Author: pbj_repost

How Philly Startup Leaders Turned a Tweet Into $450K for Underrepresented Entrepreneurs

June 16, 2020

It started with an email, followed by a tweet, and led to almost half a million dollars in new grant funds for underrepresented entrepreneurs. On May 31, after protests against police brutality and systemic racism began spreading across the country, Philly Startup Leaders Executive Director Kiera Smalls sent an email to a list of roughly […]

Can a Free Lyft Ride Help Combat Opioid Addiction? Philly Startup Gets $252,000 to Find Out

June 15, 2020

A Philadelphia-based tech company is joining with the University of Pennsylvania, Lyft and a California health system to test out a thesis — affordable and reliable transportation can make it easier for patients to recover from opioid addictions. Roundtrip, based in Old City, makes a platform that helps health care providers coordinate patient transportation, anything […]

Due Diligence During Covid-19: How Osage Venture Partners Vetted its Latest $3M Investment Remotely

May 18, 2020

After spending 15 years investing in early-stage software companies, Bala Cynwyd-based Osage Venture Partners just recorded a first. Its $3 million investment into contract management software company Malbek, announced Tuesday morning, marked the first time the firm completed its due diligence process during a global pandemic. The shift took hours and hours of Zoom meetings […]

Straight Talk – A look at how the region’s economic development officials are tackling the pandemic.

May 7, 2020

Greater Philadelphia’s economic development agencies are gearing up for a slow reopening of businesses across the region, and leaders of those organizations say companies need to be prepared to spend some extra cash in a post-pandemic economy. The Philadelphia Business Journal brought together leaders from local economic development agencies for a live discussion about their […]

SINK OR SWIM Inside the Covid-19 Impact on Philadelphia’s Startups, Investors

April 27, 2020

Running a startup is hard. Talk to any founder and they’ll have a story about hard-fought survival and how grit or a few strokes of luck meant the difference between shutting their company’s doors or raising that next round of cash. During the Covid-19 pandemic, their jobs – and the work of investors who back […]

Ben Franklin to Deploy $2M to Help Struggling Philly-Area Startups, but Funding Threat Looms

April 24, 2020

The most active seed fund in the Philadelphia region is preparing to deploy $2 million in new capital to help struggling startups stay afloat and help fight the Covid-19 pandemic, but a potential threat to its state funding looms in Harrisburg. Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, a state-backed nonprofit, announced late Thursday it […]

This Doctor is Giving Away her Startup’s Software to Help Health Providers Handle COVID-19 Chaos

April 2, 2020

As health care providers tackling the ongoing COVID-19 crisis face shortages of personal protective equipment and ventilators, they’re also dealing with the chaos created by an influx of critical patients and constantly changing policies and procedures. Dr. Subha Airan-Javia wants to help them cut through the confusion. Her startup TrekIT Health will be offering a […]

Philadelphia Startup ‘Pushed to Capacity’ by Demand as Coronavirus Impacts Mental Health

March 31, 2020

As millions of people abide by stay-at-home orders to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, another health crisis looms — mental health. More than 40 million adults in the U.S. already suffered from anxiety and depression before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and experts are concerned the increase in fear of the unknown, social isolation, financial […]

Pennsylvania Coronavirus Loans and Small Business Resources

March 27, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic and mandated business closures have taken a toll on Pennsylvania’s small businesses. Information and financial support are vital to ensuring these companies survive this global health crisis. Here is a compilation of state government resources and links for small and midsized businesses in Pennsylvania. This will be updated as new information becomes […]

‘The engine is Humming’: These VC Firms Made the Most Philadelphia-Area Deals Over the Past Decade

February 24, 2020

A new report from PitchBook and the Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technology dissected the region’s past year in venture capital investments (hint: it reached record highs), but it also revealed new data on the top investors across Greater Philadelphia over the past decade. The leader, in terms of number of deals, comes as no […]