news & events

In February, Okezue Bell’s team placed sixth out of 90 plus teams across Pennsylvania in the annual DECA high school competition in the independent business category with a plan for a graphic design business using AI creativity. Bell, with his team member and classmate Wisdom Ufondu, is aiming higher for next year’s DECA competition and decided that Lehigh Valley Launchbox’s StartUp Bootcamp could help them fine tune their new business plan. As they were brainstorming ideas for their next new business idea, they realized that both of their mothers were having a problem with credit card fraud. Developing a solution...

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Lehigh Valley LaunchBox (LVLB) periodically checks in with grant recipients to ask how their business or product development is coming along, hear the advice they have for other entrepreneurs, and see how they have benefited from the microgrants, support and mentorship from Lehigh Valley LaunchBox. Udit Garg is founder of MeddTech. He received a LaunchBox grant for his business in December 2017. Q: When did you get your LVLB grant? Garg: When I was in ninth grade, I presented to LaunchBox and received a $500 grant from LVLB. I went in without much hope thinking a...

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Penn State Lehigh Valley hosted its fifth annual Teen Entrepreneur Challenge (TEC) summer program, which is an initiative of Lehigh Valley LaunchBox. TEC ran from July 6 to 16, exposing 25 rising sophomore, junior and senior high school students to the fundamentals of entrepreneurship as well as important technology skills. While traditionally a residential program, TEC went entirely virtual this year, using Zoom to deliver instruction, guest speakers, field trips and group breakout sessions. Faculty and business leaders provided teaching as part of the curriculum. This year’s program was sponsored once again by Bosch Rexroth and...

After more than 20 years of working for large companies, Ceceilia Jackson had the confidence to leave the corporate world and follow her love of chips! Jackson recently opened her own business, Cece J’s Snacks, with the help of Lehigh Valley LaunchBox. Jackson pitched LaunchBox in Fall 2018 with her business plan, product samples and packaging that she had developed and received a grant that helped her get started.  Since then, she has expanded to 26 products and has released two of the products in the market — Cocazana Chips and Cinnamon Strawberry Apple Chips — with quite a few...

The Portfolio Committee of the Advisory Board of Lehigh Valley LaunchBox (LVLB), a University- and community-sponsored business accelerator program for early stage entrepreneurs, awarded micro grants to three new companies in January. Interested entrepreneurs and startups apply online and pitch their businesses to a selection committee biannually in the spring and fall. Lehigh Valley LaunchBox is a no-cost startup accelerator and co-working space designed to provide early-stage startups with the support and resources they need to build a sustainable and scalable business and a viable plan for growth. All Lehigh Valley community members, including high school students and Penn State faculty, staff...