In 2022, Pennovation Works, like many other ecosystems and institutions, saw an increase in activity and reactivation of the space as we continued the return to normalcy from the pandemic years. In addition to the reinvigoration of the space, Pennovation Works announced new leadership and staff, programming, and most notably, advancements in the overall development of the 23-acre site.

On April 12th-13th, Pennovation Works in partnership with Publicize, held a two-day speaker series on Marketing Essentials for Innovators. The event's comprehensive agenda covered various essential marketing aspects including digital marketing and growth, leadership and company culture, media and PR, commercialization of tech, fundraising, and innovation. Renowned industry leaders who have played instrumental roles in the success of companies such as Facebook, Eventbrite, IBM, Motorola, and IGN all participated.

The UPenn and Philadelphia startup communities were well represented in Austin, Texas during the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive conference in March.  Members of the Pennovation Works leadership team, PCI Ventures and Penn Center for Innovation were in attendance to help promote their startup portfolios and support Amplify Philly’s goal of attracting the best talent, clients and consumers to live, work and play in Philadelphia. 

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.

Pennovation Works is proud to share the PCI Ventures 2022 Spotlight. The annual report highlights PCI Ventures’ impressive portfolio companies, profiles their dedicated company leaders, and includes examples of the unique programming and services provided to this community.

PCI Ventures has been in operation for 12+ years, below are a few overall statistics featured in the Spotlight’s By the Number section.

On October 18th, Pennovation Works hosted Warm Intros: BioAdvance with Frederick "Rick" Jones, M.D., M.B.A., Partner at BioAdvance.

He shared an overview of BioAdvance, their core areas of interest, and insights on how to best engage with local VCs. Rick also spent some time talking about the larger economic environment and venture capital.  Following the presentation, Rick offered one-on-one virtual office hours to the Pennovation Works community.
Watch the recording of the session here.

The PCI Ventures at Pennovation Works Showcase was hosted on Thursday, October 27th, to celebrate Pennovation Works' 6th Anniversary and PCI Ventures' 12 years of service to the Penn community. The Showcase brought together a diverse group of entrepreneurs, faculty members, investors, and industry leaders for an evening of education and networking. Startup companies from the PCI Ventures portfolio and Pennovation Works member companies participated in a poster and demo session, see the full list of featured companies below.

On September 20th, Pennovation Works hosted the first of a new series entitled Warm Intros.  This monthly series offers friendly introductions to investors, advisors and experts from the Pennovation Works network. NextFab kicked off the series with a presentation by Todor Raykov, Director of Venture Services and Matt Bell, Director of Product Development Services.  NextFab is a network of collaborative makerspaces for creators and NextFab Ventures is a pre-seed stage hardware-focused investor and product development center.

After nearly three years cultivating their business within the Pennovation Works ecosystem, Chris Franzwa, Anthony Merlino, Tony Samaritano, and Nils Thorjussen, founders of Verge Aero, are packing up their drones and heading south. Verge Aero is a drone automation company specializing in the automation of drones for new markets such as drone delivery, choreography, and developing enabling technologies. They develop and manufacture everything necessary to easily create and fly sophisticated drone shows.

Penn Senior Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli discusses the future evolution of this 455,000 sq. ft. research and manufacturing project, led by Longfellow Real Estate Developers, and its value for Penn and the region. View the full article on the Penn Today website.