Penn State biorenewable systems students climb to new heights in sustainability

August 5, 2019

Colin Geary and Nelson DiBiase, biorenewable systems graduates , set out to combine their passion for rock climbing and sustainability by creating a bio-based climbing hold for indoor rock climbing walls. Jeff Catchmark, professor of agricultural and biological engineering, drew from his work in sustainable materials to advise them. "Entrepreneurship is a state of mind where you see endless possibilities," said Catchmark, a member of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Advisory Board.

Washington Post features Startup from 2012 Ag Springboard 2nd Place Winner

July 22, 2019

As a student in 2012, Fengchun "Spring" Yang placed second in Ag Springboard, then figured out how to sustain a healthy population of black soldier flies. Symton BSF, the startup he founded, was featured this month in the Washington Post.

Yang's genome editing technology leads to Research Innovators Award

April 17, 2019

Yinong Yang, professor of plant pathology, is the 2019 recipient of the Research Innovators Award, given by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences to recognize faculty and staff who have commercialized intellectual property generated by their Penn State research.

GreenBriq wins top $7,500 prize in Ag Springboard pitch contest

April 8, 2019

GreenBriq is turning invasive plants into sustainable fuel for Kenyan households. Inakua, the second-place winner of $2,500, plans to rent water-efficient hydroponic growing towers to Kenyan families to reliably grow their own vegetables.

Final Four Ag Springboard Teams Pitch Judges Wednesday

April 2, 2019

Four finalist teams in the Ag Springboard student pitch competition are pitching ventures to help solve food waste, cut fossil fuel emissions, combat invasive plant species and provide low-cost, water-wise food production. One will win the $7,500 grand prize to Make It Happen.

Entrepreneur and Former Pro Basketball Player Tyler Smith to Keynote Ag Springboard

April 1, 2019

Tyler Smith, who played on Penn State's 2001 men's basketball team that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen round in the NCAA tournament, will speak about mental fitness for entrepreneurs as the keynote speaker for Ag Springboard. The "final four" Ag Springboard teams pitch live before judges in the finalist round Wednesday, followed by an evening awards banquet.

Avocado seed extract shows promise as anti-inflammatory compound

March 12, 2019

An extract from the seeds of avocados exhibited anti-inflammatory properties in a laboratory study, according to Penn State researchers, and it represents a potential source for novel anti-inflammatory compounds that could be developed as a functional food ingredient or pharmaceuticals.

Senior Talks Lab-Grown Meat with Industry Leaders

March 6, 2019

Agribusiness Senior Tony Rice, named a Farm Foundation Cultivator, presented his study of lab-grown meat to industry leaders at a roundtable forum

Signup for Ag Springboard student business pitch contest!

February 11, 2019

Ag Springboard — a GREAT opportunity for students to learn how to pitch ideas and compete to win $7,500!!!

Seeking Nominees for Research Innovator Award

January 21, 2019

Do you know an innovative researcher who is commercializing technologies generated through Penn State research? Nominations sought for the 2019 Research Innovator Award.

Dream Big. Ag Springboard can help you Make It Happen

January 10, 2019

Ag Springboard experience helps students stand apart from the crowd. Win $7,500 to make your big dream happen.

Agribusiness Students Gauge Consumer Acceptance of Robotic Lawn-mowers

October 30, 2018

Owner of Eichenlaub, Inc., teaches students how he weighs new technology.

College of Agricultural Sciences selected as host site for Mandela Fellows

October 25, 2018

Boubou Sangho and Gladys Freeman, recipients of the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, spent six weeks of professional development at Penn State's University Park campus in August and September. They worked with the college's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program, and took several courses related to their interests, such as entrepreneurship and agribusiness.

Meet Entrepreneur Callie Rojewski

October 15, 2018

Recent PSU grad Callie Rojewski — who started her first business as a student — tells her story at an Ag Springboard Open House Oct. 22, 5-6:30, 6 Armsby.

Bold Foods Founder Tells His Story Sept. 18

September 10, 2018

Treating judges to samples of pasta made with cricket powder helped Weslie Khoo and Haoshu Zhang’s team win the $7,500 grand prize at the Ag Springboard student business pitch contest in 2017.

