Here’s How Penn State Helps Get Businesses Launched
In the years since it began as a land-grant institution aimed at providing an agricultural education, Penn State has been inspiring entrepreneurs, innovators and small-business owners, helping them move their ideas from research to the marketplace. It’s a mix of infrastructure, expertise and research … with a big helping of Penn State grit and innovation […]
Network with CREN During Global Entrepreneurship Week
On November 8-12, Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) Penn State will offer a weeklong celebration of entrepreneurship, startups and networking. Kicking off the week, Centre Region Entrepreneur Network (CREN) and Women’s Networking Group of State College will host a networking event at the brand-new Penn State Innovation Hub from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Monday, November 8. “CREN […]
Why Happy Valley’s Brain Belt Location Matters
Over the last 18 months, I’ve asked a lot of Happy Valley leaders about how they feel about working here. Here in this valley that’s built out of mountains and patchwork fields, startups and materials DNA and entrepreneurial grit, as opposed to Silicon Valley or Research Triangle. Does location even matter anymore, you might ask? […]
Magnitude Instruments is “Kicking Axis, Taking Names” While it Fuels Renewable Tech
5 Qs with Spectroscopy Founder Magnitude Instruments is a Ben Franklin-fueled startup with a mission: to make time-resolved spectroscopy available to everyone … not just the super nerds. “We’re democratizing it for all researchers,” says founder Eric Kennehan. And he says that incubating the company here in Happy Valley has been critical to their growing […]
It’s the Pits: Persea Naturals is Another Ben Franklin Success Story in the Making
Imagine mac and cheese, nacho chips and other packaged goods made with natural coloring that comes from avocado seeds instead of artificial colors. That’s the genius behind Persea Naturals and its flagship, patent-pending product, AvoColor. This disruptive natural food coloring compound produces colors ranging from yellow up to orangey-red. Virtually any food, beverage, baked good, […]
CREN is Back on August 5th -2
Centre Region Entrepreneurial Network (CREN), the Happy Valley group that enables random collisions of goodness in the spirit of entrepreneurship, is back to F2F meetings. “It doesn’t matter if you are a one-person company making candles or a big tech company, the challenges of entrepreneurship are the same,” says Videon chairperson and president Todd Erdley. […]
Centre Region Entrepreneur Network (CREN): Fostering a spirit of community, innovation and collaboration
“Silicon Valley is more of a spirit than a place,” says Todd Erdley, the founder, chairman and president of Videon. “And that spirit is based on entrepreneurs coming together, sharing best practices, enabling great outcomes, spurring one another on and fostering a sense of community.” Erdley started the Centre Region Entrepreneur Network (CREN) about 10 years ago […]
“Kudos to the Great Crazy Ideas that Change People’s Lives” – CREN Makes Magic with First Return Event
There’s something magical about meeting in person. Especially when it’s a meetup that includes “free beer, free food and free money,” as Todd Erdley puts it. On August 5, Centre Region Entrepreneur Network (CREN) met up after a long COVID-induced hiatus. Gathering outside Ben Franklin Technology Partners(BFTP/CNP) offices in Innovation Park, over 100 entrepreneurs celebrated […]
“A Hub for Innovators to Imagine and Pursue Ideas” Set Up Phospholutions for Growth & Expansion
“Something special is happening in Happy Valley,” Hunter Swisher, founder and CEO of Phospholutions, says. “Since the inception of Invent PSU, and thanks to the numerous members of the community that [prior to Invent PSU] were engaging and supporting startups, State College has now become a hub for innovators to imagine and pursue their ideas,” […]
