Happy Valley LaunchBox, which opened back in November of 2015, is now welcoming its first class of startups. 

Five teams were selected from over 40 applicants to participate in Invent Penn State’s no-cost business pre-accelerator program. Those teams include:

Lockeroom: A platform to help manage youth sports teams and leagues. It automates and expedites important processes for team/league management, such as scheduling, registration, and communication between members.

Project Vive: An affordable, effective speech assistance technology that gives a voice to individuals who cannot talk, such as those affected by cerebral palsy.

ReDi Index: Methods to measure an organization’s recycling efforts with a two-number system to measure improvement. 

Scenomics: A software-as-service concept that helps healthcare organizations determine the value of their technology investments.

Somnus: A medical device that can diagnose patients with sleep apnea at home rather than in a sleep clinic.

These startups will have access to co-working space and take part in a 10-week training program that includes no-cost consultation with business professionals and mentorship from local entrepreneurs and Penn State alumni.

During the program, teams must commit three hours per week in class and five hours of out-of-class time. Following the 10-week training period, teams may remain at LaunchBox for an additional nine months to advance their business concepts. In addition, staff will connect teams who are seeking capital with potential investors.

All upcoming LaunchBox sessions will be expanded to include 10 teams, and there will be three sessions per year. Visit www.launchbox.psu.edu for more information.