UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Startups will compete for up to $5,000 in the Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank FastTrack Accelerator pitch competition on Nov. 16 from 6-8 p.m. at the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub during Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) Penn State.
FastTrack Accelerator, a 10-week startup accelerator, is open to community members and Penn State students, staff, and faculty. It focuses on helping participants build an actionable plan to launch a business, test the market quickly, and build a solution based on customer feedback.
Pitch competition attendance is open to the public, and those interested in attending can register at no cost.
“We’re excited to host our first-ever FastTrack Accelerator pitch competition, in which startups compete to win up to $5,000 to go toward growing their business,” said Elizabeth Hay, Jack White Family Director at Happy Valley LaunchBox. “We have a diverse group of startups that have grown tremendously throughout our program, and we’re excited to see how the teams pull everything together in their final pitches. Regardless of the results of the competition, we look forward to following and supporting the continued journeys of the founders.”
Below are participating FastTrack Accelerator startups:
- Eartrainer, which allows music teachers to create listening assignments and have them automatically graded. Teachers can use their own recordings, generate new ones, or choose from a community database. The startup is founded by James Dennis, a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in piano performance.
- Koveroo Bedding, which designs a blanket with an integrated pocket that keeps people dry and warm while attending outdoor events in inclement weather. The startup is founded by community entrepreneurs Aquito Young and Justin Thomas.
- Liberate the Block, LLC, which provides institutions with a database of high-quality educational and mental wellness solutions for Black, Indigenous, & People of Color (BIPOC) to achieve their wildest dreams. The startup is founded by community entrepreneurs Nelson Zounlome, Thea Cola and Lei Wang.
- VertaWorks, which is innovating how homeowners and businesses express themselves by designing automated flag display systems that allow people to show support for their country, favorite sports team, social movement, or anything else effortlessly and respectfully. The startup is founded by Kyle-David Byrne, a fourth-year student studying economics.
- WeAreHousing, an all-in-one, privacy-centric, digital platform that revolutionizes the housing process for tenants and landlords by helping tenants find reliable, convenient, and up-to-date housing. The startup is led by Spenser McLaughlin, a second-year student studying cybersecurity, Tanishq Barot, a third-year student studying human-centered design and development, Carolyn Hearn, a second-year student studying real estate, and Max Krasowitz, a third-year student studying enterprise technology integration, computer and information sciences and support services.
- Basketball Today, which provides a new take on traditional sports media through social media channels that post NBA news, highlights, and content that Gen-Z can trust and consume as its go-to for basketball news and entertainment. The startup is founded by Justin Leusner, a second-year student studying corporate innovation and entrepreneurship.
Through the no-cost program, founders retained all rights to their ideas and received access to LaunchBox’s network of more than 60 advisers. Teams also benefited from 1-on-1 weekly mentoring sessions with experienced entrepreneurs and mentors at the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub.
While judges deliberate after pitches and before final winners are announced, Darrell Alston, CEO of Bungee Oblečení, a Philadelphia-based luxury sneaker and apparel company, will speak on design, marketing and manufacturing aspects of the apparel industry. Immediately following the pitch competition, Alston, also the Bishoff Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the College of Engineering’s Engineering Entrepreneurship Program, will host a design workshop where startup ideas collide with user-centered designs. This workshop will be a hands-on experience where teams arrive at a user-centered solution while working together to create the next big show fashion brand.
Applications for the next FastTrack Accelerator cohort are scheduled to open on Dec. 14.
Visit the GEW Penn State schedule for a full list of events.
About Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank
Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank provides early-stage startups with support and resources they need to build a sustainable and scalable business and a viable plan for growth. No-cost programs and services include coworking space, accelerator programs, legal and intellectual property resources, and expert mentorships from Penn State’s extensive network. LaunchBox is open to everyone — community members and those affiliated with Penn State. Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank is a signature program of the Invent Penn State initiative and one of 21 innovation spaces located in Penn State campus communities across Pennsylvania.