The Lehigh Valley is the place for entrepreneurs to be, with a wide array of resources and financial incentives, and an ever-increasing enthusiasm for startups, according to a video recently released by the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC).

That video was the lead story in the latest issue of LVstartup, a monthly e-newsletter for entrepreneurs and startups in the Lehigh Valley, which was released today.

“The Lehigh Valley really provided a lot of unique opportunities to start a business,” said Patrick Clasen, co-founder of the aquarium equipment company EcoTech Marine, said in the video. “We were able to take advantage of not only the support structure from the universities, but also get funding from state, federal, and local sources; opportunities we wouldn’t have had elsewhere.”

Other featured stories featured in the new LVstartup issue included the Northampton Community College’s Fab Lab being invited to speak at the White House, OraSure Technologies receiving $16.6 million to develop rapid Zika virus tests, Olympic cyclist Matt Baronski returning to Penn State Lehigh Valley, and students from the Lehigh University’s LaunchBayC program showing off their projects.

Click here to see a full version of the new issue, and click here if you’d like to subscribe to the e-newsletter. Released each first Thursday of the month, LVstartup recently celebrated its one-year anniversary.

The new issue also highlighted Lehigh Valley LaunchBox interviewing one of its initial grant recipients, Ben Franklin Technology partners launching a new microsite, event management startup Eventuosity in the running for a $1 million prize, and Invent Penn State’s Teen Entrepreneurship Summer Challenge.

The latest LVstartup also spotlights several upcoming events, including LVTech hosting a Tech Happy Hour, Lehigh’s Small Business Development Center hosting two pre-venture seminars, The Lehigh Valley FAST (Festival of Art, Science, and Technology), a “Save the Date” for the upcoming Ben Franklin Venture Idol, and many more.

Each month, LVstartup features a Lehigh Valley startup. This issue, the company is JH Plastics, which offers custom plastic fabrication and distribution in the Lehigh Valley and beyond. Based in Allentown, the company provides quality workmanship, a high level of expertise, and a wide breadth of services while maintaining the flexibility and accountability of a small, entrepreneurial business.

To see other past issues of LVstartup from over the past year, click on the links below:

• August 4, 2016 — A-Treat, Cooking, Cycling, Lacrosse, and More!
• July 7, 2016 — LVstartup Newsletter for Lehigh Valley Entrepreneurs Hits One-Year Anniversary
• June 2, 2016 — Bold Optimism, Building Sticks, Award-Winning Mead, and More!
• May 5, 2016 — Allentown a National Success Story Easton Public Market Opens!
• April 7, 2016 —  Videos  Triceratops, Organic Food, Software Development, and More!
• March 3, 2016 — Toys, Beauty Products, Dinosaurs, and More!
• Feb. 4, 2016 — Paintballs, Beers, Video, Grants, and More!
• Jan. 7, 2016 — Penn State and City Center Partner on New Program for Entrepreneurs
• Dec. 4, 2015 — Lehigh University Makes Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top Five
• Nov. 5, 2015 — Allentown Business Incubator Named PEDA Program of the Year
• Oct. 1, 2015 — Award-Winning Gin, Talking to Whales, and More!
• Sept. 3, 2015 — Skiing, Musicians, Photometric Testing, and More!
• Aug. 6, 2015 — Mead, Startups, Therapy Bikes, and More!
• July 2, 2015 — Entrepreneurs, Velociraptors, Wineries, and More!

LVEDC’s Entrepreneurship Council of the Lehigh Valley aims to improve the entrepreneurial environment of the region by listening to its entrepreneurs, identifying their unmet needs, communicating regional entrepreneurship initiatives between council members, and connecting local resources to continue the development of new entrepreneurial support initiatives.

LVstartup receives input from various organizations that serves the local entrepreneurial community, including LVEDC, the Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation at Lehigh University, Lehigh Valley Tech, the Allentown Economic Development Corporation (AEDC), the Bethlehem Department of Community and Economic Development, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Penn State Lehigh Valley, and others.