Promising startups will have the chance to connect with investors at an inaugural conference being hosted next week by Invent Penn State.
The initiatives first Venture and IP Conference will be held Oct. 6 and 7 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, and the event is expected to draw hundreds of investors, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and startups.
‘The Venture and IP Conference will not only feature innovations and intellectual property from our Penn State faculty, staff and students, but it will also bring entrepreneurs and investors from around the country to collaborate around entrepreneurship,” Neil Sharkey, Penn State vice president for research, said in a statement.
Invent Penn State is a $30 million statewide initiative introduced by university President Eric Barron to spur economic development while helping students succeed professionally through collaboration between Penn State and local communities on entrepreneurship-focused programs.
Keynote speakers at the conference include Ray Lane, former president and COO of Oracle and now managing partner of GreenPoint Ventures, and Jon Hirtle, chairman and CEO of Hirtle Callaghan & Co.
‘Venture Connections’ roundtable sessions will be held both days, with more than 80 early-stage businesses registered to pitch their concepts to investors. A ‘Startup Showdown’ will give a group of entrepreneurs the chance to pitch their businesses in a competition setting modeled after the TV show ‘Shark Tank.’
Penn State undergraduate students also will be able to pitch their ideas in the Inc. U Student Startup Pitch Competition, with up to 10 winning grant money.
The Tech Penn State Tech Tournament will feature some of Penn State’s early-stage innovators, showcasing intellectual property emerging from the university’s research enterprise.
Panelist sessions throughout the conference will focus on a variety of topics, from energy innovation and materials research to venture capital and successful networking.
According to the university, more than 320 people have registered so far for the conference. Registration and agenda info is available here.
The conference is the latest initiative for Invent Penn State, which has launched more than a dozen innovation hubs and business accelerators around Pennsylvania, including Happy Valley LaunchBox on South Allen Street in State College. Invent Penn State has also established an innovation fund to provide grants for faculty and researchers whose research leads to commercial potential.
This summer, Invent Penn State announced its first global partnership, establishing a Carbon Science Centre of Excellence research and develop facility at Innovation Park with U.K.-based engineering company Morgan Advanced Materials.
The Centre Region is continuing to grow as a center for entrepreneurship. Using Census Bureau data, FiveThirtyEight.com found earlier this month that the State College metro area had the 19th fastest-growing rate in the country for new startups. Entrepreneur Magazine also recently rated State College among the ’15 Best U.S. Cities for Entrepreneurs to Live and Launch.’
