30 minute read
Timeline
$600K Awarded to Researchers
PAGE 10
Small Business Administrator Visits the Science Center
Art as an Ambassador
JANUARY
Double the Venture
PAGE 11
Partnering with CSL Behring to Support Life-Saving Research
Science Center Testifies Before Congress
FEBRUARY
2020
A Lesson in Connectivity
PAGE 12 MARCH
Quorum Creates a New Virtual Series
The Intersection of Art and Science at Home and Abroad
Launch Lane Launches
Venture Café Pivots to Virtual
A Growing Cell and Gene Therapy Workforce
PAGE 15
More Support for Bringing Artists into the Lab Recruitment Begins for Our First Workforce Development Cohort
A Cautious Return to In-Person Gatherings
FirstHand DIY
APRIL
MAY
FirstHand @ Home and the Birth of Our STEM Kits
Sticking the Landing
PAGE 16
JUNE
The Front Lines of COVID-19
PAGE 14
We provide hands-on training and connections to unlock paths to careers that pay familysustaining wages. Art Must Go On
PAGE 21
The Quorum Lounge Returns
Back to School-Cool at FirstHand
SEPTEMBER
JULY
FirstHand in the Summer
July Means RAIN
QED Proof-of-Concept Program Finalists
Reaching a Census at Quorum
PAGE 18 AUGUST
A Better Normal
A New CEO
STEM in the Real World
Nucleus Goes Hybrid
PAGE 20
From an At-Home Lab to a Professional Lab
PAGE 22
[Re]Introducing Launch Lane Digital Health
International Stage for Cell and Gene Therapy
Launch Lane Founders Received National Recognition
One uCity Square
Recreating the Tabling Experience
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
BULB Returns
Quorum and FirstHand Launch Lunchtime Labs
All Eyes on Delaware
PAGE 24
New Website Launch
Visit sciencecenter.org
2021
DECEMBER
Founders of Kiira Health and Orai Receive National Recognition
Launch Lane Digital Health Takes Off
$600K Awarded to Researchers for Proof-of-Concept
Bone marrow treatments can be intensive, painful and expensive. Emily Day, a University of Delaware biomedical engineer is developing technology that could replace bone marrow transplants altogether.
Forty miles north, at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Dr. Ian Henrich, under the direction of Dr. Margaret Chou, the world’s leading expert on USP6, is developing a novel therapy utilizing USP6 to fire up the immune system against cancer cells. Unlike other therapies, USP6 targets multiple immune pathways simultaneously and has shown promising results.
And a few blocks from there, a new liquid biopsy developed in the labs of University of Pennsylvania by Dr. Hiam Bau will allow oncologists high efficiency and specificity to detect cancer earlier in populations at risk, prescribe targeted drugs, and alter drug regimens as drug-resistance evolves.
Each of these technologies is in the early stages of research but demonstrates a high potential for improving human health and attracting industry and investor interest. These projects will have an opportunity to cross the “valley of death” after receiving a collective $600,000 and critical support from the Science Center’s QED Proof-of-Concept program.
Reducing commercialization risk in early-stage life science or medical technology projects is at the core of this research accelerator. Developed in academic labs, these technologies are often at risk of being left on the bench with limited funding opportunities and access to the right market expertise. Thanks to the QED program, they have a fighting chance to transition from bench to bedside.
Read more at sciencecenter.org
Art as an Ambassador
The connection between artists and scientists isn’t as tenuous as one might think. The Science Center’s BioArt Residency aims to explore that relationship and the juxtaposition of the right and left brain. In January, Inc Magazine took note in the article “These Scientists—and Tech Titans— Are Working With Artists to Boost Creativity. Here’s Why You Should Do the Same.”
“Processed through the interpretive lens of art, the science becomes more accessible, understood not as technical abstraction but rather via the senses and emotions. Art is a better ambassador for his business to the wider world than charts and graphs.”
That dialogue for which we have created an environment, is both an art and a science.
