Great Valley Launchbox

RTLC: Women Founders Pitch Competition
2025-03-26 17:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Penn State Brandywine, 25 Yearsley Mill Rd, Media, PA, 19063, United States
Road to LionCage 2025 Launches at Penn State Brandywine!
Get ready to roar! The Road to LionCage 2025 begins at Penn State Brandywine, celebrating women founders! Join us for an inspiring evening of innovation and empowerment as we launch our regional pitch competitions culminating in LionCage 2025. APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSING ON 3/13. Apply Now!
For more information on this event and to apply: click here

2024 LionCage Pitch Competition
2024-11-08 08:00 - 17:00 | Penn State Great Valley Conference Center
Malvern, PA – August 27, 2024 — Invent Penn State LaunchBoxesTM at Brandywine and Great Valley and the Ideas x Innovation Network (i2n) are partnering to deliver a new pitch competition to support entrepreneurs and innovators across all of southeastern Pennsylvania. The LionCage is a new event that features pitch presentations across four categories – Early Stage Startup, Experienced Startup, Student Startup, and Social Impact Initiative.
“LionCage is a targeted opportunity for startups of all levels to showcase their idea with an audience of highly engaged supporters, advisors and investors across southeastern Pennsylvania’s innovation ecosystem,” said Matt Cabrey, Director of the Ideas x Innovation Network, which helps startups transform their ideas from concept to commercialization.
Presented in partnership with the LaunchBoxes at Penn State Brandywine and Penn State Great Valley, LionCage offers a $5,000 prize for each of the four categories and a “best of show” recipient selected from those four categories that offers an additional $10,000 prize for one of the participants.
“Helping startups across Pennsylvania’s communities is exactly what Invent Penn State LaunchBoxes do every day, and we are excited to develop and deliver LionCage to support entrepreneurs while providing resources to current and aspiring businesses in our local neighborhoods,” said Tony Mattei, Director of Entrepreneurship at the Penn State Brandywine LaunchBox.
LionCage’s Social Impact Initiative category is presented in partnership with United Way of Chester County to showcase companies and projects that are focused on solving societal challenges while also developing a successful business. “We want to encourage and celebrate ideas that are working toward improving societal issues alongside ideas that are focused on financial returns and on solving business challenges, too,” said Kelly Cockshaw, Director of Leadership & Innovation with the United Way of Chester County. “It’s an important distinction, and we are proud to help deliver on this vision.” Set for Friday, November 8, 2024 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and hosted at Penn State Great Valley in Malvern, PA, LionCage is a one-day gathering that offers exposure, connections and access for creators and innovators who are transforming their industries and our society. Registration, details, and sponsorship information is available on the LionCage website.

About Invent Penn State LaunchBox
The LaunchBox & Innovation Network is comprised of 21 LaunchBoxes and innovation spaces embedded within Penn State campus communities across the state. Each innovation space provides a wide
array of no-cost resources needed by entrepreneurs and innovators. Of those, 19 locations are LaunchBoxes™ providing specialized programs to launch startup companies. The Brandywine LaunchBox and Great Valley LaunchBox serve Delaware and Chester counties respectively.
About Penn State
With 24 campuses located in communities across Pennsylvania, Penn State is not only a top-ranked research university and Pennsylvania’s sole land-grant institution, it is a true community—more than 775,000 strong—of educators, researchers, students and alumni from all walks of life from around the Commonwealth, the country and the world, and who are driven to make a difference for themselves, their communities, businesses, and society. Founded with a mission of high-quality teaching and expert research, Penn State offers world-class education, interdisciplinary research, and global service and impact. Across southeastern Pennsylvania, Penn State serves communities through its campuses including Penn State Brandywine, which offers four-year undergraduate degree programs and more; and Penn State Great Valley, which offers master’s degrees, graduate certificates, professional development programs, corporate training, and conference services. Each of these campuses is home to their LaunchBox, which is open to all community members (no University affiliation required) and helps startups and entrepreneurs turn their ideas into business.
About i2n
An initiative of Chester County Economic Development Council, i2n’s mission is focused: Make southeastern Pennsylvania the best possible place for early-stage and technology-driven companies to start, grow, and thrive. Driven by i2n Partners consisting of corporate, academic, angel and venture capital investors, nonprofit and civic leaders, successful serial entrepreneurs and others, i2n is a true “network” of experts and connects these resources with the i2n Entrepreneurs who need help and guidance to advance their project, ultimately driving innovation across southeastern Pennsylvania and infusing a new economic vibrancy across our collective community by creating new jobs and reinforcing Pennsylvania’s position as the global epicenter of invention and innovation. i2n provides entrepreneurs with funding options, workspace solutions, coaching and advising, and key connections to grow their business.
About Chester County Economic Development Council
With a focused mission to promote business and community prosperity, the 40 team members of CCEDC strive to position the organization as the most successful, diverse, and engaging business and community development services provider in Pennsylvania. For more than 60 years, CCEDC has served southeastern Pennsylvania as a private, non-governmental entity that supports businesses in four key areas – Financing Solutions, Location Services, Workforce Development, and Innovation & Entrepreneurship – ultimately enhancing the quality of life and economic prosperity across Chester County and our regional community. Chester County Economic Development Council (ccedcpa.com). While known as the Chester County Economic Development Council, we provide economic development services across southeastern Pennsylvania.
TO LEARN MORE AND APPLY VISIT THE LIONCAGE SITE
