Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania is a technology-focused capital provider based in Philadelphia, founded in 1982 to advance the region's technology community. The organization funds and supports technology companies across Pennsylvania, especially in information technology, health, and physical sciences, investing substantial capital in early-stage and established ventures. It has invested over 170 million dollars in more than 1,750 regional technology companies and has launched university-industry partnerships to translate scientific discoveries into commercial products, while seeding regional initiatives that strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem and create jobs.

Established in 1999, Innovation Works is a prominent investor in Southwestern Pennsylvania's technology sector. It provides capital and resources to early-stage companies with high growth potential and significant regional impact, particularly focusing on robotics, AI, medical devices, retail technologies, and enterprise software.

The National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency in the United States that funds and supports research and education in science and engineering. It funds fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering and administers non-dilutive funding programs to aid early‑stage technology development, helping translate discoveries into commercially viable products and services. Through grants and fellowships, the NSF supports researchers, educators, and startups, contributing to innovation and U.S. competitiveness. The agency operates with a substantial budget to advance science, engineering, and STEM education nationwide.

Robin Hood Ventures is an angel investor group based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, established in 1999. The organization focuses on early-stage, high-growth companies primarily in the Greater Philadelphia region. It provides capital, mentoring, and valuable connections to assist entrepreneurs in building successful businesses. Typically, Robin Hood Ventures invests between $250,000 and $500,000, often collaborating with other angel investors, institutions, and venture capitalists within its network. The firm has a diverse investment portfolio, spanning various sectors, including information technology services, software, life sciences, hard technology, consumer products, and financial technology. Since its inception, Robin Hood Ventures has invested in over 45 companies, emphasizing a hands-on approach to helping businesses achieve their potential.

BioAdvance is a venture capital firm based in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, that funds early‑stage life sciences and healthcare companies in the mid-Atlantic region, including Southeastern Pennsylvania. It backs therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics and platform technologies aimed at human health, through its Greenhouse Fund, a $50 million vehicle created to support seed and pre‑seed investments. Since its inception, BioAdvance has committed more than $40 million to more than 50 seed‑stage and 17 pre‑seed companies, with portfolio activity spanning diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer, obesity, GI disorders, and neurological and respiratory illnesses.

Aspire Ventures is a venture capital investment firm established in 2014 and headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The firm specializes in transforming healthcare through innovative technologies, focusing on areas such as artificial intelligence, information technology, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Aspire Ventures aims to address significant challenges in the healthcare sector by leveraging its capital, intellectual property, and domain expertise to support and develop emerging companies in these fields.

The U.S. Department of Energy is a government agency established in 1977, located in Washington, D.C. Its primary mission is to ensure the security and prosperity of the nation by tackling energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges. The Department focuses on promoting transformative scientific and technological solutions to address these issues, thereby supporting the country's energy needs and environmental sustainability.

DreamIt Ventures is a Philadelphia-based venture capital firm founded in 2008 that backs startups across healthcare, technology, cybersecurity, consumer products and services, and real estate technology. The firm operates DreamIt accelerator programs, providing an intense three to six month experience that combines seed funding, mentorship, office space, and access to customers, partners, and investors to accelerate product development and go-to-market. DreamIt has supported more than 320 startups, including LevelUp, SeatGeek, HouseParty and Redox, with several achieving exits or substantial growth, reflecting a track record of helping portfolio companies scale. The firm emphasizes hands-on customer validation through Customer Sprints and Investor Sprints to de-risk growth and attract partnerships, focusing on ventures with traction or pilots ready to scale in the United States.

The Richard King Mellon Foundation is an independent non-profit private foundation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, established in 1947. The foundation focuses on providing grants that support various initiatives, including conservation, education, families and youth, regional economic development, and system reform. It is particularly dedicated to the conservation of natural areas and wildlife preservation across the United States. Governed by a board of trustees, the foundation aims to address significant societal challenges through its funding efforts, which reflect its commitment to enhancing community well-being and fostering sustainable development.

Founded in 1886, American Water provides essential water and wastewater services to approximately 3.4 million active customers across 16 states in the United States. It serves residential, commercial, industrial, and public authority customers, offering a range of services including water treatment, wastewater management, and related infrastructure maintenance.

