Penn State Berks student wins first prize at 2022 蒙特奥拓发射箱 LION Tank

狮子坦克,由 蒙特奥拓发射箱, an innovation space that provides educational and technical resources to local entrepreneurs下午6点举行.m., 周三, 4月6日, at 宾州州立大学蒙阿尔托分校 with a virtual option for competitors and audience members. 事件. 是爱国者联邦信用合作社赞助的吗.

Five entrepreneurs competed in this year’s event with the top three pitches receiving prize money of $1,500, $1,000美元和500美元.

欧博体育官网伯克分校学习机械工程的Bonslaver, 他萌生了创建CarToCamp的想法 开始了为期两个月的美国公路旅行, 选择睡在露营地的车里,而不是用帐篷. He quickly discovered that individuals choosing this popular style of camping needed two things: a sturdy bed that fit their vehicle and organized storage options to help maximize car space.  

旅行回来后, he began working on a solution and ultimately landed on a sleeping platform rated for up to 500 pounds, 同时保持相对较轻的体重,只有40磅, that is compatible with 17 different vehicle models giving buyers more flexibility when considering a new car purchase.

第二名是来自钱伯斯堡的企业家 布莱克·纽伯恩在他的公司美国无人机服务公司工作. In addition to providing aerial photography and cinematography for events and real estate, American Drone Services also has the ability to produce multidimensional maps for construction. Newbern also utilizes advanced drones and software to assist farmers with crop analysis for early detection of conditions adversely affecting crops, 让农民有时间防止歉收.

David Moyer, a computer science major at the 大学公园 campus and founder of 42MORO Co L.L.C., 他的生意“Cannapy帐篷”获得了第三名. 该公司生产便携式, environmentally safe greenhouses for cultivators that help reduce the spread of plant pathogens, 尤其是灰霉病和白粉病, by pairing the specially designed greenhouses with smartphone technology that allows growers to monitor for environmental conditions. 这有助于防止疾病的发展和交叉污染, 可能会使作物产量提高20%到40%.

其他推介嘉宾包括:  

  • 塔里亚东部, 2014届毕业生, 也是HER Tech World的创始人, a digital solution that matches women founders with venture capitalists to help increase the share of venture capital funding that goes to female entrepreneurs.  
  • Rachana Sooraj, Harsh Deokuliar, Preksha Vinod Kothari and Shahed Mahbub, all 欧博体育官网大峡谷分校的学生和SkaiVue的团队成员, an AI-based drone company working to reduce annual losses to the construction industry as a result of failed projects by offering improved site surveying services to developers during the early planning stages of a project.   

“This is our fifth year of LION Tank and each year the competition gets stronger and stronger,海伦·麦克加里说, 他是蒙特阿尔托发射箱的主任. “It is truly inspiring to hear the innovative ideas and see the passion that finalists share with the judges and the audience.”

The competitors pitched their business plans to a panel of judges with experience in entrepreneurism and business development:

  • John Rotz, retired business development officer at The First National Bank of Mercersburg
  • Tom Trgovac, executive vice president and general counsel of Global Data Consultants LLC.在宾夕法尼亚州钱伯斯堡
  • Stephanie Wilson, owner of Symbiotic Marketing, also located in Chambersburg, 宾西法尼亚

Competitors were evaluated on the overall presentation of their business plan—including staying within a five-minute pitch window—how effectively they answered the judges’ questions, the viability of their startup and their ability to sell the judges on their business.  

帮助准备竞标比赛, contestants were paired with a pitch coach who worked with them on their business plans and presentations. The 蒙特奥拓发射箱 thanks this year’s pitch coaches for their time and support:

  • Robin Burtner, director of the Shippensburg University Small Business Development Center
  •  Kathryn Gratton, certified small business mentor and founder of Red Lips Mentor L.L.C.
  • Joe Hackett, executive in residence for Ben Franklin Technology Partners at the J.D. 宾夕法尼亚约克学院布朗创业中心
  • 乔治娜克兰斯顿, business consultant for the Shippensburg University Small Business Development Center.

This year’s LION Tank competition was held during Penn State StartUp Week, powered by PNC, an annual University-wide event that celebrates entrepreneurial spirit by connecting students with alumni who have achieved success with their own startup initiatives. 由社交活动组成, 学生场地竞赛, and presentations from startup founders and innovators—many of whom are Penn State alumni—Startup Week is designed to inspire students to push the limits and think creatively about their future career paths.

The 蒙特奥拓发射箱 opened in January 2018 and offers free services to business entrepreneurs such as receiving legal assistance from Penn State's Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic at 大学公园 to set up a new company or file a patent for a product.

有关蒙特奥拓发射箱的更多欧博官网app下载,请访问 montalto.事业单位.edu/launchbox.

创立欧博体育官网是一项旨在刺激经济发展的倡议, 创造就业机会, 学生的事业成功.