Penn State Entrepreneurs Network (PSEN)

Entrepreneurship is about capturing and capitalizing on opportunities. The Penn State Entrepreneurs Network (PSEN) is dedicated to empowering students with entrepreneurial spirit and an interest in new venture creation. The mission of PSEN is to promote personal and professional growth of our members through a distinguished lecture series, networking events, business plan competitions, partnerships with the community, and Nittany Lion Venture Capital.

Nittany Lion Venture Capital

Venture capital is fundamental to entrepreneurship, because it links people, ideas, and passion to critical financial and managerial resources. Nittany Lion Venture Capital (NLVC) is the student-run management group overseeing the $5 million Garber Venture Capital Fund. The organization pursues equity investment opportunities in early-stage, high-growth companies for the Garber Fund. Members actively participate in all the key stages of the venturing process, including due diligence, term sheet negotiation, board oversight, and other investment-related responsibilities. The mission of NLVC is to achieve superior returns for the Garber Fund while promoting personal growth of its members. (NLVC is a component of PSEN and functions therein.) nlvc@psu.edu

Portfolio Companies:

Alpha Source Procurement Systems L.L.C.
DiamondBack Truck Covers
Schoolwires

Officer Bio

Jensen Beeler, Executive Director The executive director of PSEN, Jensen oversees the growth and development of the organization and cultivates relationships between students, faculty, and alumni, as well as entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. This position also coordinates the operations of Nittany Lion Venture Capital, which manages the $5 million Garber Venture Capital Fund. Jensen originally hails from the San Francisco Bay Area, and received his B.A. in Psychology and Law & Society at the University of California, Santa Barbara. While at UCSB, he was a member of the Student Entrepreneur Association, and participated in the Center for Entrepreneurship and Engineering Management business plan competition. Jensen's first business venture, Lurid|Works, arose from this competition, and was his entrance into the field of entrepreneurship. Since then, Jensen has started two other companies: own3doutput, LLC and TLZ Holdings, LLC, which he is still actively involved in, and currently serves as their CEO. After college, Jensen left Santa Barbara to pursue a JD/MBA at the Penn State University's Dickinson School of Law and Smeal College of Business. His legal studies have been concentrated on intellectual property, corporate law, negotiations, and international law. Additionally, Jensen is pursuing the Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Strategic Leadership portfolios within the MBA program. Through his roles at Penn State, Jensen seeks to convey the significance of innovative and entrepreneurial thinking, as well as increase awareness about the opportunities in the start-up and venture capital arenas. jbeeler@psu.edu