Garber Fund Application

Investments by the Garber Fund of up to $100,000 are determined by Smeal graduate students as part of an on-line Entrepreneurial Finance course taught by Garber Fund Program Administrator, Steve Carpenter, during the Spring semester. 

To be considered for an investment, promising start-up companies can submit executive summaries and applications from September 1, 2025 - January 9, 2026. 

Companies selected for student consideration must be willing to make an investment pitch to the students in mid to late January and provide the students with due diligence information as requested, prior to the investment decision in May. 

The Pennsylvania State University may hold a financial interest in companies competing for investments from this course. No special treatment shall be given to these companies, and they shall be treated like any other company in the consideration process. These financial interests have been reviewed by the University’s Institutional Conflict of Interest Committee and are currently being managed by the University.

Download the 2026 Garber Fund application

For further consideration, please fill out the application and email it to garberfund@psu.edu