Penn State SBDC Business Plan Bootcamp – Applications Due Dec. 29
Penn State SBDC Business Plan Bootcamp – Applications Due Dec. 29

Looking to take your business to the next level in 2024? The Penn State SBDC Business Plan Bootcamp is an 6-week accelerator program designed to take entrepreneurs and business owners through the complete journey of writing a comprehensive business plan. A well-written business plan outlines the primary purpose of a business, designs plans for the future, identifies a unique value proposition, and lays out a financial roadmap to success. With a strong business plan, you can obtain bank financing and/or attract investors, recruit and retain employees, and operate a successful business.
During the 6-week program, participants will attend 4 virtual training sessions, receive 4 one-on-one virtual coaching sessions, and get free access to LivePlan, a complete business planning tool. Upon completion of the program, participants will have a comprehensive and attractive business plan along with a pitch deck that quickly communicates their business idea to potential clients and investors.
Participation is by application only. Applications are due December 29 and selected entrepreneurs/business owners will be notified of their acceptance on or before January 3. If accepted, participants will receive free access to LivePlan software for 3 months. The winner of the final pitch competition will win a $500 PA Wilds Digital Gift Card, which can be used at any of the participating 89 businesses (learn more here: https://app.yiftee.com/gift-card/pa-wilds-kane?short_code=q6xp4pwky7mn#hiw-section).
Program Dates:
- January 9, 10 am – Noon: 1st group coaching session
- January 16, 10 am – Noon: 2nd group coaching session
- January 23, 10 am – Noon: 3rd group coaching session
- January 30, 10 am – Noon: 4th group coaching session
- February 13, 10 am – Noon: Final pitch competition
*Participants will schedule a 1:1 coaching session with a program coach.
This program is made possible through a collaboration with The Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania/The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship. The Business Plan Bootcamp program is a great opportunity to prepare for the 2024 Big Idea Contest, which offers a chance to win up to $50,000 to develop an innovative product, process, or technology. For more information, visit https://bfcnp.org/wildidea.*Interest in the Big Idea Contest is not required to participate in this program.
Instructions:
To apply for entrance into this program, please complete the program application (this will take 5-10 minutes to complete): CLICK HERE FOR APPLICATION
If you’re interested in becoming a member of Wilds Cooperative of PA (WCO), please click here: www.WildsCoPa.org/join.
ABOUT THE PA WILDS
The Pennsylvania Wilds is a 13-county region that includes the counties of Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Warren, and northern Centre. The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc., is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to integrate conservation and economic development in a way that inspires the communities of the Pennsylvania Wilds. The PA Wilds Center promotes the region and its 2+ million acres of public lands as a premier outdoor recreation destination as a way to diversify local economies, inspire stewardship, attract investment, retain population and improve quality of life. The PA Wilds Center’s core programs seek to help businesses leverage the PA Wilds brand and connect with new market opportunities, including: the Wilds Cooperative of PA, a network of more than 575 place-based businesses and organizations, and the PA Wilds Conservation Shop, a retail outlet primarily featuring products sourced from the WCO. For more information on the PA Wilds Center, visit www.PAWildsCenter.org. To learn more about the WCO, visit www.WildsCoPA.org. Explore the PA Wilds at www.PAWilds.com. Find regionally made products at www.ShopThePAWilds.com.
- Full Circle Bioconversion LLC: Turning food waste into a business
As a child, the Pennsylvania woods were Aubrey Fornwalt’s playground and the stream was her pool. After a life change in 2016 led her back to her childhood home in Lycoming County, Fornwalt took a risk and bought some black soldier flies for a composting business, taking inspiration from the woods and insects she loved as a child. Two years later, it grew into what would become Full Circle Bioconversion, based in the city of Williamsport in the Pine Creek Valley and PA Grand Canyon landscape and I-80 Frontier landscape of the Pennsylvania Wilds region. - Blackbird Distillery: Making shine and making friends
Not too many businesses can say they create their product completely from start to finish, but the folks at Blackbird Distillery can! Located in Brookville along the I-80 Frontier landscape and the Cook Forest and the Ancients landscape within the Pennsylvania Wilds, Blackbird Distillery is a one-of-a-kind place that takes pride in showing visitors the magic of how their product is made. - Judy Schrader: Creating small, but very mighty art
Judy Schrader’s love for art began when she was just a child, and it soon grew into a lifetime of creation. Based in Warren County in the Allegheny National Forest and Surrounds landscape of the Pennsylvania Wilds, her art has ranged from boundless wilderness scenes to miniature details of the wonders of nature.