The then newly appointed Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), Jovita Carranza, visited the Science Center in January to learn how we’re building on ramps to STEM opportunities for underrepresented communities in our region, through programs like FirstHand, Workforce Development and Launch Lane.
Double the Venture
D.C.-based Black Girl Ventures, a non-profit committed to supporting entrepreneurship among women minority founders launched its Philadelphia chapter on February 27th and selected none other than Venture Café Philadelphia for the launch party and formal introduction to the city.
Black Girl Ventures and Venture Café were a natural fit due to their shared mission of economic empowerment for underrepresented communities. As Black Girl Ventures Founder Shelley Bell explained to Technical.ly Philly in January, “Accessing capital remains a significant challenge for minority entrepreneurs in Philadelphia and we are here to change that. Thanks to the efforts of our Venture Board, Black and Brown woman-identifying founders in Philadelphia will have access to the financial resources and networks they need to grow their businesses.” She was also quick to cite the city’s energy, being no stranger after having hosted dozens of pitch competitions in the city of brotherly love—and sisterly affection.
The evening featured conversations with Bell, and Founder and CEO of Skai Blue Media, Rakia Reynolds. And in addition to being among our most highly attended Thursday Gatherings, local 6 ABC News also turned out to report live from the event.
Since then, Venture Café Philadelphia has hosted numerous sessions with Black Girl Ventures’ five Philly Change Agents, plus a pitch competition and virtual watch party for its current cohort in October, surely the start of changing the tide on economic empowerment for underrepresented founders.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Delaware were selected as the inaugural grant recipients of the CSL Behring Research Acceleration Initiative, a partnership between the Science Center and the global biotech company. In addition to funding to help accelerate treatments for pulmonary fibrosis and several genetic-hematological disorders, the researchers received guidance and support from experts at CSL Behring to help develop the potential new medicines.
Science Center Testifies Before Congress
Federal investment in incubator and accelerator programs like those run by the Science Center is the best way to move innovations from academia into the market. Our value lies in our ability to make rapid, unbiased determinations of which ideas have sufficient commercial promise to attract investment.
Our Vice President of Science & Technology testified before the Subcommittee on Innovation and Workforce Development of the U.S. House Small Business Committee, as part of a panel discussion on the topic of “The Innovation Pipeline: From Universities to Small Businesses.”
A Lesson in Connectivity
Part of our mission with FirstHand is to prepare students for careers in STEM by leveraging our business connections to develop curricula that is industry-relevant and informed by the demands of the modern workplace. This presents an opportunity to shift the traditional donor-donee relationship, allowing corporations to give more than just funding, dedicating time as mentors and helping to design the lesson plans.
After careful planning with wireless communication infrastructure giant Crown Castle, our FirstHand program successfully launched a pilot telecommunications program in January. Twenty-one students from Paul Robeson High School in West Philadelphia dove into activities, alongside mentors from Crown Castle in our FirstHand lab, that would help them narrow down the best locations for small cell placement, troubleshoot problems during installation, and apply that knowledge towards designing smart 5G solutions to solve global and societal issues, from pet health to access to clean water.
We could never have predicted a once in a century pandemic right before their final showcases, where the students would have made final presentations of their work to mentors and local public officials. While the recently all-too-common experience of having to postpone events might have stung for them, they also witnessed first-hand (pun intended) the real world implications of sustaining stable wireless service, when the planet would soon come to rely on the internet like never before to telecommute and congregate virtually. We may expect it all to work as easily as the flick of a light switch, but this group of students now knows all that really goes into powering our current reality.
Read more at sciencecenter.org
Twenty-one students from Paul Robeson High School in West Philadelphia dive into FirstHand curriculum.
Quorum Creates a New Virtual Series
As we transitioned from closing the Lounge, we wanted to keep our guests engaged with Quorum at home and introduced a new series; Lunchtime Lessons. Several times a week, for a half hour during the conventional lunch break, we call upon experts and thought leaders from all stripes to share their knowledge with our community. We continue to maintain that engagement through an array of topics, ranging from entrepreneurial support, to financial lifelines, to selfcare tips and fun family activities.
