Developing Student Entrepreneurship at Penn State the Resources and Recommendations Students Need to Launch a Venture
Open Access
- Author:
- Tornetta, Jonathan Mark
- Area of Honors:
- Elective Area of Honors - Engineering Entrepreneurship
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Keywords:
- entrepreneurship
startup
start-up
venture
company
incubator
innoblue
innovation
business
Innoblue
mentor
funding
collaborate - Abstract:
- A dual-focused strategy to develop student entrepreneurship has been prepared for affiliates of Penn State University Park. The benefits of entrepreneurship to the University and region were well documented in 2007 by Robert Shedd. A review of research conducted before 2010 suggested that Penn State students across disciplines were not receiving sufficient entrepreneurial education and resources from Penn State University. Subsequent primary research validated this assumption. The two core components of this work include case study, research and recommendations for improving entrepreneurial resources at Penn State followed by a PSU Student Entrepreneur’s Toolkit that contains the entrepreneurial resources accessible at Penn State. The first section addresses Penn State faculty and staff, alumni, entrepreneur organization leaders, and regional investors. The case study employed to bridge the entrepreneurial resource gap at Penn State involved launching the start-up accelerator Innoblue. Research verified Shedd’s 2010 evaluation that entrepreneurship is highly pursued in an extracurricular environment by Penn State students, despite limited instruction. Needs identified by student entrepreneurs indicated that entrepreneurship development efforts must 1) encourage collaboration between entrepreneur groups and affiliates, 2) increase visibility of web development instruction and 3) funding agents, and 4) promote mentorship relationships . In order to be the holistic student focused research institution that Penn State University strives to be, it must adequately offer the resources required for student entrepreneurship. The toolkit that comprises the second section addresses needs 2 and 3, showing student entrepreneurs who to contact, where to go, and what to learn while at Penn State in order to improve their chances of starting a successful venture.