Shenango LaunchBox

10/09/2026

What's your intellectual property strategy?

Join this free webinar, presented by Ben Franklin Technology Partners Learning Center and Invent Penn State LaunchBox & Innovation Network, to learn how a proactive approach to intellectual property can help strengthen your competitive advantage, support future growth, and enhance your company's value!

🔗: https://www.benfranklinlearningcenter.org/training/event/intellectual-property-strategies-for-startups-and-growing-companies

09/16/2026

Test your idea. Build your case. Compete for funding. 💡💰

There’s still time to apply for the Fall 2026 Idea TestLab—but the deadline is coming up fast!

The Shenango LaunchBox powered by the Greater Sharon Community and eight other Penn State LaunchBoxes are offering this free, four-week virtual accelerator for Pennsylvania-based entrepreneurs. Participants will talk with potential customers, test their assumptions, strengthen their value propositions and receive live training and one-on-one startup coaching.

And now, there’s even more at stake: This fall’s program will culminate in a virtual final competition on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 6 p.m., where participants will pitch their ideas for a chance to win prize money!

The Idea TestLab sessions will be held via Zoom from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays, Oct. 6, 13, 20 and 27.

Individuals and teams are welcome. No previous business experience or Penn State affiliation is required, and there are no fees or equity requirements.

⏰ Apply by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18: https://bit.ly/itl2026

09/10/2026

ICYMI - Don’t quit your daydream. Test it! 💡

Have a business idea you can’t stop thinking about? Before investing significant time and money, find out whether you’ve identified a problem customers genuinely want solved.

The Shenango LaunchBox powered by the Greater Sharon Community is joining eight other Penn State LaunchBoxes to offer the Fall 2026 Idea TestLab, a free, four-week virtual accelerator for Pennsylvania-based entrepreneurs.

Participants will:
✅ Identify and learn from potential customers
✅ Test assumptions about the problem their idea solves
✅ Evaluate existing solutions
✅ Develop a clear value proposition
✅ Receive live training and one-on-one startup coaching

The live Zoom sessions will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays, Oct. 6, 13, 20 and 27. Individuals and teams are welcome. No previous business experience or Penn State affiliation is required, and there are no fees or equity requirements.

Apply by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18!

SHARON, Pa. — The Shenango LaunchBox powered by the Greater Sharon Community along with eight other Penn State LaunchBoxes across Pennsylvania are accepting applications for the Fall 2026 Idea TestLab, a free, four-week virtual accelerator for people exploring new business ideas. Applications must...

09/08/2026

Our friends at Invent Penn State, along with Ben Franklin Technology Partners, are teaming up for a Meet the Experts presentation featuring Lee Peterson, the interim director of the Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic at Penn State Dickenson Law!

Register today for the FREE webinar!

🗓️: Thursday Sept. 24
⏰: 10-11 a.m.
🔗: https://www.benfranklinlearningcenter.org/training/event/foundation-for-funding-legal-entity-selection-for-capital-and-growth

09/02/2026

Hear from Shenango LaunchBox Program Coordinator Tom Roberts about the 2026 Idea TestLab!

The Shenango LaunchBox powered by the Greater Sharon Community is joining eight other Penn State LaunchBoxes to offer the free, four-week virtual accelerator for Pennsylvania-based entrepreneurs.

A program designed for aspiring entrepreneurs is now accepting applications for its free business accelerator program.

08/31/2026

The application is OPEN for the 2026 Idea TestLab!

Visit our website to learn more about the program and apply between now and Sept. 18.

SHARON, Pa. — The Shenango LaunchBox powered by the Greater Sharon Community along with eight other Penn State LaunchBoxes across Pennsylvania are accepting applications for the Fall 2026 Idea TestLab, a free, four-week virtual accelerator for people exploring new business ideas. Applications must...

08/26/2026

Don’t quit your daydream. Test it! 💡

Have a business idea you can’t stop thinking about? Before investing significant time and money, find out whether you’ve identified a problem customers genuinely want solved.

The Shenango LaunchBox powered by the Greater Sharon Community is joining eight other Penn State LaunchBoxes to offer the Fall 2026 Idea TestLab, a free, four-week virtual accelerator for Pennsylvania-based entrepreneurs.

Participants will:
✅ Identify and learn from potential customers
✅ Test assumptions about the problem their idea solves
✅ Evaluate existing solutions
✅ Develop a clear value proposition
✅ Receive live training and one-on-one startup coaching

The live Zoom sessions will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays, Oct. 6, 13, 20 and 27. Individuals and teams are welcome. No previous business experience or Penn State affiliation is required, and there are no fees or equity requirements.

Apply by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18: https://bit.ly/itl2026

08/19/2026

Your big ideas could lead to big rewards!

Our friends at Ben Franklin Technology Partners/Central and Northern PA are putting $50,000 behind the region’s best ideas — plus the mentorship, coaching, and connections it actually takes to build something real.

Learn more about the Big Idea Contest on their website: https://cnp.benfranklin.org/programs-resources/bigidea/

08/05/2026

"It's one entrepreneur, one storefront, and one relationship at a time."

The Shenango LaunchBox powered by the Greater Sharon Community is making it easy for local entrepreneurs to find the right help at the right time. Check out how in the Sharon Herald!

SHARON — Vintage Vault in downtown Sharon is proof that the city and its stakeholders’ ongoing revitalization efforts are showing positive results.

06/22/2026

ICYMI - The Shenango LaunchBox powered by the Greater Sharon Community, along with the City of Sharon and the Community Foundation of Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio, are proud to announce the three local businesses who will receive a total of $95,000 in grant funding awarded through the Sharon Economic Development Fund!

SHARON, Pa. – The Shenango LaunchBox powered by the Greater Sharon Community, along with the City of Sharon and the Community Foundation of Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio, have announced the three local businesses who will receive a total of $95,000 in grant funding awarded through the Shar...