Six veterans were awarded funding to help launch their business ideas during the Veterans Business Bootcamp pitch competition hosted by Harrisburg LaunchBox powered by Penn State and the Rotary Veterans Initiative. Erin Godfrey, center, a veteran and Penn State Harrisburg student, won first place.
MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Six veterans, including a Penn State Harrisburg student, were awarded funding to help launch their business ideas during the Veterans Business Bootcamp pitch competition hosted by Harrisburg LaunchBox powered by Penn State and the Rotary Veterans Initiative (RVI).
The competition was held at Penn State Harrisburg on Nov. 17 to close out the Veterans Business Bootcamp, an eight-week program that offered veterans mentorship and support to help build their business plans and connect with resources to advance their business ideas. The program aims to support regional entrepreneurship among veterans, an underrepresented group among entrepreneurs.
"We're so thankful for our partnership with RVI that made this all possible,” said Amma Johnson, director of the Penn State Harrisburg Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, who also oversees the Harrisburg LaunchBox. “This year's cohort was a lot of fun to work with and one of the greatest highlights of the program was seeing the camaraderie develop between the teams; they were all learning from each other."
The winners of the pitch competition were:
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1st Place, $4,000: Erin Godfrey, for S.P.A.R. Holster, a holster designed for law enforcement.
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2nd Place, $2,400: Ronnie Tillman, for Workforce Consolidated Solutions, an eco-friendly shuttle service to address commuting challenges faced by rural industrial facilities.
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3rd place, $1,200: Mike Lombardo, for NEPA Commercial Contractors, a commercial construction business.
The runners up were each awarded $800. They were: Justin Crawford for Beck’s Ice Cream, a coffee and ice cream shop; Halman and Montika Smith for Comfort Zone Mattress, a furniture retailer; and Nakeisha Daniels, for GLAM U, a nonprofit to empower high school students by covering beauty expenses for key senior events.
Godfrey, a second-year kinesiology major at Penn State Harrisburg and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, said the Veterans Business Bootcamp came at the perfect time. She and her husband, a police officer, had finished an initial prototype for a product they hope will help improve equipment and ultimately increase safety for law enforcement officers. The bootcamp offered guidance on next steps, such as presenting to investors, and helped them get market research to help determine necessary funding and profit margins.
“But the greatest part about the program was the networking opportunities,” Godfrey said. “We have met and talked to so many great people through LaunchBox and Invent Penn State who have been instrumental in our progress with our business.”
Local entrepreneurs Lily Yi Meng, of CoCarting; Jogi Daita, of Oxygen Ventures; and Dave Cawley, of Enterprise LLM, served as judges for the pitch competition that closed out the Veterans Business Bootcamp hosted by Harrisburg LaunchBox powered by Penn State and the Rotary Veterans Initiative.
Local entrepreneurs Lily Yi Meng, of CoCarting; Jogi Daita, of Oxygen Ventures; and Dave Cawley, of Enterprise LLM, served as judges. Haley McClain Hill, a former contestant on the TV show "Shark Tank," was a pitch reviewer and coached the teams on building their presentations.
Jim Gainer, a veteran-entrepreneur and volunteer with RVI, mentored the team weekly to prepare for the competition. All participants received coaching weekly through partnership with the Small Business Development Center.
Rick Coplen, chairman of the Rotary Veterans Initiative, offered thanks to Johnson and colleagues for instructing and mentoring the veterans.
“Thanks to all the outstanding veteran entrepreneur participants who demonstrated extraordinary progress throughout the process, especially during their final pitch presentations,” he said. “Service-oriented veterans always enhance the power of our communities. This impressive cohort of veterans will do the same.”
In addition to $7,500 in support from RVI, support also was provided by Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship endowments, specifically the Eric and Patrice Pettis Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Endowment and the Ed, Peggy, and Ned Lucas Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fund.
