Technical.ly's 2025 RealLIST Innovators Announced

The researchers, scientists and technologists that are defining Philly’s reputation as a hub for innovation.

A special congratulations to Pennovation Center member, Megharjun (Arjun) Nandakumar from Sahay AI, and our newest Pennovation Works community programming partners, Nolan Makatche from Code & Coffee Philadelphia, and Waskar M. Paulino from PhilaCon Valley, on making the list!

View the full list

Interius BioTherapeutics has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Kite Pharma, a Gilead company.

Congratulations to Pennovation Works Lab company Interius BioTherapeutics on the announcement of their acquisition!

Kite Pharma, a Gilead Company, is a global biopharmaceutical company based in Santa Monica, California, focused on achieving cures with cell therapy. They announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire biotechnology company Interius BioTherapeutics for $350 million.

Penn & Philly's Impact in Action

Penn continues to be an economic powerhouse for Philadelphia, and we're thrilled to see our Pennovation Works community member, Treeswift, featured in this spotlight!

Treeswift's vegetation management and asset maintenance monitoring technology showcases how the startups in our ecosystem are not just building groundbreaking solutions, but also contributing to Philadelphia's reputation as a world-class innovation hub.

At Pennovation Works, we're proud to foster the next generation of companies that are reshaping industries and strengthening our regional economy.

Accelerating Drug Discovery: Vivodyne’s Andrei Georgescu, Ph.D. on the Great Entrepreneurs Podcast 

Pennovation alum Andrei Georgescu is the Co-Founder and CEO of Vivodyne, a biotechnology company accelerating drug discovery by testing treatments on lab-grown 3D human tissues.

Andrei co-founded Vivodyne in 2020 after recognizing the limitations of animal testing in predicting human outcomes. He brings deep expertise in tissue engineering, robotics, and AI, with prior work that includes sending lab-grown tissues into space with NASA and developing DNA synthesis chips.

How we taste sweetness: long-sought structure of human receptor mapped at last

R. Kyle Palmer, Chief Science Officer of Pennovation Center company Opertech Bio, was recently quoted in Nature Magazine.

The Nature Magazine article highlights the fascinating breakthrough in mapping the molecular structure of the human sweet taste receptor and shows how two widely consumed artificial sweeteners bind to and activate it.

This research has significant implications for understanding taste perception and driving innovation in the food and beverage industry.

Read the article.

Pennovation Accelerator Summer 2025!

We are excited to announce the 2025 Pennovation Accelerator!

The Pennovation Accelerator invites a cohort of local startups to engage in a six-week program to develop their business strategy and cultivate their network. Cohort companies will participate in weekly educational sessions presented by subject matter experts. Each company is paired with an experienced mentor to advise them on their journey. In addition, curated networking opportunities help the companies make connections into the larger Philadelphia entrepreneurial community.