• Philadelphia Ranks Among Best Startup Cities in Nation as Funding Freeze Shows Signs of Thawing

    Philadelphia Ranks Among Best Startup Cities in Nation as Funding Freeze Shows Signs of Thawing

    Philadelphia ranks among the top ten best startup cities that have at least 1 million residents, as the funding freeze that has lasted several years starts to ease, writes Ryan Mulligan for the Philadelphia Business Journal. The Philadelphia innovation ecosystem placed eighth in a recent CommercialCafe ranking, beating out cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles,…

  • Philadelphia Small Businesses Hope to Convert 2026 Tourism Surge into Sustained Growth

    Philadelphia Small Businesses Hope to Convert 2026 Tourism Surge into Sustained Growth

    Philadelphia expects a major tourism-driven economic windfall this year, but the city needs proper strategy and preparation to ensure small businesses do not miss out, writes Sarah Huffman for Technical.ly. With World Cup games, the MLB All-Star game, and America’s 250th birthday all coming to the region, Philadelphia is set to welcome over one million…

  • Bryn Mawr’s Michael Rubin Expands His Sports Empire

    Bryn Mawr’s Michael Rubin Expands His Sports Empire

    Michael Rubin is pushing his Fanatics empire into a bold new arena: entertainment, writes Alex Weprin for The Hollywood Reporter. The Bryn Mawr native’s sports powerhouse Fanatics has partnered with OBB Media to launch Fanatics Studios, a full-scale content arm that will produce everything from live events and docuseries to scripted shows and feature films.…

  • Pennsylvania Listed as 6th Worst State in the Country to Start a Business

    Pennsylvania Listed as 6th Worst State in the Country to Start a Business

    In a recent study, WalletHub created a ranking of the best and worst states to start a business, and Pennsylvania was placed at No. 45, writes Adam McCann for WalletHub.   According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 20 percent of startups don’t survive past their first year, and almost half fail to hit their fifth anniversary, due to inflation and labor market tightness.   “The best states…

  • Penn and BioNTech Partner on New $50M Fund for Early-Stage Life Sciences Companies

    Penn and BioNTech Partner on New $50M Fund for Early-Stage Life Sciences Companies

    The University of Pennsylvania and global biopharmaceutical company BioNTech have launched a $50 million fund to support early-stage life science companies emerging from the university, writes Sarah Huffman for Technical.ly. The Penn-BioNTech Innovative Therapeutics Seed (PxB) Fund will be managed by local venture firm Osage University Partners. “[The fund] will allow us to move faster…

  • Karina Sotnik, Who Helped Shape Silicon Valley’s Global Expansion, Now Brings International Startups to Philly

    Karina Sotnik, Who Helped Shape Silicon Valley’s Global Expansion, Now Brings International Startups to Philly

    Having played a key role in Silicon Valley’s global expansion, Karina Sotnik and her company WorldUpstart are now introducing international startups to Philadelphia, writes Sarah Huffman for Technical.ly. Philadelphia-based Sotnik began advising West Coast companies on global expansion in the 1980s. In the 2000s, she took a brief break from advising founders to become one…

  • University of Pennsylvania Launches New $10 Million Startup Fund to Support School’s Researchers

    University of Pennsylvania Launches New $10 Million Startup Fund to Support School’s Researchers

    The University of Pennsylvania recently launched a new $10 million fund to help support startups founded by researchers at the school, writes John George for the Philadelphia Business Journal. The new StartUP Fund will join a number of other startup initiatives that Penn has already established over the years. It will be managed by the…

  • Bucks County-Based Startup Gives Software Upgrades to Veterinary Hospitals

    Bucks County-Based Startup Gives Software Upgrades to Veterinary Hospitals

    When Caleb Frankel, an emergency room veterinarian from Bucks County, saw a gap in software technology in specialty veterinary hospitals, he decided to come up with a solution, writes Holly Quinn for Technical.ly.   “This is a company born out of my own frustration,” said Frankel. “Which, as it turns out, is a great way to start a company.” …

  • Backyard Buzz: Bucks County Success Story Born from Passion for Bees

    Backyard Buzz: Bucks County Success Story Born from Passion for Bees

    Backyard Buzz in Bucks County is a mother-daughter-owned honey business born out of their shared passion for pollinators, writes Leigh Green for PA Eats. Nikki Zebrowski-Beck and Karen Zebrowski oversee every aspect of the artisanal honey business, bringing the focus and care necessary to understand and cater for their tiny teammates. As a Cornell Certified…

