Ben Franklin Technology Partners
Government fundHarrisburg · Pre-Seed–Growth · 6 people tracked
Find your way into Ben Franklin Technology Partners
427 people in our graph share verified history with the Ben Franklin Technology Partners team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Investment thesis
Ben Franklin Technology Partners focuses on accelerating innovation and economic growth across Pennsylvania. It provides early-stage and growth capital to technology startups and helps established manufacturers modernize operations and adopt advanced technologies. Beyond funding, the organization delivers hands-on business and technical support and connects companies to mentors, investors, and strategic partners. Operating through four regional partners covering the entire Commonwealth, its mission emphasizes job creation, regional economic impact, and strengthening Pennsylvania communities by turning entrepreneurial ideas into thriving enterprises.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 6 people
from the firm's website
Founder mafia
2 people who came through Ben Franklin Technology Partners went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 32 of 42 portfolio companiesBiotech ×11AI & Machine Learning ×8Healthtech ×8Digital Health ×7SaaS ×7Deep Tech ×6Medical Devices ×6Hardware ×4
HQs:United States×34
Investments · 42 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 22025 · 42024 · 42023 · 12022 · 12021 · 12020 · 12019 · 12016 · 32014 · 12012 · 22011 · 124 dated
QR Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing buntanetap, an orally administered small molecule that inhibits the synthesis of multiple neurotoxic proteins implicated in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
BiotechBerwyn, US
Maria Maccecchini(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardDhesh Govender(Director)Michael Hoffman(Director)Franz F. Hefti(Director)
Co-investorsKeiretsu ForumBioAdvance
Eliksa Therapeutics develops innovative treatments for rare diseases with unmet medical needs.
BiotechDigital HealthMedical Devices
Co-investorsMilitia Hill VenturesBioAdvance
Grassroots Unwired provides mobile-first canvassing and field-organizing technology for political campaigns and nonprofit organizations, supporting voter outreach, fundraising, and constituent data capture.
FintechGovTechImpact & Social GoodSaaSYardley, US
RUSS OSTER(CEO)in
Co-investorsBullpen CapitalRobin Hood Ventures
Mitochon is an early-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics.
BiotechHealthtechLongevityMedical DevicesRadnor, US
John G. Geisler(Founder & Chief Scientific Officer)inPeter Crooks(Executive Officer)Robert Alonso(Founder & CEO)in
BoardJohn Irwin(Director)
SLAP is a massively multiplayer "real life" game that blends physical games like Assassin with digital objectives and strategy, letting players compete against opponents and climb city and global leaderboards.
ConsumerGamingSocialCape Elizabeth, US
Ian Andolsek(Executive Officer, Director)Bruce Hack(Director)Sukriti Chadha(Director)inLauren Steidl(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatScott Nissenbaum· per SEC Form D · $1.2M raise · filed Jun 2026
Co-investorsBroad Street AngelsDorm RoomRobin Hood Ventures
Ajaya Bio develops bispecific therapies designed to eliminate disease-driving cells while sparing healthy ones, using its BOLT-360 discovery platform built around hybrid binders, precise activation, and advanced linkers.
BiotechDeep TechPhiladelphia, US
Mohit S.(Founder)inMohit Sachdeva(Executive Officer, Director)in
Co-investorsThe Innovation Space
Blind Tiger Spirit Free is a beverage company that produces non-alcoholic spirits and mocktails, including flavored sparkling drinks like the Southside Mojito made with real ingredients.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTechWellness & FitnessErie, US
Rebecca Styn(Founder)inBrett Rehorn(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
Co-investorsBoston Harbor AngelsExpert DOJO
Scranton, US
Michael Averto(Executive Officer, Director)inJason DePietropaolo(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsAfore CapitalBarrel VenturesBreak Trail VenturesFour Acres CapitalSupernode Ventures
Philadelphia, US
Brendan McCorkle(Executive Officer, Director)inILYA BRAUDE(Executive Officer)inMarc Weil(Executive Officer)
BoardDavid Luk(Director)Brett Topche(Director)inVarghese Thomas(Director)
Co-investorsDreamit VenturesRobin Hood Ventures
Croptix develops in-field optical sensor technology for detecting plant health and crop disease, aiming to replace traditional laboratory-based diagnostic practices.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningDeep TechHardwareState College, US
Perry Edwards(CEO and Co-Founder)inZhiwen Liu(CTO and Co-Founder)in
Co-investors1855 Capital Partners
EnviroKure develops liquid biostimulant products derived from chicken manure to improve soil and plant health for agricultural use.
AgTechCircular EconomyCleantechNew MaterialsPhiladelphia, US
Jared Albert(Founder)inMark Lupke(Executive Officer, Director)Joseph Steck(Executive Officer, Director)David Lupke(Director)Dennis Fehr(Director)Dan Ryser(Director)
Ghost Robotics develops legged (quadruped) robots, including its Vision 60 platform, along with the proprietary electronics, software, and control systems that run them.
