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Penn State student startup Today Sports touts 1 billion lifetime social views, credits LaunchBox and stays in Centre County
Summary
Founders of Today Sports presented to commissioners about reaching 1,000,000,000 lifetime views, local support from Penn State and Ben Franklin Technology Partners, revenue from brand partnerships and decision to remain headquartered in State College.
Members of Today Sports, a State College content company founded by Penn State students, presented to the Board of Commissioners on April 11 and described rapid growth, community partnerships and the company's decision to remain based in Centre County.
Founder Justin Lucener said the company has amassed roughly 1,000,000,000 lifetime views across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat since he began creating sports videos as a child. Lucener credited Penn State resources — including the Innovation Park Happy Valley LaunchBox, Invent Penn State and Ben Franklin Technology Partners — for startup funding and mentorship; he said LaunchBox funding included seed awards and a $15,000 founders program grant. Lucener said the group has a team of about 10 people and named colleagues who attended the meeting: Robert Prince III (head creative producer), Kyle Hutchinson (head of finance) and Austin Groft (lead content creator).
The presentation explained Today Sports’ business model: short sports videos published daily with brand partnerships and paid campaigns. Lucener described partnerships with national and local brands, and case studies the company provided — including tens of millions of organic views for a Gatorade campaign and substantial social reach for other brand sponsors. He said the team frequently posts two to three videos a day and that typical videos can reach 100,000 to 300,000 views.
Commissioners praised the founders for choosing to keep the operation in Centre County after graduation and for leveraging local entrepreneurship supports. Commissioner Concepcion and others noted the value of the LaunchBox and related programs for helping student entrepreneurs transition to local employers and businesses. The board took no formal vote on the presentation; commissioners welcomed the group and posed questions about content focus and geographic reach, which the founders answered.
Lucener and his team invited commissioners and the public to upcoming LaunchBox pitch events and noted that they have produced content with Penn State athletes and national figures. The presentation included a request to continue local support for student entrepreneurs and highlighted the economic benefit of retaining graduates and startups in Centre County.
