news & events

Kristen Greco, a registered nurse and mother of two, had a vision to establish a business supporting new mothers and fostering community, but she lacked resources or prior business experience. She sought help to launch her venture and create a business strategy to reach a wider audience, aiming to empower new moms through her services. Kristen was directed to Beaver Valley LaunchBox, and her entrepreneurial journey began from there. She visited the team and mentors during their weekly open house and started working on her dream to start the business with the support of her friends, family, Beaver Valley LaunchBox...

BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – Women entrepreneurs from Beaver County were the focus of a panel discussion hosted by the Beaver Valley LaunchBox. The June 5 event, Queen B’s, was held in the B-HIVE (Beaver Valley Hub for Innovation, Venture and Entrepreneurship) and celebrated six entrepreneurs who shared their stories. The panel discussion was moderated by Joline Atkins, artistic director of The Baby Bello and fitness professional who facilitates group strength sessions with women online. The Queen B panelists were Allison Hutchins of Hutch and Home, Kristi Harper of Café Kolache, Renee Suhr of Stray Cat Studio and The Baby Bello,...

Setting goals is an important step for any entrepreneur, and as we enter 2023, now is a great time to start thinking about your goals for the year ahead. By setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals, you can give yourself a road map to follow and a clear sense of what you want to achieve. Here are a few tips for setting SMART goals in 2023: Start with a clear understanding of your business plan. Before you start setting more specific goals, it's important to have a clear understanding of your overall business strategy and objectives. This...

Visit a local library and you might notice a new corner designed to inspire your entrepreneurial spirit. The Beaver Valley LaunchBox partnered with the Beaver County Library System to establish Creative Corners in each area library.  The Beaver Valley LaunchBox is signature program of Invent Penn State. LaunchBox provides resources to foster entrepreneurship and innovation in the region with an objective to spur economic development, job creation and campus-community collaboration. The initiative offers community members and students no-cost programs and support to launch their ideas into fruition. “We want to increase awareness for LaunchBox and get people involved in it,”...

As part of its Invent Penn State initiative, the University today announced four new seed grants, each valued at $50,000, designed to bolster entrepreneurship and economic development in communities surrounding Penn State campuses across the commonwealth. Penn State Beaver is one of the recipients. With today’s announcement, the University’s effort has grown to include 21 hubs for innovation spread across Pennsylvania – an undertaking that was introduced by Penn State President Eric J. Barron just two and a half years ago. “As a major public research university, we are committed to empowering entrepreneurs and providing the tools to take great ideas to...