Penn State News

Invent Penn State’s Dare to Disrupt podcast will celebrate its 50th episode with a live episode recording featuring Penn State alumna, creative entrepreneur, content creator and professional perfumer Asia Grant on Thursday, April 9, at Struthers Auditorium in the Smeal Business Building.

Small business owners, entrepreneurs, students and community members gathered at Penn State Lehigh Valley on March 27 for a hands-on workshop exploring how artificial intelligence can be used to strengthen business strategy, improve decision-making and expand capacity for small teams.

As a kickoff to Penn State Startup Week, six student teams pitched their startups to a panel of judges, competing for prizes totaling $35,500 in funding in the 2026 Invent Penn State Inc.U Competition. SlammedU, a startup founded by Smeal College of Business student Niklas Restrepo, won first place and $15,000.

Penn State has named the inaugural Innovation to Impact Awards recipients, recognizing faculty, researchers, entrepreneurs and partners whose work exemplifies the University’s commitment to translating research into real-world impact. 

The latest episode of Invent Penn State’s "Dare to Disrupt" podcast features Jackie Foor, executive director of the Consortium for Public Education. The consortium is a nonprofit that connects schools with partners and resources to help students prepare for their futures.