On March 2nd Esther Klein Gallery (EKG) Curator, Angela McQuillan joined a panel discussion at the IRCAM Institute in Paris, focused on leveraging art and science collaborations to fuel social change. Meanwhile, back in Philadelphia, a Design and Science Showcase was taking place at EKG, featuring 34 artists and a collection of works encompassing different mediums, including elements of biological design and how it will play a big role in creating a sustainable future.
Launch Lane Launches
Following an international solicitation, we announced the seven tech and tech enabled companies selected for the first cohort of the Science Center’s newest accelerator. Arke Aeronautics, envoyatHome, Kiira Health, The OrVac, Pera Labs, Pippy Sips and Tozuda received a collective $300,000 investment, weekly programming tailored to their growth needs and access to the Science Center’s network of connections and resources.
Venture Caf Pivots to Virtual
When the pandemic caused us to distance physically from each other, we wanted to ensure that our weekly, free Thursday gatherings continued. The shift to a fully virtual format on March 5th happened quickly, but in the shuffle of testing the technology and navigating a new reality of being “together while apart” we were pleasantly surprised to find that allowing everyone to plug in from home and join from anywhere led to increased global collaboration.
At the time, Philadelphia, like the rest of the world, was just beginning to “figure it out.” Venture Café Philadelphia Executive Director, Tracy Brala would soon share the challenges, wins and lessons learned through mediums like the Economy League’s (aptly titled) The Pivot web series, and the We Love Philly podcast.
It’s worth noting that Venture Café Philadelphia was among the first events in our city to make the call to transition to a virtual format, letting scientific developments and data lead the way. Since then, we’ve continued to experiment and improve, introducing elements like Remo to simulate an authentic tabling and showcase experience.
We look forward to the day when we can welcome you all back into the café, because nothing can replace in-person networking and how it facilitates the flow of ideas. Until then, we’ll continue to do our work of convening the community and keeping the ecosystem connected. See you Thursday?
The Front Lines of COVID-19
The Science Center was built on the foundation of technology commercialization designed to enable life changing technologies to transition from the lab to the bedside.
It’s during times like a global pandemic that we’re reminded of how critical those researchers, entrepreneurs and companies are.
New technologies, particularly those in the biotech space, take years of development to reach the marketplace; however with an on-going health crisis, the ability and capacity to go to market is significantly accelerated. Several of the companies and researchers in Philadelphia tirelessly developing solutions to today’s most critical healthcare problem can be traced back to the Science Center.
Here are a few with connections to our commercialization programs:
BIOMEME Launch Lane Digital Health graduate (fka Digital Health Accelerator) Received Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA for its SARS-CoV-2 Real-Time RT-PCR Test which can generate results within an hour.
INTERVIR Phase 1 Ventures funded and supported Developing antiviral technology, originally intended for Ebola/Marburg/hemorrhagic viruses, that may be adaptable to COVID-19.
INTEGRAL MOLECULAR Incubator graduate and uCity Square resident Working on COVID-19 vaccine and therapeutics research. With support from the NIH and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Integral Molecular rapidly adapted many of its technologies in the global effort to develop SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and therapeutics.
Read more at sciencecenter.org
RESPANA THERAPEUTICS Phase 1 Ventures funded and supported Developing a therapeutic that enhances the recovery from influenza and lower respiratory infections, which has a strong overlay with symptoms related to COVID-19.
PING WANG QED finalist Researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, is developing rapid and ultrasensitive SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection for acute infection screening in community settings.
DR. MARIS, CHOP (QED AWARDEE) AND COLLEAGUE MARK YARMARKOVICH Paper published in Cell Reports Medicine, was based on their findings from awarded QED technology—which outlined SARS–CoV-2 peptides for use in vaccines. As a member of the BARDA DRIVe Network, we help identify technologies that address national health security threats, including COVID-19. We’ve connected 12 researchers and entrepreneurs from Penn, Penn State, CHOP, Drexel—even Ireland—related to COVID-19 to BARDA for potential further development.
