After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Erin Godfrey turned her attention to entrepreneurship while studying at Penn State Harrisburg. She founded Joy Tac LLC to develop safer, more responsive firearm holsters, drawing on her military background to design a solution with real-world impact.

Erin’s first step was working with the Harrisburg LaunchBox, an innovation space that provides free mentorship and early-stage business support to student and community entrepreneurs. There, she gained guidance on how to shape her idea into a business. She also connected with the Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) at Penn State, which provided Erin with guidance and resources specifically tailored to veterans and military-connected entrepreneurs.

To move from idea to prototype, Erin worked with OriginLabs, Invent Penn State’s product development and prototyping facility, where she accessed expert support and fabrication tools to refine her design. She also put her work to the test in the Invent Penn State Inc.U Pitch Competition, a statewide student startup competition, where she secured $15,000 in funding to accelerate Joy Tac’s growth.

Today, Joy Tac is moving from concept to commercialization thanks to Erin’s determination and the support she found through Penn State’s entrepreneurial resources. Her story reflects how veterans can successfully translate their service experience into innovative business ventures with the right guidance and tools.