An Entrepreneurial State of Mind

Lion LaunchPad is a new Penn State special living option for first and second year students. It aims to connect students to the thriving entrepreneurship community at Penn State. The living option is located in Leete hall in North Halls on campus and includes its own private makerspace in the basement of Leete Hall. I got the chance to speak with students currently living in the SLO as well as Sabrina Knott, a student who helped design and make Lion LaunchPad a reality.

In the midst of the 10th annual Penn State Global Entrepreneurship Week, students got the opportunity to interact with some local student startups looking to make an impact on the world with their innovative ideas. Hear about those ideas and student reactions to this event in this episode, sponsored by the Penn State Schreyer Honors College: shc.psu.edu

This is the last episode of the Global Entrepreneurship Week 2017 podcast. Get an inside look into some of the guest speakers and workshops that took place during GEW. Theme music: "Inspired" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Two GEW speakers, Harshil Patel and Erin Weidemann, discuss their entrepreneurial journeys and provide some advice to young entrepreneurs. Theme music: "Inspired" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Leon, a sophomore studying political science, wants to become prime minister of Canada and leaves his life decisions up to chance and God.

Three individuals discuss what they have gotten out of Global Entrepreneurship Week at Penn State in the past--including a sense of community and a lunch with President Barron--and why students should attend GEW this year. Theme music: "Inspired" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Freshman Carter O’Sullivan, a current supply chain management major, talks about his experiences finding his passions and interests that don’t necessarily align with those of the rest of his family. Sponsored and owned by The Daily Collegian, created by Katie DeFiore.

Leon, a sophomore studying political science, wants to become prime minister of Canada and leaves his life decisions up to chance and God. Sponsored and owned by The Daily Collegian, created by Katie DeFiore.

Senior Hunter Murdoch, a nursing major, talks about her most influential moment gaining nursing experience during her externship over the summer. Sponsored and owned by The Daily Collegian, created by Katie DeFiore.

Meet Jon Gumble, a Penn State graduate who started out as an engineering major and, after a crazy turn of events, eventually became a designer for K'nex. Watch the video showing Gumble's favorite display he's built here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JArzuHYaXug Credit for the theme music goes to Roger Plexico.

Meet Luke Yost, a Penn State junior studying material science and engineering. He is the founder of Mod Zero, a student startup with the technology to swap scopes between rifles without losing zero. Mod Zero is one of the five finalist teams in the Ag Springboard pitch competition.

Meet Dustin Betz and Jared Yarnall-Schane, 2012 Ag Springboard winners. Dustin graduated from Penn State in 2014 with a degree in plant biology. Jared graduated in 2015 with a degree in mechanical engineering. They won the pitch competition with their vertical farming business pitch, called Green Towers.

Meet Nathan Pearlman, a Penn State junior majoring in food science who has entered Ag Springboard with the Warchest Project. He and his business partner, Sami Beining (junior — biorenewable systems), came up with the idea to repurpose military ammo cans as tailgating essentials, and now hope to win Ag Springboard with their idea to receive $7,500 worth of funding to make it happen.

Meet Hunter Swisher, a Penn state student passionate about finding ways to reduce the amount of harmful chemicals entering our waterways. He also gives a very unique perspective on the ideal entrepreneur.

Meet Torin Miller, the managing partner of Ruffed Outdoors. His business designs camouflage apparel based on the feathers of the ruffed grouse, the Pennsylvania state bird.

In this first episode of An Entrepreneurial State of Mind, I interview entrepreneur Mary Elizabeth McCulloch, a recent Penn State graduate who has created a device that gives a voice to the voiceless. ​ Visit her website at projectvive.com