Penn State Startup Week 2026

Penn State undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars are invited to join Valenty on Saturday, March 21, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Verne M. Willaman Gateway to the Sciences on the Penn State University Park campus for a launch party celebrating the new collaboration between Penn State and Dazzle Dry. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Valenty, take a master class with a Dazzle Dry educator to learn how to paint their nails with Dazzle Dry products, and receive their own nail kit. The event will also include light refreshments and other fun activities.
Students and postdocs who would like to take a master class can sign up in advance for one of three sessions online at the following links:

Master Class Session 1 (10:30 a.m.)
Master Class Session 2 (11:30 a.m.)
Master Class Session 3 (12:30 p.m.)

The three master class sessions are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
All are welcome to attend the other launch event activities with no sign-up needed, including meeting and hearing from Vivian, light refreshments, and other Penn State-themed activities. There will also be a few master class walk-in spots available for each of the three sessions.

Now You Know started as a simple challenge: can you accurately predict how a friend will respond to a scenario or question? That one mechanic exposes how often we assume we know people, and how quickly real conversation opens up when we test those assumptions. In this talk, I’ll share how we turned that insight into a product that students actually want to play.

I’ll walk through the practical steps: validating the concept through live playtests, iterating mechanics to keep it fast and fun, and translating a “feel-good” outcome into something marketable without sounding preachy. We’ll cover what worked, what didn’t, and the lessons that mattered most in building a consumer product from zero. I’m happy to include a quick interactive demo during the session.

Rooted Organics is a microplastic free tea brand created in response to research showing that many conventional tea bags release up to 11.6 billion microplastics per cup. By redesigning the tea bag itself, the company designed a fully plastic free, stitched cotton tea bags to offer a cleaner, more transparent alternative in the consumer packaged goods space.

Most people try to plan their way to something great. Lance Streuber tried failing his way there instead (accidentally at first, but purposefully later).

In this talk, Lance shares how relentless iteration shaped both his startups and himself. From early ideas that failed miserably, to constant pivots, side projects, and reworks, he learned that progress does not come from getting it right the first time, but from rebuilding again and again. The same approach that turned bad startup ideas into better ones also helped him rethink his habits, mindset, and sense of self.

This talk is not about having a perfect plan. It is about how to prototype your life, choose change when you are stuck, and redo things until they are worth keeping.

Being a student entrepreneur isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a real competitive advantage! Students have access to FREE funding, exclusive tools, mentors, and university-backed resources that many founders don’t discover until years into their careers. In this session, I’ll share how starting a company as a freshman allowed me to move faster, reduce risk, and secure over $15,000 in non-dilutive funding while still in school. Attendees will learn about my journey and how to identify and leverage student-specific opportunities, tap into free resources, and build real startup momentum before graduating.

If you're interested in entrepreneurship or are thinking about starting a business, attend this one-hour First Steps to Small Business Success seminar to get an overview of what it takes to start and run a business. Our small business experts will share the key aspects of starting a business and help you determine if launching a business is right for you.

Topics covered include:
- Business structures-How to assess the feasibility of your business idea
- Legal and tax implications of owning a business
- How to develop a business plan
- Funding options and how to compile a bank-ready financial package
- Where to find other resources that may help you succeed

Most companies don't fail due to a lack of vision; they fail due to a lack of traction. They fall into the "Execution Gap"; the space between a brilliant strategy and the daily reality of getting things done. Join Asher Carr, a Penn State Alumni and experienced operations strategist, for a high-impact "Masterclass in Momentum." Drawing on years of experience scaling operations for real estate teams and tech companies, this session will strip away the complexity of scaling. You won't just sit and listen; you’ll plan and build. Participants will walk through a "Crash Course" on the Vision / Traction Organizer (V/TO), learning how to turn 10-year targets into actionable 90-day "Rocks."

Attendees will leave with:
● A "Battle-Tested" framework for 10X year-over-year growth.
● A draft of their own two-page business plan (V/TO).
● The discipline to bridge the gap between "Vision" and "Execution."
● Bonus: Exclusive early access to Forte’s mental fitness beta platform

Shevy shares the real story of co-founding Moichor (YC W21), the highs and lows of building a startup, navigating a major pivot, and eventually launching NPU Ventures, a pre-seed fund backing AI and national security startups. A candid look at the founder's journey and what early-stage builders need to know.

Ever wondered what venture capitalists (VCs) are really thinking when you pitch them? Join Eric Franchi, General Partner at Aperiam and Penn State alumnus, for an insider's look at the venture capital world. Eric co-founded Undertone (acquired for $180M) and has since invested in over 70 startups across marketing and ad tech as a VC.

