Most people complain about problems. Sofia Colonero designed her way out of one. As a junior at Penn State University, Sofia watched the same scene play out every winter night: girls stepping out in the cold without jackets, choosing their outfits over their comfort. As a bartender, she saw it constantly. She had done it herself too. The options were never great: carry a jacket all night, lose it somewhere, or just brave the cold. None of them worked.

As a result, she built a fourth option. JAQ is a jacket that converts into a purse in seconds. It functions as a normal coat while worn, but once you are indoors, it folds neatly into a bag. The pockets become compartments, and a chain along the back becomes the handle. Fashion and function, finally in the same product.

From Class Project to Real Business

JAQ started as a class assignment. Sofia is a marketing major with a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation at Penn State’s Smeal College of Business. She admits she picked the entrepreneurship and innovation minor almost randomly. During a required entrepreneurship course in her fall 2025 semester, she came up with the idea but never expected it to go anywhere.

Then winter break arrived, and boredom took over. She picked up an old jacket, cut it apart, and decided to give the idea a real shot. That prototype was rough, but it was a start.

One thing her professor had said stayed with her: every great entrepreneur solves a problem rooted in their own personal experience, and that experience is something no one else can replicate. Sofia had lived with this problem. That was enough to keep going.

The Long Road of Prototyping

Getting JAQ from concept to product was harder than Sofia expected. She quickly discovered that sewing was not a skill she could pick up overnight. Her advisor connected her with a seamstress in State College, and together they spent months workshopping every detail like collar designs, pockets, straps, arms, because Sofia had one non-negotiable: the jacket had to look equally good in both forms.

“I’ve seen puffer jackets that fold into your pocket, but no one wears them,” she said. “It ruins the outfit.”

Each round of prototypes brought new changes. Progress was slow, and there were plenty of discouraging days. She kept the project private for a long time, not sharing it with anyone until she finally had a version she was genuinely proud of.

Support came through Happy Valley LaunchBox, a free program funded by PNC Bank that helps early-stage entrepreneurs at Penn State build their businesses. With access to advisors, resources, and a test lab, Sofia had the safety net she needed to keep pushing through the difficult stretches.

Sofia and Building While Still a Student

Balancing JAQ with normal student life tested her in ways she did not fully anticipate. There were far more bad days than good ones. Days when she had poured hours into the product and still felt like she was nowhere near ready.

Her father, an entrepreneur himself, helped keep her grounded during one particularly frustrating prototyping session. He walked into her room with a balloon animal he had made, lopsided with ears too big, and told her that was exactly why you prototype. You practice until it gets better. That reminder stuck.

When Sofia finally launched JAQ on social media, the response from the Penn State community was overwhelmingly positive. Businesses offered spaces for pop-ups, and students flooded her inbox with ideas and support.

She has not announced an official launch date yet, but one thing is clear, she is just getting started.