FirstHand @ Home and the Birth of Our STEM Kits
When we couldn’t connect with middle and high school students in the lab, we brought the lab to them. FirstHand instructors facilitated hands-on STEM activities that complemented student learning objectives at S. Weir Mitchell Elementary. The lessons encourage students to make STEM connections within their homes, using everyday household objects like coffee filters and soap.
In response to hospitals across the country facing a shortage of PPE, our FirstHand team wasted no time in joining the national effort by collecting and donating N-95 masks and other items from the FirstHand Lab to healthcare workers on the front lines of the pandemic.
A Growing Cell and Gene Therapy Workforce
The Science Center, CEO Council for Growth and University City District embarked on a research project, titled the “Cell and Gene Therapy and Connected Health Workforce Analysis,” to ensure the region is well positioned to proactively address workforce needs as these industries scale. The results? The workforce is expected to grow between 35%–94% over the next ten years.
Econsult Solutions, Inc., an economic consulting firm, was engaged to conduct the survey, with significant input from an Advisory Board of 20 leaders from industry, academia and healthcare.
According to the study, in 2019 there were approximately 4,900 employees working in the Greater Philadelphia region at cell and gene therapy companies, CMOs, biopharma companies, research organizations or research hospitals in the cell and gene therapy fields, and more than 700 professionals with skills in connected health, digital health, telehealth or mobile health. The projected increases mean that in ten years Greater Philadelphia will see between approximately 6,600 and 9,400 total cell and gene therapy sector jobs using mid-range projections, and between approximately 7,400 and 11,300 total jobs using high-range projections.
Read more at sciencecenter.org
More Support for Bringing Artists into the Lab
Thanks to support from the Edna W. Andrade Fund, a Donor Advised Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation, three additional artists will participate in our BioArt Residency! Designed in partnership with Integral Molecular, the three-month program brings artists into the lab to create work inspired by research, culminating in an exhibit at our Esther Klein Gallery. One of which was Brooklyn-based artist Laura Splan, who returned for a second residency, imbedded virtually into the lab and producing Disrupted Domains, an animated musical experience created with molecular visualization software and SARS-CoV-2 protein structures.
35%–94%
PROJECTED CELL AND GENE THERAPY WORKFORCE GROWTH OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS
Sticking the Landing
Business travel, particularly the international variety, came to a screeching halt in 2020; but that doesn’t mean companies aren’t thinking globally.
Despite this lull in travel, the Science Center hosted three unique cohorts of its Global Soft Landing Accelerator in 2020. The accelerator creates a road map for international companies planning an expansion to the U.S. We provide the tools and proven technology commercialization framework, while leveraging our partnerships with universities, healthcare institutions, government agencies, service providers and other regional stakeholders.
The first two cohorts, held in-person in February and virtually in June, were focused on the medtech industry and included participants from as far away as India, China, Australia and Germany to name a few.
The third cohort, held virtually in October and November, recruited solely from our neighbors to the north thanks to a partnership with the Consulate General of Canada, and focused specifically on Philadelphia’s emerging cell and gene therapy sectors. After all, these sectors took root in Philadelphia just a decade ago and resulted in the first gene therapy approved for a genetic disease by the FDA. Today, Philadelphia is ranked first among U.S. cities for NIH funding for cell and gene therapy, and our home at uCity Square alone boasts 30 cell and gene therapy companies. Claude Le Duc of Ortho Regenerative Technologies states the pandemic has actually sped up his expansion efforts: “we have consequently accelerated our decision to set a U.S. based incorporation, business office and building a U.S. management team during the coming three to six months.” The company’s first U.S. hire was announced in October with “many other positions to come.” The accelerator is made possible with support from Cozen O’Connor, Morgan Lewis, Eppendorf and Wuxi Advanced Therapies. Participants also had an opportunity to hear from experts at Covance and Cardinal Health, as well as connect with investors and funding sources like Accenture Venture, Robin Hood Ventures and The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
Read more at sciencecenter.org
Countries represented in the program:
POLAND
UNITED KINGDOM
INDIA
SOUTH KOREA
AUSTRALIA
IRELAND
CANADA
GERMANY
CHINA
Recruitment for our first cohort of BULB, Building an Understanding of Lab Basics, began in June with interest from residents from all corners of Philadelphia.
