Jim soldering with Talonda and Michelle copy.jpg

Photo by Samantha Bower

Jim Hong prototyping with Talonda Rogers (Michelle in the background) (photo: Samantha Bower)

A Launching Pad for Learning and Birthplace of New Ideas: Berks LaunchBox

Penn State's LaunchBox program in Berks County is giving birth to brand new ideas.

by

Inside The GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in Readingyou’ll find Berks LaunchBox. Its goal is to help Berks County locals turn their dreams into reality. The LaunchBox offers free services from the Penn State Law Clinic, a coworking space, entrepreneur seminars, legal advice, prototyping, and boasts 35 experienced advisors available to lend a hand. Its slogan, “Don’t quit your daydream,” motivates each person who walks through its doors,from the staff to early-stage entrepreneurs and startup companies. 

Since its move to The GoggleWorks, Berks LaunchBox has taken off. It was funded in 2016 as part of Penn State’s LaunchBox & Innovation Network, which includes 21 LaunchBoxes across Penn State campuses. The LaunchBox mission is to support economic development across Penn State campus communities. 

“We are really built around what we saw as a need for our community. There was not a Makerspace open and accessible to the community in Downtown Reading, so that was a need we wanted to fulfill,” says Berks LaunchBox Director Erica Kunkel. Berks LaunchBox’s Makerspace and community focus make it unique in comparison to LaunchBoxes at other Penn State locations. The hub’s Makerspace is equipped with prototype equipment including 3D printers, laser cutters and more. Makerspace Coordinators Frael Reinoso and Jim Hong are both available to assist customers. “The engagement with the kids, the engagement with the adults, and seeing that spark go off is something that is extremely fulfilling,” Jim says. 

More than 202 entrepreneurs have received help since 2023, and 12 to 20 new startup ideas are presented to the LaunchBox each month. Startup ideas run the gamut. Some include hair products, app development, badges for nurses who work in emergency rooms, virtual reality learning, and even Hydrogen Energy. 

“Every day I meet with someone with a whole different idea. It has brought so much color into my life hearing all these cool ideas,” says Michelle Hnath, Berks LaunchBox Coordinator. 

Michelle has been a Girl Scout leader for 19 years and got involved with Berks LaunchBox when she brought her troop to the site to complete a robotics badge. 

Another Berks LaunchBox goal centers on fostering engineering, critical thinking and entrepreneur skills when it comes to community youth. Recently, the LaunchBox offered a customer discovery skills workshop for teens at Emerging Entrepreneurs Academy, Girl Scout troop badge workshops, engineering prosthetic legs with middle school students, and more. For more info and a full schedule of free entrepreneur seminars and Makerspace events, visit berkslaunchbox.psu.edu.