Penn State’s most outstanding student entrepreneurs will take the virtual stage this week for the Student Startup Showcase at the 2021 Invent Penn State Venture & IP Conference, one of the largest tech startup conferences in the Mid-Atlantic region.

The conference is set to begin at noon on Thursday, April 15, and registration is currently open to the public.

The showcase will feature eight student-run startup businesses that were selected based on their participation in the Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program’s Inc.U Competition and Invent Penn State’s Summer Founders program.

Each team will highlight the impacts its startups have made and how Invent Penn State has helped grow their businesses. Invent Penn State will award each team $2,000.

The Student Startup Teams include:

• 812 Solutions – A company that manufactures and sells “The Crash Pad,” a seat insert designed for race car drivers to help reduce the risk of spinal injury in a crash.
• Girls Code the World – A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides opportunities, resources, and role models for young girls in STEM-related fields through educational programs with specialized curriculum and mentorships.
• JERPA – A clothing company looking to provide warmth, comfort, and style for its customers.
• Miss Monroe Collection – An organic and protective hair care company catering to the needs of people of color. 
• Project Cyclone – An automated recommendation platform to help maintenance technicians prolong the lives of their machines, reducing downtime and maintenance costs through artificial intelligence-based predictive insights.
• Sports Data Now – A data research platform designed to allow users to create their data in their own way, so sports enthusiasts not only have an efficient platform tailored to their needs, but a forum to share their creative passions, as well.
• Table Rock Markets – An online marketplace for consumers to buy locally grown products directly from farmers.
• Xora – A company that enables designers to instantly send out immersive experiences over the cloud that provide an immediate sense of space, scale, and feel of the design.

More information about the Student Startup Showcase and the 2021 Invent Penn State Venture & IP Conference can be found here.