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

April 12, 2018

Benjamin’s Desk, the operator of  the Pennovation Center since its opening in 2016, has now unveiled a unified brand as ‘the new’ 1776, following their exciting merger announced last year  with this global innovation network.  1776 is bringing much more than a new company name to the Pennovation community. With access to 1776's entire global network, Pennovation Center members now have even more resources to help build and scale their companies.

The Daedalus Quartet joined the community for an incredible evening of music at Pennovation. Over the course of a season, Daedalus will be playing the complete Beethoven Quartets in a unique opportunity for the Philadelphia music community. Over 200 people enjoyed the two Beethoven Quartets that Daedalus played at Pennovation. Many thanks to the Annenberg Center for sponsoring this unique evening

In addition to bio labs, inventor garages, and beautiful office space, the Pennovation Center is now offering Startup Pods to early stage companies that need their own, dedicated space, but are still looking for the flexibility and low cost benefits of coworking.

Startup Pods are designed for companies with 4-6 people who are excited about working in a coworking environment that encourages connections, conversations, and serendipity. With the amenities of an office, and the cost of a coworking desk, Startup Pods provide that perfect balance.

This March, in honor of Women's History Month, we' would like to highlight four of the newest companies to join the Pennovation cohort. Each of these companies is founded, owned, and/or run by women. -

The Sarian Group at HighTower Advisors hosted a lunchtime discussion at Pennovation Center on the challenges and opportunities in leading early to mid-stage life sciences companies. The discussion, led by Dr. Finny Kuruvilla, Chief Investment Officer, Eventide Healthcare Fund and Principal at Clarus Ventures, focused on healthcare updates and trends in store for the Philadelphia life sciences industry in 2018. The lunch was attended by approximately 25 local life sciences executives including several Pennovation Center resident members.

Over the first weekend in February, the Women in Computer Science (WiCS) chapter at the University of Pennsylvania continued its annual tradition of hosting FemmeHacks, a collegiate hackathon for woman-identifying* individuals.