Rekor Systems installed a system of sensors in the Navy Yard to gather data about traffic in the area. This project is now turning the South Philly site into a living lab for Penn State to research AI technology. David Desharnais isn’t a huge fan of the term “smart cities.” Typically, the term refers to using Internet […]
Since 2020, many companies and organizations have made pledges and commitments related to diversity, equity and inclusion, although the effectiveness of these campaigns has varied widely. Some of the most successful initiatives have been from groups that have established histories of investing in their tech and business ecosystems like universities, law firms, accelerator programs, economic […]
The DoorDash-inspired car selling platform is now ready to raise its first institutional round — and founder Roger Clappe intends to stay in the state as the company scales. Back in 2021, before “AI” was the hot topic it’s been since OpenAI launched ChatGPT-3, Roger Clappe founded an AI company called WhipFlip. The company — […]
The region kept its #27 spot on Startup Genome’s report for another year. Per the report, Philly created $68 billion in ecosystem value between 2020 and 2022 — and life sciences, especially, got kudos. We can hear the chants now: “We’re #27! We’re #27!” Philadelphia has once again ranked in the top 30 of Startup […]
Four ecosystem builders on two big ideas for bringing more people into local tech. Social justice-minded tech stakeholders often wax poetic on the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in the majority-white industry. But if intentional steps aren’t being taken to ensure a local tech economy’s constituents look like those in the region where it’s […]
At the return of the 1,500-employee Phenom’s annual user conference, cofounder Mahe Bayireddi auditioned to be the tech exec the world needs now. After the thumping pop music and colored spotlights, Mahe Bayireddi walked onstage. The elevators and escalators were branded. All 1,250 generic hotel conference chairs in the sprawling ballroom were filled. The big user […]
At Broad Street Angels’ annual meeting, Keriton’s Rich Mager and ROAR’s Yasmine Mustafa shared their experience as CEOs amid a challenging few years. Their advice was given three weeks ago, but since the demise of Silicon Valley Bank, it might have been more prescient than these startup pros realized. At its annual meeting the end […]
After two years of growth, Philly-born Lula has a new identity. Adit Gupta and Tom Falzani have been building the tech-enabled delivery service for convenience stores since just after the pandemic hit. The startup’s first iteration was inspired by Gupta’s parents who ran their own convenience store, but were missing out on the instant-needs delivery momentum created […]
Bringing data, mental health resources and tech, 10 teams were given millions in funding for their solutions to combat veteran suicide. Veteran-founded mental health tech platform maker NeuroFlow is one of 10 companies to receive prize funding from the US Department of Veterans Affairs for Mission Daybreak, a public-health focused suicide prevention initiative. The Philly company has had […]
Plus, the state-backed investment firm is raising a $25 million fund, similar to the Go Philly Fund from 2019 in partnership with Newtown-headquartered EPAM. It’s a busy start to the year for Ben Franklin Technology Partners‘ (BFTP) Southeastern Pennsylvania branch. The state-backed firm recently announced it’s slated to make investments in seven local startup companies. The […]