counsel and documentation. the Intellectual Property Clinic, supervised by Jonathan D’Silva, assisting businesses in securing Trademarks, Copyrights, and Patents through complimentary legal advice and aid.

Lastly, Happy Valley LaunchBox recently celebrated the opening of its sister organization OriginLabs, which will broaden the horizon for local innovators. A state-of-the-art maker space, Origin Labs encourages community members, along with Penn State affiliates, to materialize their prototyping dreams, from CNC work and welding to laser printing and microelectronics.

While these numbers, programs, and offerings are undoubtedly impressive, Happy Valley Launchbox’s greatest success is not about investment dollars secured, products launched or jobs created; while those are all necessary parts of the puzzle, it all comes down to changing lives, as Jason Huber, coworking manager and startup consultant, told us in a past interview. He said, “Helping to change people’s lives is our greatest success story. A key part of what we do, in addition to helping people launch businesses, is building entrepreneurs. It’s exciting that we can connect them with so many experts and really smart people who can advance their ideas.”

Learn more about the Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank at happyvalley.launchbox.psu.edu

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