Penn State Berks to host Global Entrepreneurship Week events, Nov. 18-22

WYOMISSING, Pa. — Penn State Berks will host a variety of events during Global Entrepreneurship Week 2024, set for Monday, Nov. 18, to Friday, Nov. 22. Events are sponsored by the college’s Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development (CEED) Center and the Berks LaunchBox in downtown Reading.

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 a spirit of innovation. Events include lectures, networking and workshops, and some require advanced registration.

Breaking Borders: How to Enter and Succeed in Global Markets
Tuesday, Nov. 19, noon-1 p.m., webinar
Advanced registration for Breaking Borders is required.
The Berks LaunchBox presents this webinar for aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals looking to expand their global reach. Led by Edvard Philipson, attendees will learn how to evaluate new markets, understand cultural and regulatory nuances, and build effective local partnerships. They also will gain practical advice from real-life case studies of market entry strategies and discover tips to overcome common challenges, including branding in different languages.

Philipson is a senior executive with more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries across international markets. His areas of expertise include startups, business transformation, strategy development, licensing and acquisitions, and regional management. He works as a business consultant, and he teaches business courses at several universities and colleges.

Augmented Innovation Workshop
Tuesday, Nov. 19, 1:20-2:30 p.m., Room 111 (CEED Center), Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building
The Flemming CEED Center will host the Augmented Innovation Workshop, where attendees will learn how to use generative AI in entrepreneurial ventures. Attendees are invited to bring their own devices (BYOD). Participants will prompt generative AI to pitch new products, and to evaluate product and service innovations using De Bono's Six Thinking Hats. There also will be a discussion on the ethical implications and challenges of using AI in entrepreneurship and innovation. This event is for Penn State Berks students, faculty and staff.

The workshop will be presented by Sarah Hartman-Caverly, a reference and instruction librarian at Penn State Berks. Her research examines the compatibility of human and machine autonomy from the perspective of intellectual freedom, including the privacy, intellectual property and creative augmentation implications of generative AI.

3D Printing Workshop
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 12:15-1:15 p.m., Room 111 (CEED Center), Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building
The Flemming CEED Center will host this workshop on how to use 3D printers for prototype building. Participants will learn about the software used to create prototypes and how 3D printers work. The workshop will be presented by mechanical engineering student Talan Nguyen. This event is free and open to the public.

Building a Culture of Innovation & Entrepreneurship Webinar
Thursday, Nov. 21, 9-10 a.m., webinar
Advanced registration is required for Building a Culture of Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
A university culture of innovation and entrepreneurship benefits students, faculty and the institution. However, building such a culture can be difficult, given limited resources and varied stakeholders. In this webinar, presenters Clif Kussmaul and Peter Carlos Okantey propose a multilevel approach, ranging from individual workshops, to multiday events, to course projects, to curricular structures. They will describe their experiences in a variety of contexts, and share lessons learned and ideas for future directions.

Kussmaul is principal consultant at Green Mango Associates, which focuses on software development and helping college and high school faculty to implement research-based learning practices. Formerly, he was an associate professor at Muhlenberg College, chief technology officer at Elegance Technologies, senior member of technical staff at NeST Technologies, and assistant professor at Moravian College. He was a Fulbright Specialist in Vietnam and Ghana and a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar in India.

Okantey is the founder, president and faculty member of the Palm University Foundation in Portland, Oregon, and Palm University in Accra, Ghana. He has more than 20 years of experience, managing a consulting business and nonprofit organization, and working within the private and nonprofit sectors. He taught at Portland State University’s School of Business, and served as director and faculty member at the William Ofori-Atta Institute of Integrity at Central University in Miotso, Ghana.

Upcycling Workshop
Thursday, Nov. 21, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Room 111 (CEED Center), Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building
In the Flemming CEED Center's Upcycling Workshop, attendees will bring their own garments and accessories and learn how to repurpose them with materials provided by the CEED Center. Dipti Bhatt, lecturer of business analytics and management at Penn State Berks, will facilitate. Previously, Bhatt managed research and reporting activities at Better Buying Institute, a nonprofit that helps fashion retailers and other CPG companies improve their purchasing practices towards a more sustainable supply chain management. She also has experience managing a global supply chain for a textile-buying house in India.

Business & Innovation Idea Challenge Award Ceremony
Friday, Nov. 22, 12:15-1:15 p.m., Room 121, Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building
During this event, the Business and Innovation Idea Challenge Awards will be presented. Abdullah Konak, distinguished professor of information sciences and technology, will moderate the ceremony.

Entrepreneurial Speaker Series: “Mentorship Meets Entrepreneurial Mindset”
Friday, Nov. 22, 12:15-1:15 p.m. Gaige 121, Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building
The Flemming CEED Center will present its biannual entrepreneurship speaker series. The panel will focus on the connection between mentorship and developing an entrepreneurial mindset. Speakers Catherine Connelly and Todd Schorle will discuss how mentorship helps individuals build the skills, resilience and innovative thinking needed to overcome challenges and take advantage of opportunities.

Connelly is the author of “Designing Success: Lessons from 20 Years as a Female Tech Entrepreneur.” She co-founded myYearbook at age 15 and grew it to become The Meet Group, a NASDAQ-listed social dating and livestreaming company. She was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Philadelphia region in 2011. Connelly has been featured on CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Fox News, BusinessWeek and CBS.

Schorle is manager of coaching at Pax8 Academy, which works with executive coaches to develop owners and operators in the managed IT service provider (MSPs) industry. He works with the leadership teams of MSPs to create growth and scalable business systems. Before joining Pax8, Schorle owned and managed an IT services firm from 1996 to 2019. He is a 2002 graduate of Penn State Berks with a bachelor of science in business management and marketing.

About the Flemming CEED Center

The Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development Center (CEED) 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. The CEED Center fosters economic growth and development in the Greater Reading area through technology-based solutions, human capital development, and enterprise creation. It provides student entrepreneurs with an incubator in which to develop their startup ideas and mentoring from faculty, as well as volunteers from the local business community. The CEED Center’s programs include the Customer Discovery Lab, Creativity Training Workshops, 3D Printing Workshops, Speaker Series, the STEM Business Idea Challenge, and the Student Enterprise Award. For more information, contact Sadan Kulturel-Konak, director of the CEED Center, 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, the Berks LaunchBox connects local early-stage 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 career success. For more information, visit berkslaunchbox.psu.edu or contact Erica Kunkel at 610-396-6221 or via email at [email protected].