Mountain State Capital, established in 2018, is a venture capital firm headquartered in Morgantown, West Virginia, with an additional office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company specializes in seed and early-stage investments, focusing on technology companies based in the Greater Appalachia region of the United States. It typically invests between $250,000 and $500,000 in companies, targeting information technology and healthcare sectors. Mountain State Capital operates as a Small Business Investment Company, providing early-stage risk capital to high-growth companies in the region.

Alumni Ventures Group is a venture capital firm based in Manchester, New Hampshire, with offices across North America. It provides access to venture investing for individual accredited investors, particularly alumni networks, by offering diversified portfolios of venture opportunities and allowing members to invest alongside fellow alumni in ventures led by peers. The firm backs early-stage and later-stage opportunities across technology, consumer, healthcare, financial services, and other sectors, with a sector- and geography-agnostic approach. It typically invests between $10,000 and $3 million per deal and emphasizes the involvement of alumni connections and an institutional lead investor in opportunities. Alumni Ventures also offers focused funds to broaden participation, enabling accredited investors to access venture portfolios diversified by type, sector, stage, and geography. The model aims to democratize access to venture capital while maintaining rigorous selection standards through alumni networks.

LLR Partners is a Philadelphia-based private equity firm that focuses on lower middle-market investments in technology and service-based businesses. It pursues growth equity, recapitalizations, buyouts, and add-on acquisitions across sectors including software and information technology services, healthcare services, financial services, business services, consumer, and government-related fields. The firm tends to invest in companies with revenues roughly $10 million to $250 million and seeks transaction sizes from $20 million to $250 million, often taking minority or majority stakes and accompanying board representation. It emphasizes business models with above-market growth and gross margins, and it supports exits through strategic sale, initial public offering, or recapitalization after a multi-year horizon (roughly three to seven years). Geography focuses on the United States, particularly the Mid-Atlantic and eastern regions. The approach combines capital, strategic guidance, and sector insight to help portfolio companies scale.

Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, established in 2002, is a Pittsburgh-based economic development agency dedicated to fostering the life sciences industry in western Pennsylvania. It invests in early-stage life sciences and biosciences companies, focusing on biotechnology tools, diagnostics, healthcare IT, medical devices, and therapeutics. The firm provides not only capital, ranging from $0.1 million to $10 million, but also customized business growth services and support for company formation. Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse seeks to invest in companies planning to relocate to Pennsylvania, with a preference for the Pittsburgh area.

Bain Capital is a Boston-based multi-asset alternative investment firm that sources, funds, and manages investments across private equity, venture capital, credit, and public equity. Founded in 1984, it operates globally with specialized units focused on growth and buyout investments, life sciences, and impact-oriented opportunities. The firm backs companies across sectors including healthcare and life sciences, technology, software and data services, financial services, consumer, manufacturing, and industrials, spanning from early-stage ventures to growth equity and large-scale acquisitions. It emphasizes value creation through strategic support and partnerships, leveraging deep operating experience and a global network. Its life sciences arm targets pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and diagnostic companies; the Double Impact unit pursues market-rate returns alongside measurable social and environmental benefits; Bain Capital Ventures backs technology-enabled businesses from seed to growth across enterprise software, infrastructure, and services. The firm maintains offices in Boston and major markets worldwide, aiming to deliver competitive returns while supporting innovation and economic development.

National Institutes of Health is a biomedical research agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, based in Bethesda, Maryland. It is the primary U.S. government organization devoted to biomedical and health research, conducting science through the Intramural Research Program and funding external research through the Extramural Research Program. The NIH comprises 27 institutes and centers and supports about 1,200 principal investigators and more than 4,000 postdoctoral fellows across basic, translational, and clinical research. It has contributed to major advances such as vaccines and therapies and is dedicated to advancing knowledge and translating discoveries into improvements in public health. Established in 1887, NIH operates as a central hub for medical research in the United States.

Comcast Corporation, headquartered in Philadelphia, is a global media and technology company with two main divisions: Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable provides video, high-speed internet, phone, wireless security, and automation services to residential and business customers under the XFINITY brand. NBCUniversal operates news, entertainment, and sports cable networks, broadcast networks NBC and Telemundo, television production operations, station groups, Universal Pictures, and Universal Parks and Resorts. Comcast Ventures, established in 1999, is the venture capital affiliate of Comcast Corporation, investing in transformative consumer and enterprise companies across various sectors, typically from seed to late-stage growth, with initial investments ranging from $2 million to $25 million.

