Author: Jason Bannon

Economic Impact of Ben Franklin Technology Partners Report

January 11, 2019

Early last week, Ben Franklin Technology Partners released its statewide five-year Economic Impact report, based on its activity in Pennsylvania from 2012 through 2016. Compiled by Pennsylvania Economy League and KLIOS Consulting, some of its significant findings were highlighted by local media. Coverage from Michelle Caffrey of the Philadelphia Business Journal highlighted that “Funding from […]

With Honor for Terry Hicks (1952-2018)

October 25, 2018

Terry Hicks joined Ben Franklin in 1993 as the Director of Technology and Manufacturing Programs, and in 1998 became our Vice President of the Investment Group, serving in this role until his retirement in 2015. In his 22 years at Ben Franklin, Terry guided the growth of more than 400 companies in Greater Philadelphia […]

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 […]

B Lab brings “B Inspired” events to Philly October 20th

September 20, 2016

So you knew about the B Corp Champions Retreat coming to Philadelphia. But not all of the great programming is just for B Corps! B Inspired Philadelphia, a celebration for people using business as a force for good, will deliver an afternoon of inspiring talks and personal stories “from small giants and giant innovators,” and an […]

Community Energy had a heck of a 2015

January 8, 2016

We can’t help but be impressed when one of our portfolio companies is actively advancing both adoption and execution of technology—and it’s fair to say that Community Energy is crushing it right now. Ben Franklin portfolio company Community Energy has become a recognized leader in developing and bringing to completion very large scale (utility scale) […]

New $10M Fund with Drexel Ventures; Partnership with ic@3401

November 20, 2015

Big things are happening with Drexel, ic@3401, and Ben Franklin. Yesterday, we announced two significant developments: our launch of the Drexel Ventures-Ben Franklin Seed Fund; and Ben Franklin’s residence at ic@3401. The high-level details: To form the $10M fund for seed and early stage investment in Drexel technologies, Drexel Ventures is raising $5M, and Ben […]

Medtech Stakeholders Meeting Recap: Medtech Thriving in Philadelphia Region

September 16, 2015

Last week’s Medtech Stakeholders meeting reaffirmed three things for the Greater Philadelphia area’s medtech and device sector in a big way: 1) innovation is here; 2) we’re hungry for more, and; 3) the industry knows it. The meeting was hosted by Evolve IP on September 9th, with its 60 attendees buzzing amidst a full agenda […]

Benjamin’s Desk a Founding Contributor to AWE Ventures

September 16, 2015

We’re excited, folks. Benjamin’s Desk, Center City’s diverse coworking community for professionals, entrepreneurs, and startups, has signed on as a Founding Contributor to AWE Ventures – Powered by Ben Franklin. Says Benjamin’s Desk co-founder and CEO Anthony Maher, “Benjamin’s Desk is truly excited to support AWE Ventures – Powered by Ben Franklin, as a founding […]

Rise of the Rest Philly with Steve Case: Want To Be There?

September 9, 2015

The Pope Wall is coming down just in time to let Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest bus through. And you can get in on the action. For those that don’t know, Steve Case (Steve Case cofounder of AOL and CEO of Revolution) and his team are coming to Philadelphia on Tuesday, September 29th. They’re […]

Tips on Building a Business That Can Change the World

September 9, 2015

Some call it “impact,” while some call it being “socially responsible” in business. Either way, our friend Yuval Yarden penned this great post for the Philadelphia Citizen on some of the essentials for building a business that “does well by doing good.” She cites some important stats: “The Deloitte Millennial Survey 2015 found that young employees want to work for companies […]