Entrepreneurs from the Philadelphia region pitched their start-ups, competed for cash prizes, networked with mentors and investors
MALVERN, Pa. — Penn State Great Valley hosted its annual LionCage competition on Nov. 14, with entrepreneurs from the greater Philadelphia region pitching 23 start-up companies and competing for $35,000 in total prize money.
This collaborative event — organized by Invent Penn State LaunchBoxes at Brandywine and Great Valley and the Chester County Economic Development Council’s Ideas x Innovation Network (i2n) — was the culmination of a yearlong initiative supporting entrepreneurs throughout the Philadelphia region. This support included more than 75 coaching sessions to help local founders refine their business plans and pitches as well as a series of six pitch competitions and panel discussions. These “Road to LionCage” events, each of which awarded $1,000 in prizes, included:
* A pitch competition for women founders, held on March 26 at Penn State Brandywine
* An open category competition for entrepreneurs in Montgomery County, held on May 21 at Discovery Labs in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
* A social impact competition for founders of social enterprises and nonprofits, held on July 23 at the Chester County United Way
* An open category competition for innovators in Philadelphia, held on Sept. 11 at Comcast LIFT Labs
* A competition for young entrepreneurs, held Sept. 30 at Downingtown STEM Academy
* A competition for veteran founders, held Oct. 15 at veteran-owned Green Castle Consulting and hosted by veteran-owned Layer 8 Security
Finalists from these six events were given the opportunity to pitch their businesses at the Nov. 14 LionCage competition.
“The LionCage organizers held a 30-minute prep session where participants practiced their pitches in front of mentors,” said Tushar Tushar, a data analytics student at Penn State Great Valley. “They provided constructive feedback on our delivery, messaging and body language, which helped me feel not just more confident, but also more compelling and strategic in how I presented our idea.”
Tushar and Anushka Thagle, also a Great Valley data analytics student, presented AI Sentinel, a platform they conceived with classmate Muhammad Faizan Raza, based on their work as research assistants conducting systematic literature reviews on ethical AI and regulatory governance. AI Sentinel promotes trustworthy AI operation by translating complex global regulations and standards into real-time, self-auditing logic that monitors and enforces compliance.