  • How a Fort Washington Startup Fixed a Plumber’s 100-Calls-a-Day Problem

    How a Fort Washington Startup Fixed a Plumber’s 100-Calls-a-Day Problem

    A Fort Washington tech start-up is making big waves in the region’s home-service world. Shwego, launched last year by entrepreneurs Sam Puleo and Junny Kim, offers a streamlined scheduling and dispatching app built specifically for small contractors — from plumbers and HVAC crews to electricians and movers serving Philadelphia’s rowhouses and the surrounding suburbs. The…

  • Sales Jump for Lansdowne’s Forte3D After  $250,000 ‘Shark Tank’ Deal

    Sales Jump for Lansdowne’s Forte3D After $250,000 ‘Shark Tank’ Deal

    Lansdowne-based Forte3D $250,000 deal on “Shark Tank” is already translating into a noticeable uptick in sales one week after founder and CEO Alfred Goodrich appeared on the ABC reality series, writes Stephanie L. Arnold for Philadelphia Business Journal. “I’d say we’re at least 20 times our weekly revenue,” Goodrich said. “We’re blowing it out.” The…

  • Former Famous Dave’s CEO Targets Multiple Iron Hill Brewery Sites, Including Newtown Location

    Former Famous Dave’s CEO Targets Multiple Iron Hill Brewery Sites, Including Newtown Location

    Jeff Crivello, the former CEO of Famous Dave’s, plans to buy ten Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant locations, including the one in Newtown, writes Emma Dooling for the Philadelphia Business Journal. During this week’s U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing in New Jersey, Judge Jerrold N. Poslusny Jr. approved the sale of the regional chain’s assets and…

  • LionCage Pitch Competition Awards $35,000 to Southeastern Pennsylvania Entrepreneurs

    LionCage Pitch Competition Awards $35,000 to Southeastern Pennsylvania Entrepreneurs

    Invent Penn State LaunchBoxes at Brandywine and Great Valley and the Ideas x Innovation Network (i2n), an initiative of the Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC), hosted the 2025 LionCage Pitch Competition on Friday, Nov. 14, at the Conference Center at Penn State Great Valley. The one-day event showcased entrepreneurs from across southeastern Pennsylvania who…

  • Conshohocken’s ZeroEyes Gives Veterans a Renewed Mission

    Conshohocken’s ZeroEyes Gives Veterans a Renewed Mission

    At Conshohocken’s historic Spring Mill complex, ZeroEyes is proving that military service doesn’t end when the uniform comes off. The AI gun-detection company was co-founded by former Navy SEALs and is powered by roughly 75 percent veterans. The team is all united by a familiar mission: protect others before tragedy strikes. The idea was born…

  • Four Chester County Companies Make List of Top 50 Largest Women-Owned Businesses in Region 

    Four Chester County Companies Make List of Top 50 Largest Women-Owned Businesses in Region 

    Four Chester County companies have found their place on the list of the 50 largest women-owned businesses in Greater Philadelphia, writes Todd Romero for the Philadelphia Business Journal.  The highest-ranked Chester County company is Key Financial in West Chester at No. 16. The company, with 100 percent female ownership and one local office, reported revenue…

  • Philly Entrepreneur Maya Nazareth to Pitch Apparel Company Alchemize Fightwear on ‘Shark Tank’

    Philly Entrepreneur Maya Nazareth to Pitch Apparel Company Alchemize Fightwear on ‘Shark Tank’

    Philadelphia entrepreneur Maya Nazareth is set to appear on Season 17 of Shark Tank, where she will pitch her apparel company, Alchemize Fightwear, writes Stephanie Arnold for the Philadelphia Business Journal. Her approach for the episode, where she faced celebrity investors Kendra Scott, Lori Greiner, Kevin O’Leary, Daymond John, and Alexis Ohanian, was to focus…

  • The Indie Main Line Coalition Keeps Readers Local in Narberth and Ardmore

    The Indie Main Line Coalition Keeps Readers Local in Narberth and Ardmore

    Independent bookstores across the Main Line are proving that collaboration is the best story of all, writes Gina Lizzo of Main Line Today. In Narberth and Ardmore, two women-owned shops are helping lead a literary alliance that’s strengthening community ties and redefining what it means to shop local. Narberth Bookshop and Mavy Books of Ardmore…

  • LionCage Pitch Competition Offers Entrepreneurs Exposure, Chance for Cash Winnings

    LionCage Pitch Competition Offers Entrepreneurs Exposure, Chance for Cash Winnings

    Invent Penn State LaunchBoxes at Brandywine and Great Valley and the Ideas x Innovation Network (i2n) are partnering to deliver the 2025 LionCage Pitch Competition on Friday, Nov. 14, from 8 AM to 5 PM at the Conference Center at Penn State Great Valley.  LionCage is a one-day gathering that offers exposure, connections, and access for creators…