MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Six veterans, including a Penn State Harrisburg student, were awarded funding to help launch their business ideas during the Veterans Business Bootcamp pitch competition hosted by Harrisburg LaunchBox powered by Penn State and the Rotary Veterans Initiative (RVI).
The competition was held at Penn State Harrisburg on Nov. 17 to close out the Veterans Business Bootcamp, an eight-week program that offered veterans mentorship and support to help build their business plans and connect with resources to advance their business ideas. The program aims to support regional entrepreneurship among veterans, an underrepresented group among entrepreneurs.
"We're so thankful for our partnership with RVI that made this all possible,” said Amma Johnson, director of the Penn State Harrisburg Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, who also oversees the Harrisburg LaunchBox. “This year's cohort was a lot of fun to work with and one of the greatest highlights of the program was seeing the camaraderie develop between the teams; they were all learning from each other."
The winners of the pitch competition were:
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1st Place, $4,000: Erin Godfrey, for S.P.A.R. Holster, a holster designed for law enforcement.
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2nd Place, $2,400: Ronnie Tillman, for Workforce Consolidated Solutions, an eco-friendly shuttle service to address commuting challenges faced by rural industrial facilities.
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3rd place, $1,200: Mike Lombardo, for NEPA Commercial Contractors, a commercial construction business.
The runners up were each awarded $800. They were: Justin Crawford for Beck’s Ice Cream, a coffee and ice cream shop; Halman and Montika Smith for Comfort Zone Mattress, a furniture retailer; and Nakeisha Daniels, for GLAM U, a nonprofit to empower high school students by covering beauty expenses for key senior events.
Godfrey, a second-year kinesiology major at Penn State Harrisburg and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, said the Veterans Business Bootcamp came at the perfect time. She and her husband, a police officer, had finished an initial prototype for a product they hope will help improve equipment and ultimately increase safety for law enforcement officers. The bootcamp offered guidance on next steps, such as presenting to investors, and helped them get market research to help determine necessary funding and profit margins.
“But the greatest part about the program was the networking opportunities,” Godfrey said. “We have met and talked to so many great people through LaunchBox and Invent Penn State who have been instrumental in our progress with our business.”