Ben News

The Ben Franklin Q&A with Village Capital’s Jared Marquette

May 25, 2017

Next week Ben Franklin will kick off Workshop #2 of the Ben Franklin Fintech Accelerator, using Village Capital’s peer selection-focused curriculum. As we get ready, we were able to have a Q&A session with Village Capital’s Jared Marquette to discuss what’s different about the VilCap model, why it makes sense for investors and founders, and […]

Ben Franklin’s Fintech Accelerator is First of its Kind in the Region. These 8 Startups Made the Cut

April 19, 2017

The Ben Franklin Fin Tech Accelerator announced Wednesday the eight startups that will make up its first cohort, the first in the region to participate in the unconventional peer-based investment model it’s putting in place. The accelerator is a partnership between Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Village Capital, a Washington D.C.-based venture […]

Success in Progress Stories: March Edition

March 22, 2017

This month’s edition of our Success in Progress stories focuses on a portfolio company in our Physical Sciences sector: EnviroKure. Founded in 2011, the growing company is turning chicken waste into organic fertilizer. The company has refined its initial technology to harness the well-known plant growth promoting properties of chicken manure into liquid organic fertilizer […]

Ben Franklin Technology Partners Hits Biggest Year Yet for Investments Amid Regional Growth

March 21, 2017

Lightning struck for Ben Franklin this year. The nonprofit seed fund and economic development organization Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania posted its highest numbers yet when it released its 2016 investment figures this week. In total, it’s approved $10.6 million in seed funding for 52 companies over the course of the last calendar […]

Celebrating International Women’s Day at the PACT Foundation Breakfast

March 8, 2017

Friends, today was the PACT Foundation Breakfast. The annual event celebrates and supports women-led enterprises and diversity in Philadelphia’s innovation community. Appropriately enough, the event fell on International Women’s Day, an annual global initiative that celebrates the achievements of women. It was less than two years ago, in June 2015, that PACT announced its three year grant commitment […]

Why It’s the Right Time for Fintech in Philly

March 6, 2017

With more than than 15 hospitals and research universities like Drexel, Penn and Temple, Philadelphia has been dubbed an “eds and meds” city for many years now. Recently, however, we’ve seen the rise of a new major player – fintech. There’s certainly a rich history of financial services in Greater Philadelphia. Local big shots like Vanguard, Susquehanna Bank and SEI Investments […]

AlphaPoint Announces Completion of Blockchain Trial with Scotiabank

March 2, 2017

AlphaPoint, a fintech company specializing in blockchain technology, has completed a successful proof of technology with Scotiabank, an international bank headquartered in Toronto, Canada. As a result, Scotiabank was able to explore and evaluate how AlphaPoint’s Distributed Ledger Platform can be leveraged internally across a range of use cases. Companies trade trillions of dollars annually […]

How Sustrana is Helping 1,000 Companies Build Sustainability Programs By 2020

February 28, 2017

Throughout February, Generocity highlighted a series of CSR-focused stories in the region, including a new addition to our portfolio, Sustrana. The women-owned, B Corp-certified company has a mission of helping companies build and manage strategic sustainability programs through its online software tool and platform. It also has a very ambitious, concrete goal. Its goal […]

Commonwealth Computer Recycling, LLC, Rebrands as CyberCrunch

February 26, 2017

Commonwealth Computer Recycling, LLC (CCR), a company offering a broad range of data destruction and e-waste disposal solutions, has announced that it has officially rebranded as CyberCrunch. In coordination with its new name, the company has also unveiled its new logo. The Greensburg, PA-based company specializes in e-waste disposal and data destruction. CyberCrunch has a […]

Keriton Raised $1M to Make Sure Babies Keep Breastfeeding

February 25, 2017

Keriton, a member of the 2016 Dreamit Health Cohort, has raised $1 million to produce its Pumped Breast Milk Management system for Neonatal ICUs. The product is designed to improve nurse productivity and increase expression of breast milk in lactating mothers. The funding round will allow the startup to deploy five pilots in 2017. […]