Get Ready for Ag Springboard 2019

August 30, 2018

Meet young entrepreneurs and get career prep advice at the fall 2018 Ag Springboard open houses. Join us Sept. 18, Oct. 22 and Nov. 13!

Hey students! Get ready for your bright future — Get involved with E&I

August 27, 2018

"E & I provides a different perspective and skill set to supplement your education in more technical subjects so you are more equipped to solve real-world problems,” said Hunter Swisher, CEO and Founder of Phospholutions, 2016 Plant Sciences graduate, and Ag Springboard finalist in 2016.

Research commercialization leader joins PSU College of Agricultural Sciences

August 8, 2018

Dr. Maria Spencer has joined the Entrepreneurship & Innovation team in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences as the first John and Patty Warehime Entrepreneur in Residence. She will help the college's researchers commercialize discoveries to reach the full potential of their work.

City Lights: Experience the ingenious power of partnership

May 16, 2018

Leaders of ConidioTec and Phospholutions, two ag sciences startups, will tell their stories next month at a series of interactive, TED-talk-style City Lights events to showcase Invent Penn State. The annual series will visit Harrisburg; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh from June 18-21.

Ag Sciences Startups Win Big at Invent Penn State Event

May 11, 2018

Phospholutions won $80,000 in investment prizes and ConidioTec won $10,000 at this spring's Invent Penn State Venture & Intellectual Property Conference. Both startup companies are commercializing discoveries and technology developed at the College of Agricultural Sciences.

P.S. Snacks Founder Tells Her Startup Story

March 29, 2018

P.S. Snacks Founder and CEO Nikki Azzara told the story of creating her company that makes good-for-you snacks from unconventional ingredients, starting with a line of bean-based cookie doughs. She spoke Thursday, March 29, to about 80 students as part of Penn State Startup Week.

Students explore entrepreneurial spirit of Israel over spring break

March 22, 2018

A group of Penn State students in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation minor traveled to Israel over spring break to explore the entrepreneurial spirit of the country, meet with policymakers, and get a taste of the culture in the Middle Eastern country.

Spring Break 2018: Learning about Israel's Start-up Culture

March 20, 2018

Israel over the last decade has become an entrepreneurial powerhouse. Ten students and their professors traveled there in early March to check it out.

Creator of New, Natural Snacks to Speak March 29, during Penn State Startup Week

March 18, 2018

Recent college graduate Nikki Azzara created P.S. Snacks, a natural snack product found in 130 stores. She'll tell her story Thursday, March 29, 1:35 - 2:50 p.m. in 16 ASI, as part of Penn State Startup Week.

Coming to a garden near you: An award-winning, Penn State-bred tomato variety

March 15, 2018

Dr. Majid Foolad, professor of plant genetics, and plant breeders at Johnny's Selected Seeds partnered to launch "Valentine" a new variety of grape tomato in Johnny's 2018 catalog and on its website. Foolad received a Research Applications for Innovation grant from the E&I Program at the College of Agricultural Sciences in 2017 to further commercialize his tomato breeding work.

Bed bug Treatment Sees Strong Sales Response

February 15, 2018

Startup company from research discovery expects to be profitable in 2018.

10 Ways for Students To Explore Their Potential in 2018

January 11, 2018

Do new ideas fire you up? Or do you daydream of creating your own job? Entrepreneurs Make It Happen. They see a solution to a problem, go for it and don't give up. Students have many options to connect with us and explore entrepreneurship. Here are 10.

Student Podcaster Tells Stories of Young Entrepreneurs

December 13, 2017

Student entrepreneur and podcaster Katie DeFiore shares stories, inspiration and wisdom from Global Entrepreneurship Week at Penn State, Nov. 12-17. Listen to all three episodes of DeFiore's GEWeek podcasts right here.

Gratitude is Essential to Entrepreneurship

November 21, 2017

The crowd of people who support entrepreneurs makes success possible. Here are 10 ways entrepreneurs can thank those who help.

E&I Showcase 2017 Highlights

November 20, 2017

The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program congratulates and supports these E&I Showcase presenters on their discoveries, initiative, creativity, hard work and journey to commercialization. The Entrepreneurship & Innovation Showcase 2017 highlighted 11 groups of faculty, student and alumni innovators in the College of Agricultural Sciences. (Images by Sarah Giegerich)