Penn State Berks LaunchBox proclaims Lifestyle Pitch Competition winners

WYOMISSING, Pa. –— The Berks LaunchBox powered by Penn State just lately introduced the pitch winners of its summer time 2025 Lifestyle Pitch Competition. Prizes awarded to the first-, second- and third-place winners totaled $2,000 in seed funding, plus a further $1,000 awarded to the remaining eight pitch contestants by way of $125 micro-grants and help from the Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic to assist register an LLC or to place the funds towards different enterprise wants.

Brooklyn Smith-Jones, proprietor of BK Shanae Candle Co., is the primary place winner of the competitors. Located in Lancaster, BK Shanae Candle Co. is a cell candle-pouring enterprise that produced coconut-soy candles utilizing toxin-free fragrances. The firm affords greater than 30 scents. In addition to their line of candles, the enterprise additionally affords candle pouring workshops, offering prospects the expertise of constructing their very own candles. Smith-Jones stated she is planning to make use of the $1,000 prize cash towards her final objective of opening a brick-and-mortar storefront. 

Philip Tietbohl, proprietor of Poetry That Works, took second place within the competitors. Based in Reading, Tietbohl is a world poet-performer who delivers interactive, performances for all ages in libraries, faculties and nursing houses. Each efficiency consists of the creation of a gaggle poem, which he defined, “results in a new moment in time, told in rhyme.”  Tietbohl’s poetry has been featured in magazines, newspapers and self-published books. With his $600 prize cash, he stated he plans to ship applications to native faculties and donate books to Opportunity House in Reading. 

Alison Woo, proprietor of Alison Woo Designs, took third place within the competitors. Located in Reading, Woo gives one-of-a-kind handcrafted luxurious jewellery catering to brides looking for a timeless heirloom {and professional} girls wanting to specific their private types at work and social occasions. Woo is a second-generation maker, using business experience to design handcrafted jewellery items from ethically sourced semi-precious stones and luxurious metals. With her $400 prize cash, she stated she plans to create a retailer app geared toward educating prospects on stone qualities, growing model consciousness and lead era. 

The competitors started with entrepreneurs submitting a brief utility describing their enterprise idea. They realized develop a product pitch to share their startup concept with buyers, advisers and others and have been invited to follow and polish their pitches with Berks LaunchBox workers. For the grand finale, they pitched their enterprise concepts to Berks LaunchBox Advisory Council members and advisers for extra suggestions, networking and a chance to safe seed funding.

About the Berks LaunchBox

The mission of Berks LaunchBox, positioned in Suite 105 of the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in downtown Reading, is to help financial improvement and entrepreneurship. An innovation hub of Penn State Berks, the LaunchBox connects native early-stage entrepreneurs to the help, assets and services that they should construct sustainable and scalable companies with a viable plan for progress. Services embrace help with prototyping, conducting market analysis, and connecting with advisers. Berks LaunchBox affords entrepreneurship workshops, co-working house for startups, meetups centered on enterprise improvement, a Makerspace with 3D printers for prototyping, and particular youth applications. Berks LaunchBox is supported by Invent Penn State — a commonwealth-wide initiative to spur financial improvement, job creation and pupil profession success. For extra data, go to berkslaunchbox.psu.edu or contact Erica Kunkel, director of constant schooling and Berks LaunchBox, at 610-396-6221 or ELS5014@psu.edu.