About
What is Mont Alto LaunchBox?
Our mission is to be the “hub” that connects local entrepreneurs to the support, resources, and facilities they need to build a sustainable and scalable business with a viable plan for growth. By centralizing our no-cost services, we help entrepreneurs to avoid the common mistakes startups often face and enable them to focus their time on de-risking and growing their businesses.
- Business accelerator programs
- Pitch competitions
- Workshops
- 1:1 coaching and mentorship
- Legal and intellectual property services
How it all started
Launched in 2015 by Penn State President Eric Barron, Invent Penn State is a $30 million initiative redefining the University’s land grant mission to include entrepreneurship and innovation, programs, tools, and resources that accelerate the movement of great ideas to the marketplace and make a substantial economic development impact in Pennsylvania and beyond.
Our Vision: The Mont Alto LaunchBox will be a catalyst for entrepreneurship in Franklin County.
Our Mission: The mission of the Mont Alto LaunchBox is to:
- Connect entrepreneurs to a range of resources that include the services provided by partners such as SCORE, Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), Ben Franklin Technology Partners, and Penn TAP; access to providers of capital; intellectual property that can be licensed and brought to market; and Penn State’s vast entrepreneurship ecosystem.
- Inspire entrepreneurs by exposing them to the stories and testimonials of successful students and other entrepreneurs through an annual entrepreneurship forum.
- Motivate entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas in an annual LIONTank™ pitch competition modeled after Shark Tank.
- Assist new and existing startups with practical know-how that they could not otherwise afford.
Penn State funded, but open to all.
The Mont Alto LaunchBox is a signature program of Invent Penn State, a Commonwealth-wide initiative to spur economic development, job creation, and student career success. While initially funded by Penn State, we are open to all.
- Open to the public. No affiliation with Penn State is needed.
- All our services are no-cost.
- We partner with other local economic development groups.
- We are one of 21 innovation spaces across the Commonwealth.
Meet the LaunchBox Team
Helen McGarry
Director of Mont Alto LaunchBox
Helen McGarry is the Director of Penn State Mont Alto’s LaunchBox and Continuing Education offices. In this dual role, she is responsible for connecting the resources of the campus with the needs in our region. Those resources include onsite degrees, professional development, industry credential exam preparation and contract programs tailored to the needs of business and industry. Through LaunchBox, Helen seeks to support small business success and connects area entrepreneurs to Invent Penn State resources that promote innovation and help to de-risk new ventures.
LaunchBox Partners
Our Advisory Council
- Francis Achampong, Ph.D., chancellor, Penn State Mont Alto
- Joseph Hackett, Executive In Residence @ JD Brown Center, York College of PA. Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central & Northern PA.
- Linsey Covert, CEO and founder, TEAMology LLC
- Kathyrn Gratton, founder & chief strategic officer, Red Lips Mentor
- John Sider, director, Second Stage Capital
- Tim Henry, president and CEO, F & M Trust
- Steve Holoviak, retired professor of management at Penn State Mont Alto and professor of human resource management and Dean of Grove College of Business at Shippensburg University
- Nathan J. Neil, Operations Director & Owner, LaunchUX, LLC
- Mike Ross, president, FCADC
- Robin Burtner, director, Shippensburg University Small Business Development Center (SBDC)