UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State student startups from all campuses, including Penn State World Campus, are encouraged to apply for the 2025 Invent Penn State Summer Founders Program. Selected teams will receive a $15,000 grant to dedicate their summer to advancing their startup, social impact project or nonprofit initiative.
Applications are currently open and will close at midnight on March 10.
This 13-week program, hosted by Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank, provides funding, mentorship, and personalized coaching to accelerate the growth of student ventures. Participants are required to commit to working 40 hours per week on their projects throughout the program.
Key dates to remember:
- Feb. 5: Applications Open
- Feb. 19: Virtual Info Session
- Mar. 10: Applications Close
- Mid-May to Mid-August: Program Duration
“Every summer, we get to see student founders set their studies aside and dive into the real work of entrepreneurship—testing ideas, talking to customers, and figuring out what actually works,” said Elizabeth Hay, the Jack White Family Director of Happy Valley LaunchBox. “It’s all about building momentum: refining their products, gaining traction, and turning early wins into real revenue. By the end of the season, they’re not just dreaming about their startups — they’re running them.”
Last year, six student startups participated in the Summer Founders Program. Nicholas Cole, a 2024 Penn State College of Engineering graduate, was a participant in the 2024 Summer Founders Program cohort. He is the founder of Bool LLC, a mobile application providing real-time wait time predictions for popular bars.
“What I got the most out of the experience was all of the introductions and the stories,” said Cole. “We had the pleasure of meeting many successful entrepreneurs and hearing how they got to where they are. It’s incredible to hear how someone can build something from nothing, and so many of these people got their start at Happy Valley LaunchBox.”
About the Summer Founders Program
The Summer Founders Program is a signature program of the Invent Penn State initiative and is provided in partnership with Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank. Startup funding is made possible through the donations of successful alumni entrepreneurs interested in supporting new student ventures. To learn more about supporting student startups at Penn State through a philanthropic gift, contact Heather Winfield, director of strategic initiatives in University Development, at hbw11@psu.edu.
This program was financed in part by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Economic Development.