Designed to help adults without a traditional four-year college degree, this Workforce Development initiative provides hands-on training and connections needed to unlock paths to careers at University City-based life sciences companies that pay family-sustaining wages.
A Cautious Return to In-Person Gatherings
Our Quorum team has proved that it’s possible to hold a safe, socially distanced meeting when the right measures and precautions are taken. Through meticulous planning, we hosted the U.S. Census Bureau’s Philadelphia Office for several training sessions in the summer which were featured in Event News, as well as welcoming the American Red Cross at a time when our local blood banks face critical shortages.
FirstHand DIY
We continue to bridge industry-relevance and mentorship whenever possible. When local company and long-time FirstHand mentor, Crazy Aaron, maker of Thinking Putty, had to curb normal operations due to the pandemic, Crazy Aaron’s Puttyworld shifted its focus to producing much-needed hand sanitizer. We collaborated with him to design a make-your-own hand sanitizer activity and produced kits with all the necessary ingredients for FirstHand students to make their own container of gel during a virtual class! Crazy Aaron himself along with Puttyworld’s quality control chemist, joined the session to teach students about the science behind hand sanitizer and the importance of adaptability in entrepreneurship.
Reaching a Census at Quorum
In a year when most interactions existed in the virtual landscape, a select few remained in-person out of necessity. Among the events that fell into the latter category were Census training sessions, and thanks to the diligence, agility and conviction of our Quorum team, we were able to accommodate 12 in-person U.S. Census trainings in 2020.
Beyond tables set over six feet apart, surfaces cleaned regularly and significantly reduced capacity, we got creative in establishing a traffic flow in and out of the space, utilizing hands-free door openers, hand sanitizer throughout and an infrared thermometer to check attendee and staff temperatures.
In a July interview with Corporate Event News, Anthony Thornton, Census field operations manager said he liked Quorum because “it was in a central location of the city that was accessible via car and public transportation, and was also spacious, modern and presented a comfortable place to meet and learn.”
But it didn’t end with the physical attributes. “Quorum was very receptive to civic mindfulness and helping us get the word out and assist us in our enumeration efforts.”
After all, it wouldn’t be a Quorum if everyone wasn’t counted.
ANTHONY THORNTON CENSUS FIELD OPERATIONS MANAGER
FirstHand in the Summer
We continued to support our school partners and students with supplemental, hands-on learning to keep them engaged in STEM through the summer, with two new programs. FirstHand in the Summer sent students STEM kits to facilitate their learning of physics, movement and the real-world applications of STEM, remotely. The second was Summer Ventures, which gave FirstHand alumni a chance to receive business mentorship and funding to launch their business idea or invention.
July Means RAIN
For 12 years, our RAIN Conference has delivered content geared toward emerging trends across innovation districts. And just because workspaces looked vastly different for us in 2020, we felt it was no less important a topic. The 2020 RAIN Conference titled, Adaptation: An Evolving Innovation Ecosystem explored abrupt pivots as a result of unforeseen circumstances and slow, evolving changes that were the product of shifting market conditions. Speakers included Travis Sheridan of Wexford Science + Technology and Venture Café Global, Michelle Histand of Independence Blue Cross, Yossi Levi of Gettacar, Anne Nevins of PIDC Philadelphia, and Michael Banks of the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.
QED Proof-of-Concept Program Finalists
Twelve academic researchers representing seven institutions across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware were selected as finalists for the 13th round of the QED Program. Among them, a researcher representing Princeton University, the QED program’s newest participating institution. The 12 researchers were paired with business advisors from the life science community, and specialists in legal, regulatory, and reimbursement to develop proof-of-concept plans. Finalists presented those plans to a selection committee in December with the awardees to be announced in January 2021.
