Ben News

GO Philly Fund Reveals First Investments

August 20, 2019

Marketing technology firms Sidecar Interactive and Clutch are the first companies to land an investment from Ben Franklin Technology Partners’ new Global Opportunity Philadelphia, or GO Philly, Fund. The regional, state-backed seed fund announced the investments Tuesday morning, about six months after it launched the GO Philly Fund in an effort to close a gap in the […]

Philly Startups Need More Early-Stage Investments to Compete

August 19, 2019

If Philadelphia ever wants to compete with the likes of Silicon Valley and New York City, it needs to fund the innovative ideas and rapid growth of startups. And we’re well on our way: Venture capital investments to Philly-based companies set a record in 2018, injecting about $1.4 billion and propelling the City of Brotherly […]

Pa. Lags Behind Peers in Funding its ‘Innovation Economy,’ Brookings Report Says

August 16, 2019

Pennsylvania has the infrastructure and resources to fuel a vibrant innovation economy, but the state’s lack of investment is holding it back at a crucial time. That’s the main message of a new report out Tuesday from the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program, which analyzed Pennsylvania’s current state of innovation funding and highlighted 20 state initiatives across […]

Q&A: Ben Franklin Tech Partners Is Doubling Down on Philly Life Sciences

July 11, 2019

Ben Franklin Technology Partners (BFTP) is a force for investment in the region’s early-stage tech companies. The organization has invested in 4,500 Pennsylvania-based tech companies since its inception and has a portfolio that boasts $354 million in funding raised in 2018 alone. But BFTP’s chief executive officer RoseAnn B. Rosenthal believes in doing more than […]

Ben Franklin Technology Partners join $100M 3.0 University Place project

June 25, 2019

Ben Franklin Technology Partners is joining in the ambitious, $100 million 3.0 University Place development in University City. Ben Franklin’s southeastern Pennsylvania organization, a prolific seed and economic development nonprofit in the region, said Tuesday it is joining in University Place Associates’ newest project by means of a 28,500 square-foot “Innovation Floor” that will be […]

Four Reasons Why: Pennsylvania Should Invest in Tech Innovation

May 13, 2019

For more than 35 years, Ben Franklin Technology Partners has served as the gold standard of tech-based economic development. However, despite our success, state funding for Ben Franklin has dropped more than 50 percent since 2007-08, from roughly $28 million per year to $14 million per year. The impact of that reduction will be felt […]

April 12, 2019

April 12, 2019 RoseAnn B. Rosenthal, President and CEO of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, was honored today by the Pennsylvania Society, receiving its coveted “Distinguished Citizen of the Commonwealth” award. The award was presented at the organization’s 121st Annual Meeting and Luncheon, held this year at Union League of Philadelphia, and recognized […]

Ben Franklin Technology Partners Debuts Blockchain-Enabled Onboarding and Tokenization Platform for Global Opportunity Philadelphia Fund

April 11, 2019

Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (Ben Franklin), a leading seed stage capital provider, announced the availability of its blockchain-enabled onboarding and tokenization platform that streamlines and manages investor interests in the Global Opportunity Philadelphia Fund (GO Philly Fund). Ben Franklin is leveraging Securitize as the fund’s compliance platform for issuing and managing digital securities on the Ethereum blockchain. The […]

Ben Franklin Tech Partners’ Portfolio Companies Raised $345M in 2018

March 28, 2019

After ramping up investments in recent years, prolific seed fund and economic development nonprofit Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania’s is seeing the results. A new Performance Profile report released this week shows that its portfolio companies raised $354 million in funding in association with BFTP’s investments in 2018, a spike from $152 million […]

Ben Franklin Goes to Harrisburg: Prolific Seed Fund Fighting for ‘Critical’ Funding

March 20, 2019

As a diplomat during the Revolutionary War, Benjamin Franklin spent two years in France trying to convince the French government to fund the American cause. Now an organization that bears his name — and penchant for entrepreneurship — is firing up its own persistent fight for funding. This time, in Harrisburg. Leaders from each of […]