From Penn State Berks<\/p>\n
Pictured above are the winners of the Berks LaunchBox IdeaTest Lab competition. From left to right:\u00a0Jen Kutchner and Ruby\u00a0Rodriguez of The Gilded Page;\u00a0Heather Heltzinger of\u00a0Renaissance Labs;\u00a0Hallie Guiseppe of\u00a0HT Organic Solutions; and\u00a0Andrea George of\u00a0Heintz Tax Service. Photo courtesy of Samantha Bower<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Berks LaunchBox<\/a>, powered by Penn State,\u00a0recently announced the winners of its Idea TestLab Pitch Competition in an award ceremony held on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Renaissance Labs earned first place, HT Organic Solutions took second place, and Heintz Tax Service placed third. In addition,\u00a0this year\u2019s Advisor\u2019s Spotlight Award was presented to Jen Kutchner and Ruby\u00a0Rodriguez of the Gilded Page.<\/p>\n This year, seven entrepreneur teams competed in the competition, which was sponsored by Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern PA, the County of Berks, and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.<\/p>\n Prior to the competition, each of the seven teams participated in the accelerator program over the course of five weeks, where they received coaching to test their business ideas through customer discovery. The entrepreneurs met with potential customers, identified their target audience and value proposition, and created pitches. The program concluded with the pitch competition, where teams competed for seed funding to continue their business development.<\/p>\n Heather Heltzinger, founder of\u00a0Renaissance Labs<\/a>, received $1,000 in seed funding. Heltzinger pitched her product,\u00a0Randy.ai, which helps those taking\u00a0water- and wastewater-operator\u00a0tests study, learn, and pass their exams.\u00a0Randy.ai\u00a0is built by licensed operators and trained on real EPA and DEP standards.<\/p>\n Hallie Guiseppe, founder of\u00a0HT Organic Solutions<\/a>,\u00a0took second place, receiving $600 in seed funding.\u00a0Guiseppe pitched the Pocket Gofer, an AI software solution that helps farmers build stronger, more resilient businesses. Pocket Gofer captures farm activity as it happens, helping small family farmers\u00a0save time and maintain accurate records at a budget-friendly price point.<\/p>\n Andrea George, CEO of\u00a0Heintz Tax Service<\/a>, took third place and received $400 in seed funding. George pitched the Financial Fitness Program, designed to help everyday people learn how to take control of their money, their mindset, and ultimately, their future.<\/p>\n In addition to the top three competition winners selected by the judges, Berks LaunchBox\u00a0advisers presented an Advisors\u2019 Spotlight Award to the team they believed deserved recognition for standing out during the pitches \u2014 whether through creativity, clarity, or potential impact. This year\u2019s Advisor\u2019s Spotlight Award was presented to Jen Kutchner and Ruby\u00a0Rodriguez of the Gilded Page, a Reading-based startup working to develop a curated book bar and creative studio combining thoughtful food and beverage selections with an ongoing calendar of events.<\/p>\n Competition judges included Jobany Bedoya, owner of Diversity Mixers and Red Tie Affairs LLC; Erika Swift, operations director for Penn State\u2019s College of Medicine\u2019s Center for Medical Innovation; and Adrean Turner, author, coach, and owner of Legacy Cigar Lounge and adjunct professor of business at Alvernia and Widener Universities.<\/p>\n About the Berks LaunchBox<\/p>\n The mission of Berks LaunchBox, located in Suite 105 of the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in downtown Reading, is to support economic development and entrepreneurship. An innovation hub of Penn State Berks, Berks LaunchBox connects local entrepreneurs to the support, resources, and facilities that they need to build sustainable and scalable businesses with a viable plan for growth. Services include assistance with prototyping, conducting market research, and connecting with advisers. Berks LaunchBox offers entrepreneurship workshops, a coworking space for startups, meetups focused on business development, and a makerspace with 3D printers for prototyping and special youth programs.<\/p>\n Berks LaunchBox is supported by\u00a0Invent Penn State<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 a commonwealth-wide initiative to spur economic development, job creation, and student career success. For more information, visit\u00a0berkslaunchbox.psu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From Penn State Berks Pictured above are the winners of the Berks LaunchBox IdeaTest Lab competition. 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