Nucleus Goes Hybrid
For decades, cracks in our foundation have led us to the groundswell of this moment. Infectious diseases and racism are by no means new problems facing society, but we now find ourselves at the crossroads of a global pandemic and a long-overdue reckoning on systemic racial inequity and injustice.
In August we announced that three local leaders who have been addressing these issues head-on would be recognized during the Science Center’s annual Nucleus Awards, presented by CSL Behring. Nucleus 2020 honored Benjamin Doranz, President & CEO of Integral Molecular; Aurora Archer, Founder & CEO of Bellatrix Group and Co-Host of The Opt-In podcast; and Sylvester Mobley, CEO of Coded by Kids, for their contributions in commercializing promising technology, convening communities, and ensuring a more equitable future by diversifying the talent pipeline.
Nucleus took place in September during a hybrid in-person and virtual event and featured interviews with the honorees and our newly announced President & CEO, Tiffany Wilson.
Read more at sciencecenter.org
LEFT Nucleus honoree, Aurora Archer, CEO and Founder of Bellatrix Group, Co-Founder and Co-Host of The Opt-In podcast
RIGHT Nucleus honoree, Sylvestor Mobley, CEO and Founder of Coded by Kids
A Better Normal
Kicking off at midnight our time on August 6th, Global Venture Café Day brought together all ten Venture Cafés from around the world for 18 straight hours of international collaboration. In keeping with the theme, The Happening: Connecting Innovators to Make the Better Normal Happen, roundtables, panels and sessions explored topics like the future of education, work, travel and tourism, and DEI.
A New CEO
The Science Center named Tiffany Wilson as President & CEO. Tiffany brings close to 20 years of leadership transitioning innovative medical technologies from benchtop to bedside, and building partnerships across academia, industry and economic development organizations. She most recently served as CEO of the Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI), an Atlanta-based non-profit dedicated to supporting commercialization of innovative medical products.
STEM in the Real World
In the midst of “Zoom fatigue” learning we developed STEM in the Real World to provide FirstHand students with an opportunity to answer that age-old question, “when am I ever going to use this in real life?” Thirty-six students conducted experiments from home, and sometimes along with their families. Activities included make your own hand sanitizer, build your own solar oven, DIY thermometers, and build your own simple speaker. All materials, down to a marker and scissors, were packed and delivered to students by our FirstHand team.
Unraveling (Marine/Aquamarine/Skyblue), © 2020 Laura Splan
Art Must Go On
Through difficult times, art has always continued to inspire and shape culture; so, when our ability to come together and enjoy it in person was altered by the pandemic, we looked for creative ways to bring the creative to our community.
As a result, we launched a virtual series called Artists Studio Tours through Venture Café. Each week brings a new artist, and the virtual tour of their studio or workspace provides the unique experience for the viewer of seeing where the artwork comes to life.
The tours continued through the year with the eventual reopening of the Esther Klein Gallery in the fall with the exhibit With Whom We Walk This Earth by Massachusetts-based fiber artist Dena Haden.
Along with Disrupted Domains by Laura Splan on display at Quorum, the physical presence of these artworks on our walls remained in flux due to the uncertainty of the year itself. Still, they continue to define what’s possible in BioArt and, in their virtual forms, brought the intersection of art and science into our homes.
The Quorum Lounge Returns
For a space that was averaging 60–70 visitors a day and buzzing with energy, the shutdown of the Quorum Lounge in March created a noticeable void in activity when entering 3675 Market Street. After much planning, preparation and precaution, we reopened the doors to the Lounge in September—for a short but productive period—with a responsibility to create an environment that’s equally representative of everyone’s new comfort level. That meant earning a Global Biorisk Advisory Council STAR Accreditation, a performance-based accreditation program that helps facilities demonstrate that they have the practices, procedures and protocols to prepare, respond, and recover from outbreaks and pandemics.
