While 2020 was a difficult year for communities around the globe it created significant opportunity for start-ups in our community and worldwide. The “economic pause” gave time for many start-ups, including some in our portfolio, to tune their customer focused value proposition and “catch-up” to the market. This allowed many of our companies to emerge...Read More
While there have been several changes in the Penn State curriculum these past few weeks due to the coronavirus, students and young alumni alike have been finding several ways to both cope and adjust to the abrupt transition. Although recent announcements have shown that many celebratory events have been cancelled for the rest of the...Read More
The History behind Women’s History Month March marks the beginning of Women’s History month, a month designated to recognize the contributions of women in society, throughout history. What was originally known as “Women’s History Week” in 1982, has deservedly transformed over the years into an entire month aimed at celebrating the vital role of women...Read More
Every entrepreneur has a story that is unique to their industry, their team, and ultimately their journey to success for their company. Although no two success stories are identical, when experienced entrepreneurs share the knowledge of typical business practices that they have applied, it proves to be helpful to those who will come along the...Read More
According to Entrepreneur.com, Happy Valley is “One of the Top 15 Places to Live and Launch a Business.” Whether it’s because of the inspiring energy that students bring, or the sight of local businesses thriving in the community, Happy Valley gives entrepreneurs an opportunity to live and grow in a promising environment. But what exactly...Read More
1855 Capital is excited to welcome our newest portfolio company, Phospholutions, to the 1855 Capital family! We have been working with Phospholutions for a while to put together a great deal and were very excited that Maumee Ventures, the venture capital subsidiary of The Andersons, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANDE), invested alongside 1855 Capital. Phospholutions products help reduce...Read More
1855 Capital is really proud of PLEDGE IT for helping fight childhood cancer. The annual Touchdowns Against Cancer fundraising campaign benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital uses the PLEDGE IT platform to power their fundraising efforts. Recently, CBS Sports featured PLEDGE IT during the “NFL Today” broadcast and tweeted a video highlighting some of the...Read More
1855 Capital Managing Director Matt Rhodes, and Director of Second Stage Capital at Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern PA (and friend of the fund) John Sider, sat down with Penn State President Eric Barron to talk about the impact of the INVENT Penn State initiative and 1855 Capital on communities in Pennsylvania. The interview aired...Read More
Background Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to compete in the first ever Penn State Startup Week Social Innovation Challenge. This competition pitted just over a dozen teams against each other in a chance to create a startup that somehow betters society. It was split into two rounds of judging, with seven teams advancing past...Read More
