Pennovation Works

Calling all startup founders! Are you interested in applying to the Pennovation Accelerator? This Open House is for you. Join us on Wednesday, April 2nd from 8:30 - 10am to learn more about the Accelerator program, meet the team, and tour the Pennovation Center. Register here: https://bit.ly/41PLUaM

The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Pitch Event is April 15th! Pennovation Works Managing Director Denita L. Henderson will be one of the judges for the event and Kate FitzPatrick, DNP, RN, ACNP, FAAN, NEA-BC, Connelly Foundation Chief Nurse Executive Officer (CNEO) at Jefferson Health will be delivering the keynote. The Penn Nursing Innovation Accelerator provides funding, mentorship, and education to assist Penn Nursing students, faculty and Penn Medicine clinicians (and affiliated practice partners) with the creation and testing of early-stage solutions to improve health and healthcare outcomes. Learn more and register: https://bit.ly/4iYqIos

?? Save the Date ?? We are excited to announce that the Pennovation Accelerator is returning for its eighth year! Since its inception, The Pennovation Accelerator has been helping early-stage companies in the Philadelphia region grow their businesses and expand their networks. In this 6-week program, participating companies receive: ?? Individual Mentorship ?? Free 3-month Pennovation Center membership ?? Subject matter expert trainings ?? and much more! Learn more about the accelerator and mark your calendars - applications for this year’s cohort open on April 9th! https://bit.ly/3RrClbL

Exciting day at Pennovation Works hosting the Oslo Science City board members! Bridging international innovation communities, our knowledge exchange shared insights that have the potential to shape future opportunities. Grateful for these moments of global connection and shared innovation!

Exciting to see the continued growth of the life sciences ecosystem in Philadelphia! At Pennovation Works, we’re proud to support founders across the entire Philly area, providing the resources and guidance to turn innovative ideas into reality.

Pennovation Center member Tejas Agarwal, founder of Sahay AI, was quoted in this article about Unshackled Ventures. The firm is an early-stage venture capital fund specifically for entrepreneurs who’ve migrated to the US from other countries, and offers visa support and access to a community in addition to funding. Read the full article: https://bit.ly/4hMdWsi

Our most recent Meet the Innovator features Matthew Piccoli, Co-Founder and CTO of Vertiq! Vertiq makes high performance propulsion systems for commercial and defense UAS. The core design consists of a lightweight, tightly integrated motor and ESC with an embedded position sensor. With position sensing and Vertiq’s sophisticated motor calibration and control software, vehicles experience significant performance advantages. Learn more about Matt in the video below or read the full interview here: https://bit.ly/3Rks9BS

Where are they now? Penn Today connected with President Innovation Prize (PIP) winners Yash Dhir and Rahul Nambia of Jochi Labs. Housed within Pennovation Center, Jochi spent last summer building "360", an integrated tool that uses AI to help academic leaders monitor student progress and identify at-risk students. “We’re committed to a future where every school decision is informed by deep, actionable insights, ensuring that resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact on student achievement,” Dhir says. Read the full article: https://bit.ly/4kDGKpM

Technical.ly writer Sarah Huffman, recapped the Keiretsu Forum Women Founder's Showcase that was held at Pennovation Center last week. Companies founded solely by women only received 2% of capital invested in 2024, according to PitchBook. Funding at the late stage VC and growth stages is looking up, according to PitchBook’s 2024 Female Founders in the VC Ecosystem report, but early-stage funding declined over the last year, wrote Huffman. Some of the key takeaways were to diversify your investment sources and find VCs who get you, when pitching, lead with impact and investor benefit, and to be authentic to who you are and what you’re doing. Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/4kNbsMW

?? Save the Date!?? The Pennovation Accelerator is returning for its eighth year! Applications for this year's cohort open on April 9th. Since its inception, the Pennovation Accelerator has served more than 80 founders from 65 companies in the Philadelphia region grow their businesses and expand their networks. In this six-week program, participating companies receive: ? Individual mentorship ? Free 3-month Pennovation Center membership ? Subject matter expert trainings ? And much more! Mark your calendars!