Back to School-Cool at FirstHand
Our free STEM program for Philadelphia students, FirstHand, hit the ground running in the fall, ready to support teachers and students for the start of the school year. In addition to introducing all new online middle school-level classes focusing on Materials Science and Chemistry, we also created our very own FirstHand lab books and hand-delivered them, along with over 250 STEM kits to facilitate hands-on learning from home. Meanwhile, FirstHand Ventures continued supporting high school students with their independent entrepreneurial pursuits.
Back in July, already several months into the pandemic, Philadelphia resident Joe’Nell Williams found an entire frontier of scientific discovery open up within the comfort of her home through our Workforce Development program, BULB (Building an Understanding of Lab Basics).
With the invaluable collaboration of the eClose Institute, guidance from the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, and input from several local life sciences companies who serve as mentors, selection committee members and instructors, we’re aiming to build a bridge for Philadelphia residents to job opportunities at science and technology companies within their own city. Williams recalls often pushing herself to finish protocols and assignments by the end of the day, setting up her at-home lab table every day, and the dynamic between the instructors and her classmates who prided themselves in being competitors, much like herself.
She also felt a connection to Sharon Willis, co-founder of Integral Molecular, one of the program’s featured speakers; and it was a happy turn of events when Williams was eventually matched with Willis’ colleague, scientist Tabb Sullivan, as her mentor. They clicked immediately over the phone, and after a few weeks of turning her kitchen into a lab, she asked if she could tour a real one at Integral Molecular one day. Sullivan wasted no time in making it a reality.
So, when an on site paid internship opened at Integral Molecular, they could think of no one more well suited than Williams. And soon, she was a part of the family, attending staff meetings and being guided through experiments until she could complete them successfully on her own.
Willis notes that Williams and BULB are very much aligned with what her company values. “We look for bright, motivated people who may not have extensive lab experience to join our lab management team. The basic scientific training provided by BULB gives participants just enough scientific know-how to come on site at Integral Molecular, be successful and expand their laboratory skills.“
Read more at sciencecenter.org
International Stage for Cell and Gene Therapy
The third cohort of the Global Soft Landing Accelerator kicked off with a focus on cell and gene therapy. Seven Canadian companies participated in the six-week online program, which assists businesses interested in entering the U.S. market with advice, mentorship, and access to a network of industry leaders.
Two participants in our inaugural Launch Lane cohort made news for their achievements in business and innovation. Tozuda Safety founder, Jessie Garcia, was recognized by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce with an Entrepreneurial Spirit award, and the founder of Kiira Health, Crystal Evuleocha, was featured in Entrepreneur’s 100 Most Powerful Women list.
One uCity Square
Three companies will take up residence at uCity Square’s newest development, One uCity. Century Therapeutics, Integral Molecular and Exponent will occupy a total of 100,000 square feet in the state-of-the-art building which broke ground earlier this year and is projected to open in 2022. Further, uCity Square partner, Ventas Inc., formed a joint venture with a Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC, to develop $930 million in research and lab space, including One uCity Square.
[Re]Introducing Launch Lane Digital Health
Launch Lane Digital Health began accepting applications for its fifth cohort. In addition to joining the ranks of 27 esteemed alumni accounting for $100M+ in follow-on funding and $50M+ in revenue, the new cohort will receive a SAFE note up to $50K, space and resources at ic@3401, and guidance in developing relevant business opportunities in the Philadelphia market and beyond.
Recreating the Tabling Experience
Who’s in our Venture Café Remo Space? You. Just because we’ve gone virtual, doesn’t mean we can’t still table. Our Creative Connections space offers attendees a chance to break out from ongoing Thursday Gathering sessions, and check out a slew of experts, vendors, organizations and artists. Or, you could be the one sharing with others. We’ve also repurposed our virtual tabling format to host SME Connections (subject matter experts) and Youth Mentorship Nights with professionals from many different fields and talents.
