Name: Founder's Dinner: Private Dinner Application (event full)
Start: 2026-03-24T18:00:00-0400
End: 2026-03-24T20:00:00-0400

You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.

Founder's Dinner: Private Dinner Application (event full)

Tuesday March 24, 2026 6:00pm - 8:00pm EDT

Happy Valley LaunchBox

This event is full and no longer available for registration.

Entrepreneurship is often glamorized. Rarely is it discussed honestly. This private dinner brings together active founders and a curated group of students who are genuinely curious about entrepreneurship as a potential career path. The purpose of the evening is transparency: What does building a company actually require? What are the real trade-offs? What does success truly cost? Who should not pursue entrepreneurship? Seats are intentionally limited to protect the quality of conversation. Students are selected based on seriousness, curiosity, and willingness to engage — not resume prestige. This application ensures commitment from everyone in the room. If you are willing to ask thoughtful questions — and ready to hear real answers — complete the application below.

Speakers

Zander Isaacson

President, Retain Health

Amy Frank

Founder, The Makery PA

Amy Frank is the founder and director of The Makery: a community art studio with two locations in downtown State College, and Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. The Makery specializes in creative classes, parties, and events. You can learn more at themakerypa.com or on Instagram @themaker... Read More →

Asher Carr

Business Operations and Strategy Leader, Forte Mental Fitness

Asher Carr is a Business Operations and Strategy Leader who believes that great companies are built on the discipline of simple, repeatable systems. A proud Penn State Alumnus (Altoona ‘16), Asher has spent over a decade optimizing processes and scaling teams across diverse ind... Read More →

George Wolf

Co-Founder & CTO, Guidewise

George Wolf is co-founder and CTO of Guidewise, where he works directly with organizations implementing data and AI solutions in real-world environments. An alumnus of Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology, George has built his career at the intersection of... Read More →

Ted Wolf

Co-Founder & CEO, Guidewise

Ted Wolf is a serial entrepreneur, executive coach, change management expert, and co-founder and CEO of Guidewise. A Penn State graduate, Ted brings decades of experience building, scaling, and successfully exiting companies, including leading mergers and complex technology integrations... Read More →

Alexander “Zander” Isaacson

Co-Founder/CEO, Xeal

Alexander “Zander” Isaacson is Co-Founder and CEO of Xeal, a tech-driven EV charging company operating at the intersection of proptech, energy, and IoT. A member of the Forbes Technology Council, his work focuses on making EV adoption easier and more scalable nationwide.

Elizabeth Hay

The Jack White Family Director, Happy Valley LaunchBox

Scott Woods

Founder, Positron

Michael Wojcik

CEO/Founder, Wojcik Consulting Group

Dr. Jeanette Miller

Associate Professor, Associate Director of the Farrell Center,, Smeal College of Business

Dr. Miller is a global citizen, having worked in emerging markets for over a dozen years, specializing in economic development and business start-ups. During her career, she has had a leadership positions with the US Government, worked for multinational management consulting firms... Read More →

John Waldeisen

Co-Founder, LiteraSeed

I am an entrepreneur and have spent most of my career developing technologies for healthcare. I was the Founding CEO of Lucira Health, which developed the first at-home COVID-19 test cleared by the FDA. Over its lifetime Lucira Health raised ~$250M and IPO'ed (NASDAQ: LHDX) in 2021... Read More →

Todd Erdley

Central Region Director & Portfolio Manager, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central & Northern PA

Mike Xenakis

Co-founder and Exec Chair, Joy 101

Ethan Wendle

Executive Chairman of the Board, DiamondBack Truck Covers

Ellen Matis

Founder, Hello Social Co.

I’m Ellen Matis — founder of Hello Social Co., author of the Ellie Mae Explores children’s book series, and someone who has always believed that the magic of a community lies in its people, stories, and sense of belonging.

My work sits at the intersection of social media, placemaking, and community pride. I help downtowns, destination marketing organizations, and experience-based brands uncover what makes them special — then turn that into social-first strategies that boost tourism, fuel local business

... Read More →

Liz Kisenwether

President/Founder, KidTech, Inc.

I get joy out of doing all of these things:- Mentoring startup teams at the Penn State's Happy Valley LaunchBox- Founder and President of KidTech, Inc - 501(c)(3) doing STEM outreach for middle schoolers in central PA- Trustee with 3 Dots Downtown providing Awesome Grants to help... Read More →

Jeremy Frank

CEO, KCF Technologies

KCF Technologies CEO leading industrial transformation by partnering with world class manufactures to optimize machine health. Passionate about building an industrial world where together, through the convergence of people and technology, dramatic manufacturing improvements are m... Read More →

Tuesday March 24, 2026 6:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Happy Valley LaunchBox 123 South Burrowes Street, State College, PA 16801

In-person

Penn State Startup Week 2026