Founded in 1994, Adams Capital Management is a venture capital firm based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It specializes in early-stage investments in applied technology companies, with a focus on information technology and networking infrastructure sectors.

Tecum Capital is a private equity firm based in Wexford/Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, founded in 2006. It specializes in the lower middle market, providing equity and subordinated debt (mezzanine) to U.S. companies, with options for majority or minority positions and for acquisition financing, recapitalizations, and growth capital. The firm targets sectors including business services, capital equipment, consumer-oriented products, food and beverage, healthcare services, industrial and precision manufacturing, transportation and logistics, and value-added distribution. Typical investments range from 3 to 20 million in equity or mezzanine per deal, in companies with enterprise value of about 10 to 50 million, revenue 8 to 100 million, and EBITDA 2 to 15 million (EBITDA margins over 10%). It pursues strategic add-ons, management buyouts, and leveraged buyouts, with investment horizons of up to seven years. Geographically, it focuses on the United States, notably the Midwest and Pennsylvania, including Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia, and Mississippi.

Lovell Minnick Partners is a private equity firm founded in 1999 and based in Philadelphia, with offices in Los Angeles and New York. The firm focuses on investments in the global financial services sector and related technology and business services. It targets growth-oriented companies in North America and Europe, including asset management, financial planning, financial product distribution, specialized finance, securities brokerage, investment banking, commercial banking, and trust services, as well as fintech, insurtech, and related administration and business services.

Founded in 2005, MentorTech Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Philadelphia that invests in seed- and early-stage companies from the University of Pennsylvania ecosystem. These companies typically have key founders or managers who are students, faculty members, or alumni of the university.

Gabriel Investments is a venture capital firm founded in 2010 and based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It focuses on early-stage investment opportunities, primarily targeting companies in the pre-revenue and proof of concept phases with significant growth potential. The firm emphasizes support for businesses in various sectors, including direct marketing, software, distribution, communications, and technology. Gabriel Investments distinguishes itself by prioritizing investments in both people and innovative ideas, aiming for long-term ownership rather than quick returns. In addition to providing capital, the firm leverages the personal experiences and expertise of its members to assist entrepreneurs in refining their business plans, building management teams, developing go-to-market strategies, and forging strategic partnerships.

Pittsburgh Equity Partners is a venture capital investment firm based in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, established in 2009 to support early-stage technology companies in Western Pennsylvania, with an emphasis on life sciences and information technology. The firm targets promising startups in the technology and information technology sectors, providing capital and strategic support to help them grow in a region identified as underserved for early-stage funding. By focusing on Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Equity Partners seeks to strengthen the regional technology ecosystem and foster companies with potential for scalable growth.

Founded in 1999, Solomon Edwards is a national professional services firm specializing in strategy execution. They provide custom solutions to address clients' critical business issues related to transformation, accounting & finance, governance compliance, and mergers & acquisitions. Headquartered outside Philadelphia with offices across major U.S. cities, they serve both domestic and multinational clients.

GE Equity invests globally across various sectors, focusing on established companies with high growth potential. It takes minority ownership positions and offers growth capital, buy-out co-investments, secondary direct purchases, recapitalizations, and LP investments.

Safeguard Scientifics, Inc., established in 1953, is a growth capital firm headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, with an additional office in Weston, Massachusetts. The company specializes in providing growth capital and operational support to technology companies operating within the healthcare, financial services, and digital media sectors. Safeguard typically invests between $5 million and $25 million in growth equity financing and between $5 million and $10 million in early-stage financing. It prefers to be the largest shareholder in its portfolio companies, usually taking a 20% to 50% stake, and often seeks a Board seat. The firm focuses on companies with proprietary technology and intellectual property, and it has a history of fostering innovation and building market leaders.

The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine offers graduate-level programs in allied health and behavioral sciences, with a focus on hands-on training using state-of-the-art facilities. Students can earn advanced credentials or pursue a flexible Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. The college emphasizes clinical experience through clerkships at local hospitals and clinics, along with internship and fellowship opportunities. It fosters student engagement through over 40 organizations and encourages community service.

NewSpring Capital is a private equity and growth equity investment firm based in Radnor, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999, it targets equity and debt investments across the United States in sectors including business services, technology (enterprise and infrastructure), security, business intelligence, manufacturing and distribution, government and consumer services, and healthcare. The firm partners with growth-oriented companies at various stages, supplying capital and strategic guidance to support expansion, acquisitions, and operational improvements. It operates as an investment adviser and aims to help portfolio companies scale through sector expertise, operational support, and capital access.

