Berks LaunchBox celebrates native entrepreneurs at Lifestyle Enterprise Pitch Night time

The Berks LaunchBox powered by Penn State not too long ago introduced the winners of its summer time 2026 Lifestyle Pitch Competition. Prizes awarded to the first-, second- and third-place winners totaled $2,000 in seed funding.

Twelve contributors shared their imaginative and prescient, their story, and the shoppers they hope to serve whereas competing for prize cash and receiving helpful suggestions from the Berks LaunchBox adviser panel. Participants represented a variety of life-style companies, from household companies and wellness to meals and present gadgets to occasion and know-how help. Each entrepreneur introduced a novel perspective on how their enterprise meets a necessity locally.

Jessica King, founding father of ElderCARE Collaborative, was the first-place winner and acquired $1,000. ElderCARE Collaborative supplies compassionate ageing advocacy that empowers households to make assured choices. With greater than 15 years of expertise supporting households via care coordination and sophisticated ageing transitions, King gives steerage rooted in readability, compassion, belief and respect for every senior grownup’s autonomy.

Tom and Kim Chilton, founders of Garden Infuzions, have been the second-place winners and acquired $600. Garden Infuzions creates greater than 200 flavors of handcrafted infused olive oils designed to raise on a regular basis cooking with daring herb and spice flavors like New York pizza, cilantro-lime, Philly cheesesteak, and extra. Customers can pattern the oils on the Fairgrounds Farmers Market.

Annette Faust, founding father of A Box of Berks and Beyond, was the third-place winner and acquired $400. A Box of Berks and Beyond creates thoughtfully curated present packing containers that remember the historical past, tradition and flavors of Berks County, Reading, and Pennsylvania with native treats introduced in a contemporary present basket. Faust has been creating the present packing containers since 2017.

King commented, “Berks LaunchBox has been an invaluable part of my entrepreneurial journey. The mentorship, education, encouragement and resources they provide gave me the confidence to build a business I never would have known how to create on my own. Just a few months before the competition, I was sitting in the audience, inspired by the entrepreneurs on that stage. To then stand there myself, share the vision for ElderCARE Collaborative, and ultimately hear my name announced as the winner was an incredibly humbling, full-circle moment.”

Erica Kunkel, director of innovation, workforce and neighborhood Impact, said that they’re grateful to the 12 contestants who ready wonderful pitches and to the 13 advisers who served as judges, providing their time, perception, encouragement and sensible suggestions to assist every entrepreneur transfer ahead.

Edvard Philipson, a senior govt with greater than 30 years of expertise within the pharmaceutical and medical units industries throughout worldwide markets, serves on the LaunchBox adviser panel. He said, “Serving as a judge for this year’s Pitch Competition was both a privilege and a joy. I had the opportunity to learn about twelve inspiring projects and entrepreneurial ventures, each reflecting creativity, passion and determination. While only three teams could be selected as winners, every participant deserves recognition for having the courage to transform an idea into action. I sincerely hope that each of these entrepreneurs continues pursuing their vision and achieves lasting success.”

The mission of Berks LaunchBox, positioned in Suite 105 of the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in downtown Reading, is to help financial growth 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 gives entrepreneurship workshops, co-working area for startups, meetups centered on enterprise growth, 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 growth, job creation and pupil profession success. For extra data, go to berkslaunchbox.psu.edu or contact Kunkel at 610-396-6221 or [email protected].