Student entrepreneurs face even more emphasized hurdles when it comes to launching a business from the ground, but now, Penn State students have a catered organization to ignite their startup companies.

Lion LaunchPad, a nonprofit, independent organization that supports startup companies in Centre County, launched in the summer of 2007 after inspiration from the senior honors thesis of Robert Shedd, Class of 2007.

Shedd currently works as a consultant for IBM. His thesis, "Inspiring Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Through Incubators," explored how undergraduate students at Penn State could receive more support in launching a company.

"We knew that we wanted to help undergrads in the process of starting a company, and the thesis was an opportunity to look at the types of support that existed at Penn State," Shedd said. "That was the driving force behind the idea."

The company provides startup business with low-cost or no-cost office space, seed money starting at $500 and access to an alumni and faculty mentoring network, said Elizabeth Kisenwether, director of the engineering entrepreneurship minor at Penn State.

"The money would be implemented to help teams develop prototypes, do market analysis or travel to meet with potential clients," Kisenwether said. "In a lot of cases, they certainly have the enthusiasm and passion, they just don't have the cash."

The company has provided resources for six companies and plans to help at least nine more in the near future, according to a press release.

"One of our companies is called Triple Overtime Productions, and they manufacture Penn State magnet products," Kisenwether said. "They have the approval to work with Penn State as well as some other universities."

The organization is not affiliated with the university, Shedd said.

"Lion LaunchPad is an independent nonprofit entity," he said. "It has a strong symbiotic relationship with the university, but it is completely separate."

Shedd is still involved with Lion LaunchPad and sits on the board of directors along with State College Borough Council member Don Hahn, three Penn State deans and two professors.

"I am very interested and excited to see where we can take Lion LaunchPad," he said. "We've had a great start, but there's a lot of work that still needs to be done, so I'm doing all I can to help out."

The networking opportunities make Lion LaunchPad a great resource for startup businesses, said Robert Macy, chairman of Lion LaunchPad and clinical assistant professor of entrepreneurship at Penn State's Smeal College of Business.

"It's truly amazing to me how dedicated Penn Staters are to each other and how willing they are to pitch in, offer advice and lend a hand when a fellow alum has a need," Macy said in a press release. "Immediate access to that kind of a network is something very few startups are able to attain on their own."

Low-cost real estate, university resources and Penn State student entrepreneurs make the area ideal for launching a business, Macy said.

"Our engineering students can create anything, our information sciences students can encode anything and our business students can manage and market anything," he said.

Interested students can apply online at www.lionlaunchpad.net.