For almost 25 years, the Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has leveraged resources and services available at Penn State to businesses and entrepreneurs that have gone on to make big impacts on their industries and the community.
Elizabeth Hay, a business consultant from the Penn State Small Business Development Center, was awarded the highest honor and recognized as “State Star” by the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center for her outstanding performance and client success.
In the past year, Phospholutions CEO Hunter Swisher has expanded his business and raised over $10 million in venture capital funding to support the development of his technology after utilizing Penn State resources, like the SBDC, as an undergraduate.
The Penn State Small Business Development Center was awarded supplemental funding through the CARES Act which helped them to provide additional resources to help small businesses with their recovery during and after the pandemic.
The Innovation Park team at the Technology Center serves as a connector between startups, existing tenants, and Penn State business resources, such as Invent Penn State and the SBDC to help businesses seize opportunities for growth.
With the help of the CARES Act, the Penn State Small Business Development Center provided expanded services and resources to help small business owners and entrepreneurs recover during a period of significant upheaval following the pandemic.
Invent Penn State’s Tech Tournament showcased Penn State innovations and early-stage startups that leveraged support from organizations across the Penn State innovation ecosystem, including Invent Penn State and the SBDC.
Penn State alumnus Lou Gatto and his wife, Kathy, have committed $1.1 million to create the Gatto Global Social Impact Fund at Smeal, which supports Penn State's entrepreneurial programs, including Penn State’s SBDC and Invent Penn State.
During Penn State Startup Week, Lion LaunchPad hosted Startup Market, a resource fair featuring informational resources about accelerators, networking opportunities, and resources available to entrepreneurs, including the Penn State SBDC.
Ben Franklin’s TechCelerator@StateCollege offered its no-cost Business Startup Boot Camp, where entrepreneurs networked, discussed business models, were mentored by the Penn State SBDC staff, and had the chance to win up to $10,000.
