Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC

All but one event are being held virtually and all are free and open to the public! You will need to create a free account to register for most of the webinars.

A New Patent Pro Bono Program for Pennsylvania

The Penn State Law in University Park Intellectual Property Law Clinic (IPC) recently announced a collaboration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) establishing a new Patent Pro Bono Program for Pennsylvania. The Penn State Law IPC will serve as a clearinghouse for the program to connect volunteer patent practitioners with eligible inventors seeking legal assistance to help prepare, file, and prosecute patent applications. Volunteer practitioners will provide their legal services free of charge to qualified inventors under the program.

Monday March 20, 2023 11:45am – 12:45pm EDT

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Selling Internationally: Basics of Exporting

Kristin Sassi, consultant manager of the Wilkes (SBDC), will share insights and tips on the basics of exporting. Her webinar will cover the following:

  • Reasons your company should consider exporting
  • Risks of exporting
  • Exporting process
  • Determining export potential and readiness
  • Developing an export plan
  • Available export assistance resources

Monday March 20, 2023 12:00pm – 1:15pm EDT

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Organizational Communication as a Tool to Exponentially Grow Your Business

Presented in Spanish

Julia Tavarez will speak about the power of effective organizational communication and how to harness it to grow your business. This webinar is presented in Spanish in partnership with the Berks LaunchBox and Abington LaunchBox.

Monday, March 20, 7 p.m. via Zoom

No registration required. CLICK HERE TO WATCH LIVE>>

Demystifying Venture Capital

Learn the ins and outs of Venture Capital with Eric Franchi. Eric Franchi serves as General Partner at AperiamVentures, a specialist venture capital firm focused on advertising and marketing technology with investments in over 50 companies.

Tuesday March 21, 2023 11:15am – 12:15pm EDT

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Funding and Scaling your Startup

Are you curious about what it takes to scale your idea or startup? Hear startup stories and learn tips and tricks from successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. Moderator Matt Brezina will facilitate a discussion with Joseph Kitonga, Founder of Vitable Health, and Tom Ayling, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Gisual.

Tuesday March 21, 2023 12:30pm – 1:30pm EDT

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How to Win a Government Contract as a Minority Business Owner

Are you a minority business owner? Join us to learn how to win a government contract! We will empower qualified business entities to work with Federal, State, and Municipal governments by way of bidding to supply contracted services to government entities. Our event will host speakers from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the Department of General Services, the Penn State Law Clinic, and the City of Wilkes Barre. Topics to be covered include types of contracts each entity works with, how to apply for contracts, how to register as a vendor, and any vendor requirements. 

Tuesday, March 21, 2023: 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. via Zoom

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Demystifying Venture Capital
Learn the ins and outs of Venture Capital with Eric Franchi. Eric Franchi serves as General Partner at AperiamVentures, a specialist venture capital firm focused on advertising and marketing technology with investments in over 50 companies.
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. EDT
Reaching Your Goals without Burning Out
Whether you’re starting a business, leading a team, or working to leave a positive mark on the world, you have goals and aspirations. However, reaching those goals is not always easy (especially over the past few years). With limited time, energy, and resources, how do we maximize our potential for impact without burning ourselves (or others) out?

Wednesday, March 22, 2023 12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. EDT

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Have Some Fun Today – A Startup Journey
Join us to learn about the entrepreneurial journey of Steph Rado Taormina, Founder & CEO of Have Some Fun Today. Stephanie founded Have Some Fun Today to share her passion for finding the joy in life. She started with a t-shirt, a tote bag, and those four words her father always said, and has since created a brand, a mindset, and a philosophy that connects with her customers. It’s the beauty of that connection with people that inspires her to keep sharing the message. ”My mission is to help shift people’s mindset to include Having Some Fun every day and to make people smile through my designs.”

Monday, March 20, 2023 2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. EDT

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Female Entrepreneurs of Color Roundtable Discussion
Join us for the Female Entrepreneurs of Color Roundtable Discussion. Our speakers from earlier in the day – Prerana Dalal, Kenya Crawford, Haley McClain Hill, and Ayeshah Abuelhiga – join forces to share their journeys as female entrepreneurs of color. Rahwa Teklai, Senior Vice President and Market Leader for PNC Private Bank in Central Pennsylvania, will moderate this roundtable discussion.

Thursday, March 23, 2023 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. EDT

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Pivot or Press On? The Key to Startup Success

In person at the Berks LaunchBox

How do you recognize when it’s time to move on from a failing idea, without feeling like you’re giving up? This panel discussion features three business owners who have had to learn from failure, pivot, and make hard choices to build sustainable and profitable businesses. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from their experiences to de-risk and grow your business while also getting an opportunity to network with them and other entrepreneurs in the region.

6-8pm networking and panel discussion
· Justin Spannuth – VP/COO of Unique Snacks
· Adrean Turner – CEO of Turner Coaching, Training & Consulting, LLC
· Lucine Sihelnik – Co-Owner of the Great American Creamery Company
· Moderator – Jobany Bedoya, Owner Red Tie Affairs and Diversity Mixers
Thursday, March 23, 2023 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. EDT

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Building Backwards to Biotech: The Power of Entrepreneurship to Drive Cutting-Edge Science to Market
Ever wondered how research makes it out of the lab and to patients? Start-ups, entrepreneurship, and biotechnology are proven methods for bringing novel science off the bench and to the market, where they have the potential to impact real people’s health and lives for the better. Stephanie Wisner will share her findings from industry experts recently published in her new book, Building Backwards to Biotech: The Power of Entrepreneurship to Drive Cutting Edge Science to Market. Wisner will share about her career path from scientist to biotech cofounder, as well as the methods you need to understand in order to start your own start-up or understand the exciting emerging industry of biotech.

Friday, March 24, 2023 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EDT
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Click Here to View the Full Schedule!