In this candid session, you'll learn:
- How VCs evaluate startups and what makes a pitch stand out
- The real economics behind venture capital and how funds work
- Common pitching mistakes that kill deals before they start
- What happens after a VC says "yes" (and what to expect if they say "no")
- How to build relationships with investors before you need the money

Whether you're planning to raise capital or just curious about how the startup funding ecosystem works, this session will demystify venture capital and give you practical insights from someone who's been on both sides of the table. Bring your questions - Eric's approach is collaborative and straightforward, just like the Penn State community that shaped his journey.

Everyone talks about AI breakthroughs. Far fewer talk about what happens after the demo.

In this session, Ted Wolf (Smeal Alumnus) and George Wolf (IST Alumnus), a father-son team and co-founders of Guidewise, share what it actually looks like to build, deploy, and scale AI inside real organizations. Not in theory and not in a lab, but in the messy middle where technology meets people, process, trust, and day-to-day work.

You’ll learn why many of the most important careers in AI don’t have clear job titles yet, and why that’s an advantage for curious builders who are willing to work at the intersection of AI, data, and human systems. We’ll talk candidly about what’s breaking inside organizations today, how AI agents are beginning to work alongside people, and where students can create real impact faster than they might expect.

This session is for students who don’t just want to understand AI, but want to build with it, learn quickly, and do work that actually matters.

The Bardusch Family IdeaMakers Challenge is an early‑stage business idea competition that encourages undergraduate student teams to identify a real‑world problem and pitch a solution centered on digital innovation. Throughout the program, teams receive mentoring from faculty and industry leaders to refine their ideas before presenting them to a panel of expert judges. This event is part of Penn State Startup Week, and provides an exciting look at the creativity, entrepreneurial mindset, and emerging innovations developed by our students.

https://psu.zoom.us/j/94539049738

Tony shares the journey of discovering and applying the skills he learned on the field — and how those same skills have fueled his success Beyond the Locker.

Everyone is building a brand, intentionally or not.

In this workshop, former Penn State student-athlete and current sports broadcaster Anna Camden will walk students through how their real stories - injuries, faith, transitions, wins, and losses - can become the foundation of a meaningful and sustainable personal brand. Students will learn how vulnerability and authenticity can become one of their greatest strategic advantages - both in business and in life beyond.

The symposium will feature a panel discussion and an interactive Q&A of former student-athletes who are now entrepreneurs, donors, and social Media influencers.

- B.J. Werzyn - The Founder and CEO of West Shore Home
- Tony Stewart - Owner of CFA in Newport Beach and former NFL Athlete
- Anna Camden - An influencer and Sports Broadcaster
- Omar X. Easy - Asst. AD for the Brand Academy and former NFL Athlete

Hosted by the Fox Graduate School, the Graduate Exhibition is Penn State’s annual community showcase of graduate research, scholarship, and creative activity. This is your chance to experience the incredible scholarship of our students—and play a role in shaping their success! The Performance category is open to all graduate students pursuing degrees in the performing arts. Come out and support these student performers!

To register to attend in-person or online, visit: https://pennstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0jsG1FOtN9ZA6d8


The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an academic research communication competition developed by the University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. Through the competition, graduate and professional students can hone their academic and research presentation skills and their ability to effectively explain their research to a general audience. Each competitor has three minutes to speak and can use only one presentation slide.


Ten graduate students have been named finalists for the 2025-26 J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.


The 10 finalists represent nine disciplines across seven academic colleges:

• Sayan Deep De, doctoral student in kinesiology

• Yasaman Ghaffarian, master’s student in architecture

• Julia Ho, doctoral student in architectural engineering

• Zilfa Irakoze, doctoral candidate in food science with a dual title in international agriculture and development

• Patrick Sarpong, doctoral student in energy and mineral engineering

• Shakshi Sekar, doctoral student in energy and mineral engineering

• Saiber Shaikh, doctoral student in counselor education

• Shikha Soneji, doctoral student in informatics

• Nusrat Tabassum, doctoral student in architecture

• Gopi Yalavarthi, doctoral student in nutritional sciences

These students will compete in the final round of Penn State’s 3MT competition, taking place Saturday, March 28, at 3 p.m. at the Nittany Lion Inn, University Park. First- and second-place winners will take home $1,000 and $500, respectively. In addition, the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) will sponsor a People’s Choice Award, allowing the Penn State graduate education community to vote for their favorite presentation, worth $500.


The first-place winner of Penn State’s competition will advance to a regional-level competition, facing off against winners from other universities in the northeastern United States. Top-scoring students at the regional level will go on to compete nationally.


About 3MT
Developed initially by the University of Queensland (UQ), Australia, 3MT is an academic research competition intended to help graduate students effectively communicate their research or scholarship in three minutes or less to a general, non-specialist audience. Each competitor is permitted one presentation slide to serve their pitch as a visual aid.

3MT is hosted and sponsored by the Fox Graduate School in collaboration with the GPSA.