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Sponsor Pennsylvania State University once and your brand appears on the Pennsylvania State University page and across every one of its programs and student-startup pages — not just this page.

Entrepreneurship CenterDirect fundingNo equityVerified

Invent Penn State

Also known as: IPS

Pennsylvania State University · University Park, PA

Invent Penn State is a $30 million university-wide initiative launched to integrate entrepreneurship and innovation into Penn State's land-grant mission. It coordinates the full entrepreneurship stack: student competitions (Inc.U $30K), LaunchBox & Innovation Network (24 hubs), Summer Founders Program ($15K grants), NSF I-Corps, Startup Leadership Network, Alumni Entrepreneurs Network, Brand Academy, Startup Week, Venture & IP Conference, and more. Under the Office of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization (OEC).

See every program at Pennsylvania State UniversityFind your best fit

Quick fit check

  • Offers direct funding
  • No equity required
  • Currently active
  • Verified by research

Key numbers

Funding range

$1,000 – $15,000

Grant

Equity

None

Application

Varies

System Wide

Last activity

2026-06-24

High confidence

Application and Timing

Varies by subprogram. Inc.U applications open January, due January 18. Summer Founders applications open February, due March 2. Nittany AI Challenge kickoff September. LaunchBox cohorts on rolling site-specific schedules.

Participants

Open to all Penn State students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community entrepreneurs across all campuses and surrounding communities.

Funding and Equity

Funding flows through subprograms: Inc.U Competition ($30K pool, $15K top prize), Summer Founders ($15K equity-free grants), Nittany AI Challenge ($33.5K+ pool), and LaunchBox accelerator stipends. No equity taken in any student-facing program.

Recent Activity

  • 2026: Inc.U Competition winners announced (SlammedU $15K, Now You Know $10K, The Eleventh Round $5K).
  • 2026: Summer Founders Program teams selected (FitLifeAI, Now You Know, Vayla, Whirl Pong).
  • 2026: Nittany AI Challenge awarded $33.5K+ across 15+ teams.
  • 2026: Momentum Fund launched with $50K-$100K investments.
  • FY 2023-24: Network supported 1,356 entrepreneurs, 3,274 students.
  • 2024: Global Entrepreneurship Week across PA campuses.

Known Startups or Winners

  • 2026 Inc.U: SlammedU ($15K), Now You Know ($10K), The Eleventh Round ($5K), Pillar Cabins ($1K Spark).
  • 2026 Nittany AI: CrashAI ($5.5K + $3.5K + $3.5K awards).
  • 2026 Summer Founders: FitLifeAI, Now You Know, Vayla, Whirl Pong.

Verification Gaps

  • Complete startup portfolio and spinout list not consolidated here.
  • Year-over-year metrics for each subprogram not centralized.
  • Total economic impact data beyond FY 2023-24 not captured.
Additional research notesShow

Evidence

  • Invent Penn State official site documenting programs and $30M initiative.[1]
  • Research report consolidating all program findings.[2]