Tech News

Etsy for Gaming Tools? Meet the Philly Startup That Wants to Help You Ace That Video Game

March 1, 2019

Once upon a time, video games were pretty basic. Consider Pac-Man, the chomping mouth that devoured small dots while moving through a maze. Now, games are so complex that players need Excel spreadsheets, calculators, and troop-deployment schedules to wage virtual wars, capture castles, and build strategic alliances with players in other states and countries. Having […]

Orai Raises $2.3M to Make You a Better Speaker

February 20, 2019

Orai, a startup building communication coaching tools, is announcing that it has raised $2.3 million in seed funding. CEO Danish Dhamani said that he co-founded the company with Paritosh Gupta and Aasim Sani to address a need in his own life — the fact that he was “held back personally and professionally” by lackluster “communications […]

Yasmine Mustafa: ‘No one should be afraid while trying to earn a wage’

February 11, 2019

While #MeToo and #TimesUp shaped much of public discourse over the past year, another — perhaps lesser-known — hashtag looks to put an end to the quiet suffering of hotel industry employees. With #HandsOffPantsOn, activists are trying to put an end to sexual violence, harassment and overall unsafe working conditions for hotel industry workers. In […]

Would You Use a Start-Up to Sell Your Home? This Philly Company is Betting You Will

January 18, 2019

It’s a phrase that countless start-ups use when they feel as if they have gained enough traction: “We’re the Uber of (fill in an industry here).” There are companies like Instacart and AmazonFresh, considered disruptors of the grocery industry. There’s Roadie, the delivery service that connects people who have stuff to send with drivers already heading that way. Even […]

Piano Raises $22M Series B Round Led by Updata Partners

January 10, 2019

Piano, the leading content monetization and audience intelligence technology company, today announces it raised a $22M Series B funding round, led by Updata Partners. This comes as a result of Piano’s recent successes and corresponding growth, equipping it to build on star products and expand into new markets and sectors. The award-winning Piano platform is comprised of […]

How CEO Mike Maher got a Seven-Figure ‘Yes’ from Investor Ira Lubert — on the Fourth Try

January 9, 2019

It took some persistence, but real estate startup Houwzer, a tech-enabled real estate brokerage, just closed a $4.5 million “seed extension” round of funding aimed at growing its presence in Philly and Washington D.C, while expanding to a third big market over the next year. Among the backers are past investors such as Ben Franklin […]

Carnegie Learning to Deliver Choosito! Through Its EMC School Passport Platform

October 20, 2018

Carnegie Learning, a comprehensive, dynamic, and progressive learning technology company, today announced that its EMC School division has signed an agreement with Choosito!, a curator of open Web content for learning and a National Science Foundation (NSF) Business Innovation Award winner. The agreement ensures that EMC School’s Passport will be the only comprehensive learning technology […]

How I Crossed the Academic Chasm and Entered the Startup Life

September 26, 2018

I grew up in Singapore, a tropical island in the Far East. At age 20, I packed up my bags and headed to California, where I studied computer science at the University of California-Berkeley and Stanford University. The mid-1990s and early aughts were an interesting time to be in Silicon Valley as a self-professed nerd. […]

Startup SocialLadder’s new deal with Ticketmaster Division is a ‘Big Win’

September 9, 2018

Philadelphia tech startup SocialLadder is moving up another rung, announcing Monday the company, which connects live event promoters with more than 150,000 brand ambassadors to drive ticket sales, landed a major deal with a division of Live Nation’s Ticketmaster. CEO and Co-Founder Raavi Iqbal said it has partnered with the entertainment conglomerate’s event ticketing site […]

Monetate Names New CEO, Lucinda Duncalfe to Remain on Board of Directors

August 7, 2018

Lucinda Duncalfe, likely the leading figure of female tech CEOs in the region, has stepped down from her leadership position at venture-backed Monetate, which she held since 2014. A new CEO has been announced in Stephen Collins, the former president and CFO of AI-based adtech company Quantcast. The Asheville, N.C.-based exec and investor will relocate to Conshohocken to be close […]