Berks LaunchBox fuels entrepreneurial growth and innovation in local community

WYOMISSING, Pa. — Throughout 2024, Berks LaunchBox has continued accelerating startup growth in the Berks County community. In the last year, Berks LaunchBox has assisted 229 new entrepreneurs (62% are female founders and 40% are people of color), taught new skills to 708 community members in its Makerspace, offered entrepreneurship classes to 463 community members, and impacted 339 students (elementary school through college). 

Impactful grant programs and community support

Berks LaunchBox is recognized as a valuable resource for entrepreneurs and innovators to help them grow their startups and develop new skills. In 2024, $80,000 was awarded to 40 entrepreneurs through two impactful grant programs: 28 entrepreneurs received funding through a Referral Partnership with Berks Arts for the Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Grant, while 12 were awarded IMAGINE Your Business Grants, made possible by a $125k grant awarded to Berks LaunchBox by the County of Berks. These micro-grants supported early stage business ideas and startups with gross revenues of less than $200,000, allowing them to take significant steps toward growth.

“The LaunchBox team’s dedication and commitment to our company have been instrumental in our growth and success,” shared Erika Valdez, founder of Erival Soap Company. “The IMAGINE Your Business Grant we have received will be of great help to us and will allow us to continue to advance our goals. We are extremely grateful for their excellent service and the effort they have put in to support us throughout this process including advice and training in our Spanish language. We deeply value the relationship we have built with the Berks LaunchBox and look forward to continuing to collaborate in the future.”

More opportunities for micro-grant funding available in spring and summer 2025

“We are grateful for our partnership with the County of Berks in helping to support our entrepreneurs,” stated Erica Kunkel, director of Berks LaunchBox and director of continuing education at Penn State Berks. “We know that funding is such an instrumental piece for early-stage startups, and we’re pleased to have an opportunity that can help keep these ideas moving forward.”

In fact, Berks LaunchBox recently announced the spring 2025 round of the “IMAGINE Your Business” grant. Funded by the County of Berks Imagine Berks Fund, this grant provides up to $2,000 to early-stage entrepreneurs to support various business needs such as prototyping, marketing and product development. The initiative aims to foster innovation and economic growth within Berks County. Applicants are required to build a business model canvas and make an appointment and review it with Berks LaunchBox staff. The spring 2025 round opened April 1 with applications due May 15; business model canvas appointments must be scheduled prior to May 12 to ensure timely submission.

Entrepreneurial education and skill development

Berks LaunchBox offers free monthly seminars for entrepreneurs and small-business owners focused on business development, social media marketing, legal issues, intellectual property, pitch presentations, minimum viable products, brainstorming and validating business ideas, customer discovery, and ways a business can pivot to address customer issues.
 

“The Idea TestLab Customer Discovery class I completed with the Berks LaunchBox in fall 2024 put a structure around how to think about my business. I began learning new ways to better understand my customer and the problems they are trying to solve,” shared Munish Munagala, founder of Agent23AI. “The mock pitches for the competition and the feedback I received from the coaches was very valuable.”

Agent23AI is an artificial intelligence agent that delivers customer support, converts leads into customers, and drives revenue growth for small to mid-size service-oriented companies.

Free workshops and equipment training in Makerspace 

Berks LaunchBox offers free monthly workshops in basic CAD (computer-aided design) and 3D printing, as well as hands-on training in Inkscape software to create custom designs. Participants can use these designs with the Laser Cutter to craft unique items such as engraved coasters, wooden lanterns, and LED nightlights. Additionally, designs can be brought to life using the Vinyl Plotter to create custom t-shirts, stickers and other personalized products. These creative experiences often inspire participants to explore entrepreneurial opportunities and consider launching their own small businesses.

Co-working space and startup support

Berks LaunchBox offers a rent-free space, allowing co-working companies to meet and collaborate with other entrepreneurs and mentors. Co-working companies benefit from 24/7 access to office space for one year, meeting and event space, high-speed Internet, legal support, community connections and LaunchBox advisers. Startups also receive assistance with prototyping and marketing, free monthly seminars, and support from staff. 

Expert guidance from advisers

In addition to Berks LaunchBox staff, entrepreneurs can benefit from the knowledge and expertise from more than 25 advisers who dedicate up to five hours per month to supporting the success of LaunchBox entrepreneurs. Advisers offer support in a multitude of ways from guidance on accounting principles to sales and marketing.

Youth and community outreach

The LaunchBox staff believes that growing an entrepreneurial mindset in youth helps to develop future entrepreneurs. The LaunchBox participates in Remake Learning Days, an innovative learning festival in which thousands of hands-on and engaging events designed for kids of all ages are held in a variety of settings around the world. 

Berks LaunchBox also holds events, partners with area schools, and offers open lab nights for individuals and families with children to design and create items such as 3D-printed and laser-cut snowflakes, custom-engraved coasters, greeting cards and more — in an effort to introduce these technologies and spark creativity and innovation. 

Outreach to the Latino and Hispanic community

In 2024, Berks LaunchBox expanded its Spanish-language programming to include more entrepreneurial education workshops, webinars, networking opportunities and Makerspace events. "LaunchTalk: Conectar e Inspirar" quarterly events offer opportunities to network and learn.

About the Berks LaunchBox

An innovation hub of the Invent Penn State initiative, Berks LaunchBox was created through a seed grant in 2016. Its mission is to assist early-stage entrepreneurs and startup companies with accessing the tools and resources they need to launch and grow in Berks County. 

Berks LaunchBox, located in Suite 105 of the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in downtown Reading, 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 ELS5014@psu.edu.