Global Entrepreneurship Week is the annual celebration of Penn State's year-round commitment to innovation. It brings together students, faculty, staff, and community members to promote the entrepreneurial spirit and cultivate startup businesses. Each November, Global Entrepreneurship Week inspires people everywhere through local, national, and global events to help them explore their potential as innovators and self-starters.
WYOMISSING, Pa — 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 (CEED) Center and the Berks LaunchBox in downtown Reading. All events are free and open to the public but advanced registration is required for some events.
Global Entrepreneurship Week occurs in more than 180 countries and averages over 10 million annual participants. For Penn State, the goal of Global Entrepreneurship Week is to connect the University and the local community through partnerships and promote innovative spirit. Events include lectures, networking, and workshops.
3D Printing Workshops Monday, Nov. 14, 12:15–1:15 p.m., CEED Center (Room 111), Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building
The Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development Center will host workshops on how to use 3D printers for prototype building. Participants will learn about the software used to create prototypes and how 3D printers work.
Drones in Industry: An Overview of State-of-the-Art Flying Robots Monday, Nov. 14, 5:30–7 p.m., Room 244, Gaige Building
Seating for this event is limited and advanced registration is required. Attendees are invited to enjoy a short networking and pizza social at 5:30 p.m. before the event begins at 6 p.m. Chase Murray, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering at the University at Buffalo, will discuss industry uses of drones, including infrastructure inspections, agricultural activities and parcel delivery. He will also talk about current drone hardware and software, and companies that are offering drone-based services. Murray will present his drone research at a non-technical level during an in-person lecture and webinar. Hosted by the CEED Center.
Webinar: High-Quality Sales Funnels: 3 L's to the Best Business Outcomes Tuesday, Nov. 15, 12:15–1:15 p.m., Berks LaunchBox
Advanced registration is required.
Join Jared Barto, CEO of Funnel Fixer-Upper, to learn how to set up your sales funnel to create a healthy and profitable business. This webinar will focus on 3 pillars (or L’s) that exist for every healthy and profitable business: life, leads, and legacy. Barto will discuss quality of life (areas like mindset, health, wellness, and relationships); quality of leads (communication methods, marketing strategies, and sales psychology): and quality of legacy (the greater impact business has when it starts to build teams, devise exit strategies for selling or investments, and the overall lasting effect as business owners in this world). Sponsored by the Berks LaunchBox.
Winning the Race with Diabetes: Turning a Life-Changing Diagnosis into a Social Entrepreneurship Opportunity Tuesday, Nov. 15, 6 p.m., Room 5, Luerssen Science Building
Team Skyline CEO Ryan Dewald will give a presentation on his experience as a professional cyclist living with Type 1 diabetes, and how that journey has spurred innovation and social entrepreneurship. Team Skyline is a professional cycling team that emphasizes health and wellness while participating in races across the globe. Hosted by the CEED Center.
Flemming CEED Center Open House Tuesday, Nov. 15, 6–7:30 p.m., CEED Center, Gaige Building
This event will allow attendees with innovative ideas to speak with faculty and staff and gain advice on prototyping, business startup and more. For more information, contact Sadan Kulturel-Konak, professor of management information systems and CEED Center director, at [email protected].
Risk Management for Startups Wednesday, Nov. 16, 12:15–1:15 p.m., 121 Gaige Building
Robin Shane, vice president and third-party risk manager at Tompkins Community Bank, and Adam P. Krick, CIA, CRMA, CFSA, vice president and director of enterprise risk management at Tompkins Financial Corporation, will give a presentation on how to navigate risk management while working for and/or developing startups. Hosted by the CEED Center.
Getting Started with Innovation: From Our Stories to Your Success Thursday, Nov. 17, 6:30–7:30 p.m., CEED Center, Gaige Building
Penn State Berks students Timour Almakaev, Eshani Das, Ishaan Deshpande and Alina Rodriguez will share their experiences with entrepreneurship and innovation. For more, contact Sadan Kulturel-Konak, professor of management information systems and Penn State Berks CEED Center director, at [email protected]. Hosted by the CEED Center.
About the Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development Center
The Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development Center was established in the fall of 2011 as part of the Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building. Its mission is to inspire an entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking in the Penn State Berks community and to foster economic growth and development in the Greater Reading area. For more information on Global Entrepreneurship Week, contact Sadan Kulturel-Konak, professor of management information systems and Penn State Berks CEED Center director, at [email protected].
About Berks LaunchBox
The mission of Berks LaunchBox, located in Suite 105 of the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in downtown Reading, is to support economic development and entrepreneurship. An innovation hub of Penn State Berks, Berks LaunchBox connects local entrepreneurs to the support, resources, and facilities that they need to build sustainable and scalable businesses with a viable plan for growth. Services include assistance with prototyping, conducting market research, and connecting with advisers. Berks LaunchBox offers entrepreneurship workshops, coworking space for startups, meetups focused on business development, a makerspace with 3D printers for prototyping, and special youth programs. Berks LaunchBox is supported by Invent Penn State — a commonwealth-wide initiative to spur economic development, job creation, and student success, launched by Penn State President Eric J. Barron in 2016. For more information, visit berkslaunchbox.psu.edu or contact Erica Kunkel, Berks LaunchBox interim director, at 610-396-6221 or via email at [email protected].