Science Center Ventures, based in Philadelphia, specializes in investing in life sciences and technology companies. It is part of Science Center, a hub for entrepreneurial activity and healthcare innovation.

Draper Triangle is a venture capital firm founded in 1999, specializing in early-stage investments. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with additional offices in Midwest states, the firm focuses on technology companies, particularly in software, digital media, robotics, and medical devices. Draper Triangle seeks to invest between $250,000 and $2 million initially, aiming for companies with high growth potential.

SEI Investments is a global provider of asset management, investment processing, and investment operations solutions for institutional and personal wealth management. It serves banks, investment advisors, investment managers, institutional investors, and affluent families, delivering technology and services that connect the financial services industry. Founded in 1968 and headquartered in Oaks, Pennsylvania, SEI offers asset management, fund administration, and outsourcing services to support clients' investment programs across public and private markets worldwide. It also operates a corporate venture program, SEI Ventures, to invest in emerging technologies that enhance its platforms and client offerings.

Founded in 1995, SOSV is a global venture capital firm headquartered in New Jersey. It focuses on seed-to-growth stage investments in deep tech innovations, primarily in bio-tech/life sciences and hardware/robotics sectors, with a commitment to human and planetary health.

Sixers Innovation Lab is a venture capital firm and accelerator based in Camden, New Jersey. It runs the Sixers Innovation Lab Crafted by Kimball program to support rapidly growing, early-stage consumer product and entertainment-focused startups by providing consulting, access to industry experts, branding and legal services, and investment opportunities, along with office space furnished by Kimball Office, meals and housing in the Philadelphia area, and opportunities to pitch to investors. The organization also manages an early-stage fund that targets investments in media, business products and services, consumer non-durables, gaming and esport sectors.

Boathouse Capital is a Wayne, Pennsylvania-based private equity investment firm founded in 2008 that provides flexible capital to middle-market companies in the United States. The firm targets software, software-enabled services, fintech, and healthcare IT/services, among other technology-driven sectors, and invests across equity and debt structures including buyouts, venture debt, mezzanine, and growth capital. It often takes a majority stake and works with management teams to accelerate growth, pursue strategic opportunities, and support recapitalizations. While it operates nationally, Boathouse focuses on the Mid-Atlantic region and the Philadelphia area, seeking portfolio companies with recurring revenue and strong EBITDA potential.

Ballard Spahr is a business law firm established in 1985 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The firm provides a range of legal advisory services, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, private investment funds, securities, securitization, debt, transactional finance, and valuations. Ballard Spahr serves a diverse clientele across various sectors, including construction, consumer financial services, technology, emerging companies, real estate, resorts and hotels, housing, healthcare, and telecommunications. The firm is recognized for its responsiveness to client needs, emphasizing a commitment to effective communication and service.

Laboratory Testing is an accredited, independent testing laboratory and calibration company based in Pennsylvania. Since 1984, it has served customers worldwide with nondestructive and material testing, specializing in metal testing and extending to powders, ores, ferroalloys, composites, ceramics and polymers. It offers calibration services, machining of test specimens, failure analysis investigations, and materials engineering services, aiming to be a one-stop provider for metal testing needs, including materials testing, fastener and weld testing, metrology, and related services for aerospace, automotive, forging, and other industries.

Founded in 1914, Boenning & Scattergood, Inc. is a Philadelphia-based independent investment bank and asset management firm. It provides a wide range of financial services to individual, institutional, corporate, and municipal clients. The firm's offerings include equity research, public finance, portfolio management, and investment banking, along with asset management and sales and trading for both equity and fixed income. Boenning & Scattergood also specializes in securities analysis, portfolio construction, financial statement preparation, cash flow analysis, and various planning services such as business succession and estate planning. The firm serves diverse sectors, including aerospace, defense, healthcare, energy, and education, maintaining a legacy of service and expertise that spans over a century.

Founded in 2007, Patriot Financial Partners is a private equity firm based in Radnor, Pennsylvania. It specializes in investing in community banks, thrifts, and financial services companies across the United States.

Founded in 2017, 2M Investment Partners is a growth and expansion investment firm based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It prefers to invest in small and medium-sized firms, supporting growth and market expansion for its portfolio companies.

