By: Dimitri Stergiou, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, djs6962@psu.edu  

 The Penn State Brandywine Entrepreneurship Club is here to help guide any students looking to start their own businesses. Whether a student has an idea already, or if they are at square one, the Entrepreneurship Club has the resources and expertise to help. 

 Entrepreneurship is the activity of starting a business or businesses, while also taking on the financial risks in hopes of making a profit. For many, the first half of that definition is what attracts them to the sweet temptations of running their own business. The second half, however, is also the cause of many downfalls for startup companies.  

 “My personal goal is to educate the students on entrepreneurship,” says Tony Mattei, advisor of the club and director of entrepreneurship. “. . . what pitfalls to look for, and how to validate your idea before you end up spending a lot of money on something that may not work.”  

 Tony’s impressive background as a graphic designer and business owner himself, allows him to share his own insights in this field, as well as sharing his and others’ mistakes that have been made along the way.  

 Additionally, the Entrepreneurship Club also utilizes the Launchbox and Innovation Network. Launchbox, for short, is essentially a large network for participants to access and to extract their knowledge. It comprises 21 Launchbox and innovation spaces within Penn State campus communities across Pennsylvania.  

 What makes Launchbox an invaluable tool is that it offers specialized programs for students to start their own businesses. To make it even more effective, if one student’s local innovation space does not have what they need, the Launchbox network has 20 other spaces to potentially assist. However, this was not always the case for students. 

 “My predecessors… stuck to the community base of it [Launchbox], …when I became director in October of this past year, is when I incorporated the student population into taking advantage of Launchbox,” said Mattei. 

 In addition to Mattei and Launchbox, the members of the club themselves can be counted as essential resources. Members like vice-president Philippe Latour, who despite already having his own business, is still eager to learn more and help his fellow students. 

 Latour’s business, Legendary World, makes clothes out of recycled materials.   

 Latour has always had an interest in entrepreneurship since he took a class on the subject in high school and absolutely loved it. “I want to be free to do what I want, whenever I want,” he proclaimed with a smile.  

 Latour is not alone in this mindset, as I observed at the club’s first meeting, each new member stated similar reasons for seeking the club out. It is this interest and passion that the club will nurture and sustain over time through workshops and community events, such as pitch competitions.  

 With the Entrepreneurship Club still in its infancy, there has not been ample opportunity for events, but Latour is hopeful that it can only improve. At the club’s first and only pitch competition, the turnout was “great” according to Latour and Mattei. “In addition to participants, we also had a [sizeable] audience of students, faculty and staff.” There were four judges, and there was even a gift card prize. Latour wants to see more of these events with bigger prizes as time goes by; that way even more people will be interested in participating. Increased numbers of events mean more networking for all involved. So, it is safe to say that we should all keep our eyes peeled and ears open.  

 When I asked Latour about his personal goals pertaining to entrepreneurship, he told me he had three at the forefront. “Firstly, I want my degree,” he said with a chuckle. “Second, I want to elevate my business and make my first sale. Lastly, and most importantly, I want to constantly be the best I can be.”  

 This sort of passion and drive is exactly what anyone should want out of a leadership position, and it is exactly what you will encounter, and more, when you join the Entrepreneurship Club at Penn State Brandywine. 

 For anyone interested in the Entrepreneurship Club, they meet every other Tuesday from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. starting on September 17 until December 10. They also meet every other Thursday from noon to 1:00 p.m. starting on September 26 until December 5. Contact Tony Mattei at mattei@psu.edu with any additional questions or concerns.