Partner News

Philadelphia Venture Report 2022

March 7, 2023

Philadelphia’s VC ecosystem proved resilient in 2022 and now counts itself in the top five ecosystems in the United States in terms of deal flow. The city has taken in more than 1,000 investments over the past two years, worth $12.7 billion altogether. Long known as a biotech hub, Philadelphia is also gaining ground in […]

Mentorship Program In Philly Is Working To Make The Entrepreneurial Journey Less Lonely

October 18, 2022

Behind a successful entrepreneur is often another seasoned entrepreneur that has served as a guide. In Philadelphia, industry leaders are putting this into practice through a mentorship program for the city’s founder ecosystem. Ben Franklin Technology Partners and Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT) have joined forces to create Mentor Connect, a program that partners entrepreneurs with teams […]

Science Center’s New Startup Development Program Is Aimed At First-Gen STEM Students

July 29, 2022

The STEM Founders Fellowship will give 10 postgraduate degree candidates $50,000 and a full year of support to turn their research or idea into a business. As Philadelphia expands its reputation and capacity for the life sciences industry, it’s also folding in efforts toward accessibility. A unique program coming to the University City Science Center in the form […]

Philadelphia on The Cusp of Becoming a Top 10 Startup Ecosystem in The U.S., Report Finds

June 15, 2022

Philadelphia has the world’s 27th-best startup ecosystem and ranks at No. 11 in the U.S., according to an annual report by Startup Genome. The city inched forward one spot in both the international and national rankings after coming in at No. 28 and No. 12, respectively, in 2021. This year, the report lauded Philadelphia for […]

Philly is Movin’ on Up in the Top 30 List for Global Startup Ecosystems

June 15, 2022

For the third year in a row, Philly is trending upward on the Startup Genome’s Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) report. After ranking No. 28 on the org’s global list for best ecosystems for startups in 2021, Philadelphia lands at No. 27 in 2022. In 2020, Philly was ranked as the top “emerging” startup ecosystem […]

Total Impact Summit 2022 Convenes 300+ Local & National Impact Stakeholders

June 8, 2022

OVERVIEW: TOTAL IMPACT SUMMIT 2022 Total Impact Summit 2022 convened 300+ thought leaders and practitioners from across the United States on May 16–17, 2022 in Philadelphia. The two-day event featured 75+ speakers across 25+ sessions, connections, conversations, insights, and best practices at the forefront of a growing impact investing field. The summit was hosted by […]

JVS Philadelphia Fund for Women Invests and Provides Grants of $650K to 12 Philadelphia Women Led Regional Businesses

June 6, 2022

PHILADELPHIA, June 3, 2022 — The JVS Philadelphia Fund for Women (JVS Fund) and Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (Ben Franklin) today announced that within five months of launching their partnership, they have made three grants to women-owned businesses, and nine investments in technology-based ventures led by women in the Philadelphia region. “The […]

A Gusher of $584M in Federal Aid Will Soon Open for Pa., N.J., and Del. Business Owners. Are You getting Yours?

May 25, 2022

The U.S. Senate rejected legislation last week that could have provided small businesses with up to $48 billion of additional aid to help them recover from the pandemic. So is this the end? With the expiration of both the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the Small Business Administration, does this […]

Officials Laud University City’s Ongoing Development as $100M Project Marks Construction Milestone

March 23, 2022

When state Sen. Vincent J. Hughes took the podium at a ceremonial topping out of 3.0 University Place, a $100 million development at 4101 Market St. in University City, he noted the significance of its location. “This is special,” he said. “The history has always been that everything stopped at 40th Street. We have been […]

Gov. Wolf’s Proposed Budget Would Give Ben Franklin Technology Partners $8M to Fund More Startups

February 10, 2022

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s ambitious $43.7 billion budget proposal includes an $8 million boost for Ben Franklin Technology Partners, a move that the organization’s leadership says could get more Philadelphia-area startups funded. Wolf’s budget proposal sets aside $2 million for each of the four Ben Franklin Technology Partners offices — located in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, State […]