塞拉斯·钱伯林展示了户外经济的材料, a business idea that has become a reality 和 a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization thanks in part to the Idea TestLab. Chamberlin won the top prize in the 2023 competition 和 took advantage of the resources provided through the five-week business accelerator.
纽约,爸爸. ——“发展经济. 提高生活质量."这是塞拉斯·钱伯林的声明, 2023创意测试实验室的获胜者, 在他创业公司的最前沿, 户外经济. 张伯伦赢了3美元,000 in seed money to develop his idea during the virtual IdeaTestLab hosted by the 蒙特中音 和 纽约 LaunchBoxes, 都是由欧博体育官网提供的.
The Idea TestLab is a five-week virtual business accelerator during which selected startups receive coaching 和 training to identify viable business models through intensive customer discovery. Chamberlin, along with other participants comprised a select group of 宾西法尼亚-based community members who have early-stage business ideas. Teams from the 宾州州立大学蒙阿尔托分校 和 Penn State 纽约 service areas participated in the 2023 competition.
在节目中, 创业公司采访客户, 建立他们早期的商业模式, 精心制作他们的电梯演讲. The program culminated in a pitch competition during which teams competed for $5,000 in seed funding to continue the development of their business models.
户外经济, 创意测试实验室的第一名得主, is a consulting service designed to help communities connect economic strategies to their environmental assets such as parks, 小径及休憩用地. Chamberlin meets with members of community organizations to help them see there is an economic value to having those assets in their community. 户外经济过程包括资产量化, 生态系统的映射, 建立共识和启动战略.
例如, 在有铁路或公园的社区, Chamberlin can collaborate with the community to be sure that there are businesses 和 other amenities in the area that bring economic growth to the region. He helps people underst和 the economic value of their open spaces 和 their impact on local business.
自从今年春天早些时候赢得了球场比赛, Chamberlin has established his idea into a legally formed 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, 户外经济公司.
“The Idea TestLab forced me to refine the ideas I had in my mind 和 give the time my idea deserved,张伯伦说。. “它还帮助我思考问题，表达自己的想法. 结果给我个人留下了深刻的印象."
张伯伦注意到，他每周都会和指定的教练见面, 亚伦蓝光, a former chief innovation officer in the financial services industry, allowed him to develop his idea 和 think about it in ways he had not considered.
“This was a great connection I never would have had without the Idea TestLab,” he said.
Eleven coaches volunteered their time to work with participants, listen to ideas, 和 offer advice. Participants are assigned to a specific coach but then also rotate among the others to gain additional insight.
“非常感谢我们的教练,艾伦·雷曼说。, one of the coordinators of the Idea TestLab 和 director of the Graham Center for Innovation 和 Collaboration at Penn State 纽约. “We wouldn’t be able to run these programs without the volunteer coaches who bring a wealth of knowledge 和 experience to help support our participants.”
对于Chamberlin, whose day job is as the chief strategy officer for the 纽约 County Economic Alliance (YCEA), the Idea TestLab gave him the opportunity to develop his idea 和 grow professionally.
他还与YCEA合作，以实现两个实体的共同利益. 张伯伦的想法已经成为现实, 作为一个热爱户外活动的人, 户外经济 is a vehicle for him to share ideas 和 help communities create or leverage the environmental assets they already have improve the quality of life in their areas.
其他得奖者包括:
Second place ($1,500 seed funding) — Daniel DuBravec, Aira Creative LLC. In response to the increasing number of injuries 和 fatalities caused by vehicles striking pedestrians on roadways, Aira Creative’s elevated beacon for str和ed motorists provides a modern-age approach with long-range visual warnings 和 illumination to alert oncoming traffic to slow down 和 take caution.
第三名(500美元种子基金):艾米·肯珀，《欧博官网app下载》. The Yard reimagines the shopping experience by providing an environment that has something for the whole family, 包括儿童活动.
Applications for the 2024 Idea TestLab will open in October 2023 with the program set to run between January 和 March 2024. 更多欧博官网app下载，请发送电子邮件 艾伦雷曼, director of the Graham Center 和 the 纽约 LaunchBox, or call 717-771-8404; or email 海伦McGarry，或致电717-749-4118.
蒙特中音和纽约发射箱, 都是由欧博体育官网提供的, provide early-stage startups with support 和 resources they need to build a sustainable 和 scalable business 和 a viable plan for growth. 免费项目和服务包括共享办公空间, 加速器项目, 免费的法律和知识产权咨询, 以及来自欧博体育官网广泛网络的专家指导. LaunchBox is open to everyone — community members 和 those not affiliated with Penn State. 蒙特中音和纽约发射箱 are signature programs of the Invent Penn State initiative 和 two of 21 innovation spaces located in Penn State campus communities across 宾西法尼亚. 了解更多关于LaunchBox的欧博官网app下载，请访问它们的网站: 宾州州立大学蒙奥图发射箱 和 欧博体育官网约克发射箱 网站.
This project was financed in part by a grant from the Commonwealth of 宾西法尼亚, 社区及经济发展司.
