Two Penn State Berks LaunchBox co-working companies are celebrating major milestones for their startups this week. Ocoa, formerly known as DN Organics, announced its official rebrand and two new product lines on Wednesday, March 1. In addition, CarToCamp is celebrating its first year in business this week by rolling out its “V2,” the next generation of its sleeping platform with improved design and storage.
Each spring, Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC brings together the best and brightest Penn State student and alumni entrepreneurs and innovators for a weeklong celebration of what happens when Penn State’s inspired doers put their ideas into action.
The Berks LaunchBox powered by Penn State recently received a $53,000 grant from the County of Berks. Working with Furniture Soup, Berks LaunchBox will use most of the funding to revamp the coworking space with new desks, storage and sound dampening, and to add a small meeting space for entrepreneurs to work collaboratively, as well as other purposes.
The program supports entrepreneurs who have a small business or are developing a business related to the arts. Funding ranges from $500 to $2,000, which must be used to support business formation or development. Eligible entrepreneurs must have at least one consultation with Berks LaunchBox staff to review their business plan.
In December 2022, the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts hosted its first official class in partnership with Berks LaunchBox and sold out. Open to members of the community, those in attendance began taking the steps necessary to craft their very own wooden coasters, made from scratch.
“It's great to be able to expose the students to the space and the resources that the LaunchBox has to offer,” said Associate Teaching Professor of Engineering Marietta Scanlon. “Being able to work with the Berks LaunchBox has added another dimension to the course and extends the Berks campus to the city of Reading, providing our engineering students with even more opportunities.”
Berks LaunchBox powered by Penn State recently announced the winners of its Idea TestLab accelerator pitch competition. CataPalloVR earned first place with Natural Skincare taking second place. Multi-Pet Feeding Station and Don’t Quit Branding tied for third place.
Penn State Berks will host a variety of events during Global Entrepreneurship Week from Monday, Nov. 14, to Thursday, Nov. 17. Events are sponsored by the college’s Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development Center and the Berks LaunchBox in downtown Reading.
Berks LaunchBox powered by Penn State recently announced the winners of its third pitch competition. DN Organics took first place and Paragon Behavioral Health took second. Both companies received $125 in seed funding from the LaunchBox.
"A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence" concluded on June 30, raising more than $2.2 billion for the three key imperatives of a modern land-grant institution: opening the doors of higher education to students from every background; creating transformative experiences for both students and citizens; and impacting the larger world through research, outreach and service. While the nearly $844.5 million raised for the last imperative advanced a wide range of priorities across the University, the campaign focused attention on three opportunities for impact: economic development, resource security, and human health.
