Grove City College Hosts Virtual Launch Party for Student Businesses

GROVE CITY, Pa. – The Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Grove City College is launching an online marketplace for student-started businesses at the center.

To celebrate the launch, the center will host the Venture Village Launch Party at 7 p.m. Oct. 15 at GCCEntrepreneurship.com. The virtual event is open to the public; those interested can register HERE.

The event will feature businesses develop students in Grove City College’s e-commerce course taught by Yvonne English, executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.

“The best way to learn entrepreneurship is just to roll up your sleeves and do it,” she said in a statement. “In this class, our students learn the concepts and apply them immediately in their own ventures. COVID-19 has made an in-person pop-up shop impossible, so we’d love it if the community could log on to support our student teams as they strive to have a positive impact in our community.”

The e-commerce course, open to all majors, shows students what it takes to run digital businesses, from creating an idea to manufacturing products to order fulfillment and customer service. Businesses created in the class partner with local charities, which receive proceeds from the projects. Over the past three years, businesses made in the class have generated $19,000 in revenue, with $9,000 going to charities.

Among the businesses featured at the Venture Village Launch Party are:

• Environmentally friendly, sustainable tote bags that showcases local artwork. Proceeds benefit Parents in Toto, an autism resource center in Zelienople, Pa.
• Custom washer bracelets. Proceeds benefit Lydia’s Love Moments, providing love and comfort to cardiac patients at Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital and the families in the Ronald McDonald House. 
• Fun, quality heat packs. Proceeds benefit the Miracle League of the South Hills, because “Every Child Deserves the Chance to Play Baseball!”
• Handmade stamped metal bracelets. Proceeds benefit Light of Life Rescue Mission, a faith-based crisis center and shelter for families in need.
• Symbolic bar necklaces. Proceeds benefit Reaching Up & Reaching Out, helping those recently leaving a life in prison for a new beginning in Christ.
• Quality macrame products. Proceeds benefit The Arc of Mercer County, serving those with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 1952.
• Healthful tea products. Proceeds benefit Grove City Area Meals on Wheels, addressing senior hunger and isolation.
• Creative, sustainable accessories for the modern consumer. Proceeds benefit The Genius Corps, an accessible and inclusive lab program for middle school students.

More information on the entrepreneurship program at Grove City College is available at GCCEntrepreneurship.com.

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