On April 25th, the Pennovation Center was pleased to host a program during the University of Pennsylvania's Take Our Children To Work Day! With 70 children of University faculty and staff in attendance, we had many visitors to Pennovation Works for the first time. The Penn Vet Working Dog Center gave a live demonstration with their search and rescue dogs out on the plaza -- where dogs navigated through and over obstacles.

On April 15th, the Pennovation Center was thrilled to host Bethany Edwards for Startup Grind! Bethany Edwards is the CEO & Co-Founder of LIA Diagnostics, revolutionizing over­-the­-counter women’s health products. She has combined engineering, design, and business acumen to create Lia: the first FDA-cleared flushable, biodegradable pregnancy test. Since LIA’s founding in 2015, Bethany has transformed Lia from master’s thesis to tangible, efficacious product with significant brand traction.

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 are hosted at the Pennovation Center and participate in weekly educational sessions presented by subject matter experts.  Each company is paired with an experienced mentor to advise them on their journey. And curated networking events help immerse the companies into the larger Philadelphia entrepreneurial community.

Office amenities, access to University network, and connections to qualified professionals in the ecosystem are among key reasons for site selection.

Media Contact: Jennifer Rizzi, Director, Communications, Penn Facilities & Real Estate Services, 215.573.6107, rizzi@upenn.edu

April 9, 2019

On April 2nd, the JPOD @ Philadelphia hosted a presentation, networking lunch, and one-on-one meetings with Golden Seeds, an early stage investment firm focused on women leaders creating lasting impact. Mindy Posoff, Managing Director and Membership Committee Co-Chair, and Michelle Hartz, Managing Partner and Co-Lead of Healthcare Sector, gave an intimate and engaging talk on investing in gender diversity to a rapt - and diverse - audience of 16 founders and entrepreneurs.

On Wednesday, March 27th, 1776 hosted an engaging Capital Stack Program at the Pennovation Center. Thirteen founders across the 1776 network had the opportunity to engage with investors, learn about different pathways to capital, and gain insights into an investors point of view around raising funds, all in a low-pressure atmosphere. In small groups, the founders were able to sit down with each investor for 30 minutes to ask questions, build relationships, and learn from their peers.

On Friday evening, March 15th, the Pennovation Center was thrilled to host the GRASP Robotics Career Day Reception, organized by Penn Engineering's GRASP Lab (residents on the Pennovation Center's 3rd floor!). Earlier in the day, the GRASP Lab hosted a Career Day in the Levine Lobby on campus, which was open to all School of Engineering and Applied Science students, specifically targeting the GRASP Lab students with experience in robotics.

On Wednesday, March 6th, the Pennovation Center hosted the JPOD @ Philadelphia panel, “From Chemical to Drug: Path to a Small Molecule IND,” which discussed filing Investigational New Drug (IND) applications. This session brought Janssen experts from across the drug development landscape to Pennovation: Michael Kelley, Senior Scientific Director, Nonclinical Safety, Janssen R&D; Dolly A.

Novel tissue-engineered nerve grafts offer a promising new technique to repair currently untreatable peripheral nerve and spinal cord injuries.

Media Contact: Jennifer Rizzi, Director, Communications, Penn Facilities & Real Estate Services, 215.573.6107, rizzi@upenn.edu

February 26, 2019