Berks LaunchBox

Create a custom laser-cut welcome sign for your home or as a one-of-a-kind gift! Learn the basics of designing, engraving, and cutting while creating a personalized sign to take home.

📅 Thursday, August 13: 6–8 p.m.
📍 Berks LaunchBox, Reading, PA
💲 FREE | Registration required: https://sites.psu.edu/berkslaunchbox/updates/

Have a business idea but aren’t sure where to start? The Berks LaunchBox offers free mentoring, practical guidance, and support to help you take the next step. Reach out and let’s build it together! https://berkslaunchbox.psu.edu/help/

Meet Jessica King, founder of ElderCARE Collaborative and the first-place winner in our recent pitch competition! 🎉

ElderCARE Collaborative helps older adults and their families navigate the practical, emotional, and logistical challenges of aging. Through compassionate advocacy, care coordination, Medicare guidance, and emotional support, Jessica helps simplify complex systems so families can focus on what matters most: the people they love.

Learn more at eldercarecollaborativepa.care.

🧩 Creativity and curiosity came together in our 3D Printing Fidget Toy Workshop!

Participants learned the basics of CAD by designing their own custom fidget toys, then watched their ideas come to life on our 3D printers. From first sketch to finished print, everyone left with a one-of-a-kind creation and new skills to keep making. 🖨️✨

Ready to try 3D printing? Join us for our next free workshop on August 11, where participants will design and create marshmallow launchers. Only 7 seats remain, so sign up today! https://berkslaunchbox.psu.edu/updates/

We enjoyed welcoming Keeb Cruz, owner of Keeb Photography, to the Berks LaunchBox for a coaching session with Seth Shriner.

Keeb Photography is a Berks County-based business specializing in portrait and event photography. Keeb invites clients and followers “to explore the world through my lens.”

We are excited to support Keeb as the business continues to grow and capture meaningful moments throughout our community.

🚀 ¿No sabes cómo poner precio a tus productos o servicios? Aprende a calcular tus precios tomando en cuenta tus costos, tu tiempo, el valor que ofreces y tu margen de ganancia.
Únete al webinar gratuito en español de Berks LaunchBox: “Cómo poner precio a tus productos y servicios”. Será el 4 de agosto de 2026, de 6:00 a 7:30 p. m. y al final recibirás una hoja de trabajo simple para aplicar lo aprendido en tu negocio.
📍 Taller virtual gratuito en español
¡Regístrate hoy y empieza a cobrar con más confianza! https://berkslaunchbox.psu.edu/updates/

🤖 And that's a wrap on this year's RoboQuest Camp at Penn State Berks! 🎉

This week, 10 campers took on the challenge of designing, building, and programming their own line-following robots. Using infrared sensors and Arduino programming, they learned how to troubleshoot, improve their designs, and navigate increasingly challenging courses.

Every successful lap was the result of persistence, problem-solving, and plenty of engineering. We loved watching these future innovators bring their robots to life and cheer each other on along the way.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for an incredible week! 🚗🤖✨

Great afternoon with these smart teens learning new skills at the Berks LaunchBox!

Congratulations to Hallie Guiseppe on launching Pocket Gofer, a new farm recordkeeping tool designed to give farmers more time in the field and less time at a desk!

Farmers can use text or voice to quickly record daily activities, and Pocket Gofer organizes the information into useful records and reports for planning, compliance, expenses, harvests, and more.

Hallie conducted customer discovery and strengthened her business model while participating in the Berks LaunchBox Idea TestLab accelerator. We are excited to see her launch this helpful new product for farmers!

Coffee tastes better from a mug you designed yourself. ☕🎨

This week's Free Dye Sublimation Mug Workshop turned creativity into something participants can use every day. After designing their artwork in Inkscape, everyone brought their ideas to life with vibrant, full-color mugs, from sea turtles and custom gifts to gaming-inspired creations.

What would you put on your mug?