Driven by Purpose, Powered by Innovation

Driven by Purpose, Powered by Innovation

At the Impact Incubator, we help students build essential skills in collaboration and leadership by creating opportunities for real-world learning. We partner with classrooms, connect students through our app in peer groups, and provide funding to support shared experiences outside the classroom.

Our mission is to empower students through meaningful connections, hands-on problem-solving, and teamwork that extends beyond school walls.

The Challenge

In today’s world, many students face a growing gap in critical skills such as collaboration, authentic connection, and engagement. Factors like their K-12 educational experiences, the influence of technology, remote or hybrid work and learning, and the rise of social media have contributed to this disconnect. Research, employer insights, and candid conversations with students themselves consistently reveal a pressing need for these foundational competencies—skills that are vital for personal growth and professional success.

Our Solution

We bridge this gap with a research-backed approach: curated “third-space” activities (arts, culinary, nature, and more) that strengthen student teams’ collaboration and performance skills. Committed to equity, we provide funding, clear guidance, and an inclusive environment. Grounded in behavioral science and embedded in classes/organizations, these experiences turn the world into a classroom, filling gaps left by traditional settings.

Our For the Future App complements this with AI-driven personalization—continuously adapting to each student’s skills, interests, and well-being while integrating real-time university offerings, employer demand, and emerging trends to anticipate needs,
 align with workforce shifts, and support holistic growth from day one through graduation and beyond.

How It Works

Meet the Team

Meet the Alumni

Behind the Impact

Why and How to get Involved

Image by Matt Cropp

Universities are under increasing scrutiny as students, employers, and communities question whether a traditional degree adequately prepares graduates for today’s workforce. Employers often struggle to integrate recent graduates, while students face a growing gap between academic learning and real-world readiness. This disconnect affects individual careers and limits the broader public impact of higher education.

The Impact Incubator at Penn State exists to close that gap. We enhance the value of a Penn State degree by cultivating critical skills often underemphasized in traditional education—collaboration, creative problem-solving, and professional adaptability—through Public Impact Research (PIR) and applied, real-world experiences. These experiences serve as powerful examples of engaged scholarship and brain capital development, preparing students to create value for society while strengthening their own long-term cognitive, professional, and leadership capacity.

Beginning in a student’s first year and continuing throughout their academic journey, the Impact Incubator provides sustained, strategic support that strengthens career readiness and lifelong success. Through hands-on projects, industry partnerships, and interdisciplinary collaboration, students connect academic knowledge to real challenges facing communities, organizations, and industries.

To reinforce Penn State’s identity as “Collaboration U,” we will spotlight student success through media, social platforms, and partnerships with industry leaders—showcasing the transformative impact of collaborative education and public impact research. This effort attracts students who prioritize these essential skills while strengthening Penn State’s reputation as a leader in engaged, outcomes-driven education.

Our mission is to empower students through meaningful connections, creative problem-solving, and teamwork—while redefining what a college degree can achieve.

For more information or to explore collaboration opportunities, please contact Kerry Small at kls401@psu.edu.

Sponsors

SPARC Foundation Innovation Ecosystem

Offering expertly crafted programs and activities to fully engage individuals and teams by fostering personal growth and connection through experiential learning and impactful experiences.

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Venture Meets Mission

NobleReach Foundation

Empowering individuals to innovate within their organizations, companies, and communities using Venture Meets Mission methods and mindsets. Our platform engages and connects students and industry teams to foster growth, leadership, and the skills, relationships, and conditions needed to solve complex global challenges.

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Venture Equity Project

Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center

Discover inspiring research that highlights the positive impact of entrepreneurs - including the factors at the local, state, and national levels that support them as they innovate to solve critical problems in their communities and beyond.

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