Penn State Entrepreneurs Network (PSEN)
The Penn State Entrepreneurs Network strives to promote personal and professional growth in its members through invited speakers, networking events, business plan competitions and professional site visits.
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 Bios
Brian Conry
Executive Director, PSEN
Brian worked for American International Group for seven years in the Executive Liability division prior to attending Smeal. He decided to return to school to pursue entrepreneurial interests, having worked in the corporate arena. There is incredible and mostly untapped entrepreneurial talent here at Penn State. Brian is working to harness that energy and facilitate interest and support for entrepreneurship across campus. Concentrating in Finance and Entrepreneurship, he is looking to transition to the alternative energy industry, specifically focusing on solar and tidal energy. Brian currently holds a BA in Finance from Merrimack College.
JP Roesch
Director, NLVC
Gonzalo Cayo
MBA Director
Gonzalo Cayo was born in Lima, Peru but grew up in suburban Washington DC. He earned his Bachelors of Arts Degree from Duke University and majored in Economics and History. After graduation, he worked for several technology companies in various capacities. Gonzalo went on to work for Enterprise, as a Branch Manager, where his performance earned him several sales and customer service awards. Prior to coming to Smeal, Gonzalo was the Client Services Engineer at Intelliworks, Inc, a SAAS startup in Rockville, MD. He was responsible for the successful implementation of the company’s software at dozens of sites.
Gonzalo looks forward to joining a dynamic technology company after graduating from Smeal with a concentration in Marketing and Supply Chain Management.
Oscar Lang
Managing Director, NLVC
Oscar is from Venezuela and obtained his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL). While at UNL, he was a member of the executive board of the American Marketing Association. He served first as Social Co-Chair and then as the VP of Finance. Upon graduation, Oscar joined Sprint Nextel. In 2008, he left the company to pursue an MBA at the Penn State Smeal College of Business where he is doing a concentration in Corporate Finance.
Jon Wesner
Managing Director, NLVC
Jon is the 2010 co-managing director of the Garber Venture Capital Fund. Prior to the Smeal MBA, he worked in New York as an independently financed equities and options trader. He is currently focusing on investment management, portfolio analysis, and venture capital. Additionally, he is the managing director of the Economic Analysis Group in the Nittany Lion Fund and is also a graduate assistant in the accounting department. He also enjoys exercising, snowboarding, and traveling.
Brendon Reed
Marketing Director
As the Director of Marketing, Brendon concentrates on increasing the visibility of PSEN and NLVC activities both within the Smeal program and beyond.
Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Brendon received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Fordham University in New York City. Prior to returning to school, he had the opportunity to flourish in two small entrepreneurial experiences. Working for a boutique investment-banking firm, Epic Financial Group, Brendon assisted the firms' partners with client debt restructurings, financial covenant negotiations, and interest rate hedging, resulting in significant financing cost savings for the client. As the founder of Nuvon LLC, Brendon managed a group of four people to produce two demonstration cds that led to indie radio play, press kits and concert bookings in the New York City area. Post-graduation, Brendon hopes to pursue a career in boutique restaurant development, including micro brewing.
