HAZLETON, PA. – The Hazleton LaunchBox, supported by Pasco L. Schiavo, Esq., Penn State Hazleton’s Free Business Accelerator and Coworking Space, will host a variety of virtual events related to entrepreneurship and coworking during the Penn State Startup March 22-26 Innovation oriented are week powered by PNC.
Founded in 2012, Startup Week connects attendees with startup founders, business innovators, and individuals who are successful in a variety of professional backgrounds.
During the week, the LaunchBox offers free virtual presentations, speakers, workshops and networking opportunities for students, entrepreneurs or anyone looking to explore their potential.
Attendance links and registration details for the events listed below can be found at https://hazleton.launchbox.psu.edu/startup-week-2021. For a full list of Startup Week events hosted by Penn State locations across the Commonwealth, please visit https://startupweek.psu.edu.
Monday March 22nd
Maintaining Pennsylvania’s Entrepreneurship Ecosystem: Fostering K-12 Innovators – Noon-1:30 PM
About: Learn about the K-12 Education in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Penn State’s initiatives to promote entrepreneurship and leadership among youth and how to get involved.
Building a chain of restaurants with Juan Martinez (in Spanish) – 7pm
Info: Get insights into building a business from scratch with spokesman Juan Martinez. Martinez owns Don Juan Mex Grill, a multi-million dollar company located in northeast Pennsylvania. He has in-depth knowledge of project management, talent acquisition, marketing, growth and much more.
Tuesday March 23rd
Feasibility, structure, licensing and registration – 5-6:30 p.m.
About: Have you dreamed of being your own boss for many years but don’t know where to start? Ask questions like: “How do I turn my idea into a successful company?” “How is the feasibility of my business idea?” “Which forms and licenses do I need?” “Where is the best place to start my business?” Learn the basics to start and run your own business successfully.
Use Your Professional Skills to Build a Business With Nataly Montes de Oca (Presented in Spanish) – 6pm to 7pm
About: Montes de Oca founded the Nath Soap Company in 2019 to bring natural, homemade products to market in small quantities. She developed a passion for natural personal care products and dedicated herself to homeschooling her children. She also has extensive experience in industrial engineering and supply chain.
How to Convert Art into a Business with Anaveli Encarnacion (presented in Spanish) – 7pm – 8pm
About: Join Anaveli Encarnacion and share how she ventured onto social networks due to the pandemic to continue her passion for making artisanal jewelry.
Wednesday March 24th
Why is customer discovery important? – 6-7.15pm
Info: With Customer Discovery we can test our hypotheses using interviews with potential customers. Penn State Hazleton’s Marketing Lecturer Lori Reno explains how customer discovery helps determine how well the product meets customer needs in order to create a sustainable business model.
15th Forum for Business Women and Entrepreneurs (in Spanish) – 7pm to 9pm
Info: Take part in this motivating business and networking event for entrepreneurs who want to exchange ideas, become visible and grow. This event will be broadcast live in Spanish and will focus on promoting entrepreneurship, business development for women entrepreneurs from Latin America and Spain, and micro, small and medium-sized business owners both domestically and internationally.
Thursday March 25th
How Standardizing Processes Can Help Small Businesses Grow with Juan Hernandez (in Spanish) – 4-5pm
About: Get valuable insights from business consultant, professional technical trainer and industrial engineer Juan Hernandez. Hernandez brings over 30 years of experience in free zone, new product development in the automotive and aerospace industries, and in advanced electronics.
The Impact of Offering Good Service with Janna Morales (in Spanish) – 5:15 pm-6:15pm
About: Marketing pro Janna Morales brings over 10 years of entrepreneurship experience to deliver the best results from people by motivating and guiding companies through each of their stages. Morales also has extensive experience in sales, market research and national and international management consulting.
Branding and Communication for Success with Rayvelis Roa (presented in Spanish) – 7pm to 9pm
Info: At a time when social networks monopolize a large part of our attention, effective communication is becoming a fundamental tool in order to be able to sell or present our products and services. Rayvelis will share effective communication and branding techniques for us and our companies.
Friday March 26th
Beyond the Bottom Line: What is a Social Enterprise? – 12: 15-13: 15 pm
About: An increasing number of companies exist not just to make a profit but to fulfill a social or environmental mission. Find out what it means to be a triple bottom line company and to create the interface between social entrepreneurship and certified benefit companies. Hear examples from two social enterprises, one local and one international, and learn the process of becoming a certified B Corp. to become.
Social Entrepreneurship: A Success Story with Adis Ozuna (presented in Spanish) – 5-6pm
About: Ozuna will tell the story of her social entrepreneur project Dominican Access. The project is the result of the strategic alliance of leading companies specializing in different areas in the field of universal accessibility and universal design. With almost 30 years of experience, Dominican Access offers the search and implementation of comprehensive solutions that generate competitive advantages according to the reality and the new trends in the industry.
Tuesday March 30th
Preparation of a small business plan and financial projections – 5 pm-6:30pm
Info: The best way to avoid business failure is to properly plan your business from the start. This workshop supports entrepreneurs on the path to successful corporate responsibility by learning the steps to successfully create a business plan and financial projections.
About Hazleton LaunchBox:
The Hazleton LaunchBox, supported by Pasco L. Schiavo, Esq., Is located at 13 W. Broad St. in Hazleton and provides early stage startups with support and resources to build sustainable, scalable and viable businesses Need a growth plan.
Free programs and services include coworking spaces, accelerator programs, free legal and intellectual property advice, and expert support from Penn State’s extensive network. The LaunchBox is open to everyone – community members and Penn State members. The Hazleton LaunchBox, supported by Pasco L. Schiavo, Esq., Is a signature program of the Invent Penn State initiative and one of 21 innovation centers in Penn State campus communities across Pennsylvania.
Further information can be found at https://hazleton.launchbox.psu.edu.
For more information, please contact William Andahazy, Education Coordinator for Hazleton LaunchBox Education at [email protected] or Fermin Diaz, Entrepreneur at Fj[email protected]. You can also call the LaunchBox at 570-450-3135.