We’ve repurposed our virtual tabling format to give anyone access to a slew of experts, vendors, organizations and artists.
All Eyes on Delaware
Delaware and Pennsylvania share more than a border. They share an interwoven network of assets, leaders and opportunity when it comes to innovation.
Yet sometimes it seems like an invisible border is an invisible barrier.
As Patrick Callahan, Founding Partner of CompassRed and panelist at our Venture Café Delaware Takeover night, put it, “If we took an eraser and erased that line between Delaware and Philadelphia this is a really interesting ecosystem with the number of businesses, the amount of talent, and then the lifestyle on both sides of the region.”
We typically define innovation ecosystems by their geographic barriers, but many are complex networks of interconnected systems working towards very similar goals. The reality is that our communities stagnate when people and organizations remain siloed, but they thrive with the crosspollination of ideas and resources.
The November 19th Venture Café Thursday Gathering was aimed at bridging those barriers and coalescing the geographically separated but very much intertwined innovation communities. The Thursday Gathering featured panel discussions spotlighting Delaware’s leading industries including fintech, agtech, chemtech, and biotech, flowing into an open networking experience where attendees and panelists could make meaningful connections—regardless of the state they tuned in from.
We also heard from award-winning founders and purpose-driven ecosystem builders putting Delaware on the map by solidifying its role as a leader in entrepreneurship and innovation.
BULB Returns
The second cohort of our Workforce Development initiative, BULB, returned with ten more participants finding their passion and opportunity in STEM. This iteration featured even more mentors from local biotech companies including ten from Tmunity Therapeutics alone.
PHILADELPHIA WORKS
CLIFTON LARSON ALLEN LLC.
IDERA PHARMA
CENTURY THERAPEUTICS
PWC
INTEGRAL MOLECULAR
TEVA
Quorum and FirstHand Launch Lunchtime Labs
Almost like a virtual field trip, Lunchtime Labs, takes you behind the scenes to see what really goes on in a professional lab, giving students and adults alike a chance to discover the different fields within the scientific world. The new series, suitable for all ages but especially encouraged for middle and high school-level students, marks a collaboration between FirstHand’s educational programming and Quorum‘s expertise in serving as a virtual host. Topics included probiotics with de la Fuente Lab at Penn, and testing the durability of composite materials made from chocolate and candy with scientists from DuPont.
Launch Lane Digital Health Takes Off
Following a grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and a mission to equitably source founders, the Science Center launched its newest accelerator this year, Launch Lane.
Doubling down on our commitment to a more inclusive tech ecosystem, Launch Lane is focused on identifying high-potential tech-enabled startups, addressing problems and identifying solutions that grow businesses.
To ensure our cohorts are sourced from a diverse pool of founders, the Science Center assembled a Launch Lane leadership team, all with a longstanding history of cultivating underestimated entrepreneurs. We also implemented a double-blind selection process to create an impartial application review while capitalizing on the depth of connectivity across all partners.
The blind application process isn’t new to the Science Center. It’s been implemented in some of our other accelerators and has proven to be effective in identifying promising startups with diverse founders. In fact, over 50% of participants in these accelerators are women or minority-led and of the 27 that have gone through the program, 26 are still in business.
The seven companies participating in the inaugural Launch Lane cohort were selected from a pool of over 200. Those companies have raised over $1.5M in follow-on funding, established key strategic partnerships and received national media attention.
And in December we commenced recruitment for another cohort, this time focused specifically on digital health startups. That cohort will be selected in early 2021 and will continue the momentum of an accelerator equally focused on inclusivity and success.
Four founders receiving support from the Science Center’s commercialization programs were announced as Forbes 30 Under 30 2021 Honorees: Crystal Evuleocha of Kiira Health, a Launch Lane participant; and Danish Dhamani, Aasim Sani and Paritosh Gupta of Orai, members of our ic@3401 incubator. Congratulations to all!
Photo above: Crystal Evuleocha of Kiira Health
over
50%
WOMEN OR MINORITY-LED PARTICIPANTS
