On May 6-12 this year, the 12th annual Philly Tech Week (PTW) took place, highlighting technology and innovation happening throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. The week was filled with in-person and virtual events held throughout the city organized by various companies and led by Technical.ly, a news organization that serves a community of tech professionals.
On May 4th, the Pennovation Center and JPOD @ Philadelphia welcomed 35 students and their mentors from the West Philadelphia school system for an introduction to a career in life sciences. The students, all 10th graders participating in Johnson & Johnson’s 3-year Bridge to Employment program, enjoyed lunch from Pitruco Pizza, and an introduction to what it’s like working in a lab from Frank Leu, PhD. The students later toured the site, met young founders and scientists, and rounded out their afternoon with a Pennovation-wide Ben & Jerry’s ice cream social.
This month’s Pennovation Works Meet the Innovator spotlight is Mike Siedlik, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at Infini Fluidics.
Before we get to know Mike, let’s get to know Infini Fluidics:
On Monday, May 2nd the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia held a dynamic, in-person and virtual event, which included an update on the real estate developments impacting our region’s life sciences market. The life sciences industry in Greater Philadelphia continues to thrive and is poised for exponential growth as it has established itself as a global hub for research, talent, and capital, attracting companies in cell and gene therapy, gene editing, and connected health.
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.
For the first time since the pandemic, members of the Pennovation Works community visited Austin, Texas for South by SouthWest (SXSW). Jaime Sweet, Associate Director of Programming for Pennovation Works attended along with Michael Poisel, Executive Director of PCI Ventures and PCIV Admin Coordinator Raquel Giron. Jaime shared that “[they] had a blast supporting Exyn and meeting other SXSW Innovation Award finalists.” Exyn Technologies, a PCI Ventures portfolio company and Pennovation Center graduates, was
For many startups, tax season can feel daunting. To help ease that angst, we hosted Preparing for 2021 Tax and 1099 Compliance with Stephano Slack. Partner at Stephano Slack, Sam Musser, CPA, guided attendees through the steps and best practices to stay compliant.
On November 11th, in recognition of the 5th year anniversary of Pennovation Works we hosted The Power of Pennovation Works: Research and Development panel. Innovators based at Pennovation shared how the campus supports research and development as well as startup growth, via a unique mix of programmatic, community, and facility recourses. They shared success stories as well as information about key programs through during this panel moderated by Laurie Actman, Chief Marketing, Communications and Program Officer at Penn Center for Innovation.
Speakers include:
On November 10th we hosted The Power of Pennovation Works: Company Showcase. In recognition of the 5th year anniversary of Pennovation Works, five companies from the Pennovation ecosystem, shared their startup stories and recent milestones. The virtual event was moderated by Michael Poisel, Executive Director of PCI Ventures.
Penn Today marks the anniversary of Pennovation Works, the University’s business incubator and laboratory space, with a look at the evolution of the site, its research and commercialization achievements, and a glimpse into the future. Read more.