news & events

MONT ALTO, Pa. – Two Penn State students Stephen Leshko and Omar Rady won first place at the 2023 LION Tank™ pitch competition. LION Tank, hosted by the Mont Alto LaunchBox, was held at 6 p.m., Wednesday, March 22, at Penn State Mont Alto. The event was sponsored by Patriot Federal Credit Union and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Five entrepreneurs competed in this year’s event with the top three pitches receiving prize money of $2,000, $1,250, and $750, respectively. First place winners were Penn State students Leshko and Rady, who conceived the idea for an app, Vera,...

The Penn State Mont Alto and York LaunchBoxes would like to congratulate the winners of the 2023 Idea TestLab Pitch Competition! The competition concluded a five-week-long virtual business idea accelerator during which selected startups received coaching and training to identify viable business models through intensive customer discovery. 1st place ($3,000 seed funding): Outdoor Economy LLC (Silas Chamberlin, founder) 2nd place ($1,500 seed funding): Tethered Beacon for Stranded Motorists (Daniel DuBravec, founder) 3rd place ($500 seed funding): The Yard (Amy Kemper, founder)

Event to be hosted by Penn State Mont Alto Launchbox on March 22 JANUARY 24, 2023 MONT ALTO, Pa. — Entrepreneurial spirits have a chance to shine once again as Penn State Mont Alto hosts its sixth annual LION Tank competition at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22. LION Tank is an annual pitch competition hosted by the Mont Alto LaunchBox powered by Penn State. This year’s event is a hybrid event — held in person in the campus’ auditorium as well as remotely via Zoom. During the competition, contestants will pitch their business plans and field questions from a...

LaunchBoxes at Penn State Mont Alto and Penn State York join forces to support entrepreneurs MONT ALTO, Pa. — Entrepreneurs will have a chance to test out their ideas at the winter 2023 Idea TestLab, sponsored by the Mont Alto and York LaunchBoxes. Applications are being accepted now through Jan. 9, 2023, for this free, five-week, virtual accelerator designed to help entrepreneurs determine the viability of their business idea. No affiliation with Penn State is required for participation, and any Pennsylvania-based entrepreneur is welcome to apply. The Idea TestLab comprises weekly online classes and one-on-one coaching support and concludes with...

Entrepreneurial spirits have a chance to shine once again as Penn State Mont Alto hosts its fifth annual LION Tank competition at 6 p.m., Wednesday, April 6. LION Tank, an annual pitch competition hosted by the Mont Alto LaunchBox, will be held in the newly renovated Generals Studies Building auditorium at Penn State Mont Alto. During the competition, contestants will pitch their business plans and field questions from three judges. Following all the presentations, the judges will confer to determine the winners. The top three entrepreneurs will receive prizes of $1,500, $1,000 and $500 respectively, as well as one year’s...