Aperture Venture Capital, founded in 2021 and based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a venture capital firm that focuses on investing in diverse founders and multicultural ventures. The firm targets startup companies in the fintech, enterprise, and consumer sectors, with particular interest in areas such as insurance, software as a service (SaaS), security and identity, infrastructure, lending, and banking. By leveraging financial innovation, Aperture aims to support individuals and businesses in achieving growth and success.

Devon Park Bioventures, based in Wayne, Pennsylvania, is a venture capital firm specializing in investments in the life sciences sector. Founded in 2006, the company focuses on identifying and supporting innovative companies involved in therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, and drug discovery technologies. With its strategic location in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, Devon Park Bioventures is well-positioned to engage with a multitude of leading organizations in the healthcare and biotechnology fields. The firm is dedicated to fostering advancements that can enhance patient care and drive growth in the life sciences industry.

Benjamin Ross Group is a business brokerage firm established in 1998 and based in Southampton, Pennsylvania. It assists business owners with selling businesses, franchise sales, exit planning, financing, valuations, and mergers and acquisitions, serving clients in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the Philadelphia area. The firm focuses on healthcare and information technology sectors and emphasizes facilitating smooth transitions for employees and customers while preserving business value throughout the sale process.

Founded in 2020, Xponance is an employee-owned investment manager based in Philadelphia with additional offices in Durham. It primarily serves pension funds, pooled investments, charitable organizations, and high net worth individuals, employing a combination of fundamental and quantitative analysis for public equity and fixed income markets.

Founded in 2013, Riverfront Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It specializes in seed and early-stage investments, focusing on companies with high growth potential across sectors such as software, healthcare, life science, and robotics within the Pennsylvania region.

New Enterprise Associates is a venture capital firm founded in 1977 and based in Menlo Park, California, with offices in the United States, India and China. It makes investments across technology and healthcare startups at multiple stages, from seed to growth, including software, cloud, data, internet services, fintech, AI, e-commerce, and enterprise technology, as well as healthcare information technology, life sciences, medical devices, and biopharma. It also considers energy technology and infrastructure opportunities, such as solar, batteries and smart grids. The firm pursues a global approach, with activity in the United States, Asia and other regions, and supports companies through rounds of financing ranging from small to sizable investments as they scale. NEA focuses on building portfolios in software, IT services, consumer technology, and healthcare technology, backing ambitious entrepreneurs across sectors and geographies.

First Round Capital is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm that concentrates on seed- and early-stage investments, often supporting pre-revenue startups across sectors including enterprise software, fintech, healthcare, consumer, hardware, artificial intelligence, and web3. The firm emphasizes a community-driven approach, providing founder-focused services, mentorship, and access to a broad founder network to help companies grow. It operates nationally with offices in San Francisco and New York and seeks to take an active role in portfolio companies to aid scaling and access to follow-on funding.

Founded in 2019, Reinforced Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It focuses on investing in seed or pre-seed stage startups operating within the robotics, software, autonomous systems, and biotechnology sectors.

PNC Mezzanine Capital is the mezzanine and growth capital arm of The PNC Financial Services Group, headquartered in Pittsburgh. It provides subordinated debt, mezzanine financing and related equity solutions to middle market companies in the United States and Canada, supporting leveraged buyouts, acquisitions, recapitalizations and growth initiatives. The firm typically invests in companies with revenues ranging from roughly $20 million to $100 million and EBITDA from about $3.5 million to $25 million, and structures its transactions with debt and equity instruments, often taking a majority stake. Investment sizes commonly span from about $5 million up to $70 million in equity and up to $40 million in debt, with a preference for combinations including subordinated debt, debt with warrants, or equity in conjunction with mezzanine. Target sectors include niche manufacturing, value-added distribution, commercial and business services, and consumer services.

Established in 1983, this organization supports early-stage technology-based companies and small manufacturers across a 32-county region in Pennsylvania. It provides funding and business support services to foster growth and create high-paying jobs.

Carnegie Mellon University is a renowned private research university, offering undergraduate and graduate programs across diverse fields, with a strong focus on technology and arts. It is particularly distinguished for its School of Computer Science, recognized globally for its research and education, and the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, which uniquely combines management and policy expertise. The university serves various sectors, including education, technology, and the arts, contributing significantly to these fields through its academic programs and research.