Ben News

Member Perspective: Scott Nissenbaum

May 14, 2021

What can local leaders do to help accelerate the growth of technology-driven enterprises? Founders of emerging companies will tell you “invest more.” This is true: capital will help accelerate growth, but only if the capital is invested wisely. Our region is already praised as one of the most capital-efficient markets for emerging ventures, so more […]

Philadelphia Businesses Commit to Invest in Black and Brown-Owned Companies

April 26, 2021

The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia announced Tuesday the creation of the Diverse Procurement Collaborative to increase opportunities for small, Black and brown-owned businesses by partnering with buyers to establish procurement goals and strategies. The Diverse Procurement Collaborative is part of the Chamber’s Recharge & Recover PHL initiative, a coalition to devise, present and […]

These Philadelphia Organizations Are Teaming Up To Build A Pipeline Of BIPOC Tech Founders

April 22, 2021

The Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT) and Ben Franklin Technology Partners are teaming up with Coded By Kids to make Mentor Connect, a program that matches founders with experts, more diverse. They say it’s the first of its kind in the city. In a city whose tech sector is steeped with racial and […]

Coded by Kids is Bringing an Inclusive Lens to the Mentor Connect Founders Program

April 6, 2021

Mentorship is widely noted as one way to boost underrepresented entrepreneurs. So as part of the Department of Commerce’s PHL: Most Diverse Tech Hub initiative, Philly nonprofit Coded by Kids is partnering with two orgs on their longstanding program to get young business talent connected to mentors. Ben Franklin Technology Partners and the Philadelphia Alliance […]

A Veterinarian and a Tech Guru Walk into a (Coffee) Bar…

March 24, 2021

In 2015, an unexpected meeting between two Terps – who graduated 18 years apart – led to the creation of Instinct, a software designed specifically for veterinary hospitals. Here’s how it happened. After graduating from veterinary school in 2008, Dr. Caleb Frankel ’04 hoped to someday open a chain of specialty animal hospitals. But while […]

Philly Life Science Orgs See Leadership Changes, Strong Funding to Kick off 2021

January 5, 2021

Philadelphia’s life sciences sector has already seen a strong start to 2021 with new leadership and fundraising across companies in the region. The sector was already on the rise: Philly recently ranked seventh in the country for top life sciences clusters, based on the region’s relevant job base, the amount of lab space inventory and […]

‘Kid in a Candy Store’: Ben Franklin Technology Partners’ Incoming CEO on His Plans for the Region’s Most Active Seed Fund

January 4, 2021

Scott Nissenbaum is feeling a little giddy. As of Jan. 11, the president and chief operating officer of Ben Franklin Technology Partners in Southeastern Pennsylvania — the most prolific seed fund in the region — will become its next CEO, following in the footsteps of its longtime leader RoseAnn Rosenthal. And he’s excited. “I’m like […]

A Letter of Thanks From RoseAnn B. Rosenthal

December 15, 2020

Dear friends and participants in the Philadelphia region’s innovation community, I have been involved with Ben Franklin in one way or another since the early efforts to create the Ben Franklin partnership in 1982, and directly as President, CEO and Director of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania since 1996. As such, I have […]

RoseAnn Rosenthal “How to Catalyze a Regional Innovation Ecosystem” Webinar

October 30, 2020

RoseAnn Rosenthal, President and CEO of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA, discusses the importance of regional innovation ecosystems and examines how to catalyze a diverse regional economy to transition toward one that embraces tech, entrepreneurship and innovation as its drivers.

Wolf Administration Announces Funding for Tech Investments in Southeastern Pennsylvania

October 27, 2020

Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Dennis Davin and the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority (BFTDA) announced that $1 million has been awarded to the Global Opportunity Philadelphia Fund to invest in early stage technology companies in the Greater Philadelphia region. The Global Opportunity Philadelphia Fund was formed by Ben Franklin Technology Partners […]