Defense TechHardwareRobotics
Avik De(Co-founder)inGavin Kenneally(Co-founder)inJiren Parikh(CEO)
Co-investorsAlumni VenturesAsimov VenturesBasecamp FundConvergeHoltzbrinck VenturesPrototype Capital
Houwzer is a real estate brokerage that reduces commission costs for home buyers and sellers by employing salaried agents and proprietary transaction software.
B2B MarketplacesConsumerFintechMarketplacesPropTechNew York, US
Mike Maher(Founder)inTed Mucellin(Executive Officer)inGreg Phillips(Executive Officer)inKevin Baird(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardJay Minkoff(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsBAM VenturesBroad Street AngelsEudemian VenturesEdison Partners
Innovation Works is a Pittsburgh-based startup investor whose portfolio page presents companies across software, robotics, healthcare, and hardware in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
BiotechDeep TechRoboticsSector AgnosticPittsburgh, US
Leaficient provides a camera system that measures plant vitals to deliver real-time insights on photosynthesis, growth, and disease detection for agricultural growers.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningHardwareIoT
Brian Stancil(CEO – Co-founder)inAndy Rape(COO – Co-founder)in
Co-investorsParade VenturesThe Council
Moberg Analytics develops the Moberg Clinical Platform (MCP), software that aggregates and analyzes high-resolution multimodal neuromonitoring data from disparate ICU devices into near real-time insights.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDigital HealthMedical DevicesPhiladelphia, US
Dick Moberg(Founder & CEO)
Mussel Polymers develops bio-inspired adhesive solutions based on mussel-derived chemistry for underwater, high-moisture, and specialized industrial applications including medical, military, and marine restoration.
Advanced ManufacturingBiotechDeep TechNew MaterialsBethlehem, US
George Boyajian(Chief Executive Officer)inJon Wilker(Lead Scientist)
BoardKevin Ohashi(Director)Eric Anderson(Director)
Co-investorsNW AngelBen Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern PennsylvaniaSoftBank Group
Navrogen is a biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutic agents that counter tumor-produced Humoral Immuno-Oncology (HIO) factors linked to suppressed humoral immunity and poor response to immune-mediated anti-cancer therapies.
BiotechDeep TechHealthtechMedical DevicesPhiladelphia, US
Nicholas Nicolaides(Co-founder, President & CEO)inLuigi Grasso(Co-founder, SR VP & Chief Scientific Officer)inSteven Kyriakos(VP of Finance and Operations)in
NeuroFlow builds behavioral health integration platforms that identify population behavioral health risk, engage individuals with acuity-specific resources, and give care teams data to make decisions.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtechMental HealthPhiladelphia, US
Christopher Molaro(Co-founder & CEO)inAdam Pardes(Co-founder)inAlan Wayne Tamarelli(Director)
Co-investorsCorewell Health VenturesDreamit VenturesEcho Health VenturesHLM Venture PartnersMemorialCare Innovation FundRed & Blue Ventures+2 more
NovaData Solutions audits property restoration invoices for insurance companies, MGAs, adjusting firms, and other insurance-related entities using proprietary technology.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareInsurTechSaaSPhiladelphia, US
Joseph Troy(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Christopher Leo Troy(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Anthony Mark Troy(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardGary Enzor(Director)Jeffrey Davison(Director)
Co-investorsActivate Venture Partners
Percy provides data-driven sleep diagnostics and behavioral sleep therapy tools for healthcare providers treating sleep disorders, particularly for neurodivergent populations and people with chronic medical conditions.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtechMedical DevicesWellness & FitnessWashington, US
Conner Herman(Founder & CEO)in
Co-investorsTechstars
Prognos builds a healthcare analytics platform that fuses clinical lab results with other patient-journey data to create unified patient views for life sciences companies.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDigital HealthHealthtech
Sundeep Bhan(Founder)in
Co-investorsHikma VenturesMaywic Select InvestmentsMontage CapitalPartners for GrowthPartners for Growth (PFG)Red & Blue Ventures+1 more
RecoveryLink is a digital platform that connects individuals and peer recovery support specialists to provide 24/7 recovery support services with real-time data tracking and analytics.
Digital HealthHealthtechMental HealthSaaS
Robert Ashford(Co-Founder / CEO)inChris Hart(Co-Founder / CIO)
Co-investorsDorm Room
SFA Therapeutics develops oral therapeutic candidates based on deuterated short-chain fatty acids to treat autoimmune and oncologic diseases.
BiotechHealthtechPhiladelphia, US
Ira Spector(Founder)inAlla Arzumanyan(Founder)inMark Feitelson(Founder)in
Co-investorsAcequia Capital (AceCap)Farvatn VentureImmeasurableNorth South VenturesY Combinator
TicketLeap is an online event ticketing platform that lets organizers create accounts and sell event tickets, with mobile-optimized event management tools.
MarketplacesMedia & EntertainmentSaaSPhiladelphia, US
Stanchak Christopher(Executive Officer, Director)Tim Raybould(Executive Officer)in
BoardPeter Albert(Director)James Thompson(Director)Michael Aronson(Director)inColin Evans(Director)in
Co-investorsBeacon Angels
Tolerance is a compliance platform that runs continuous automated checks against the NIST 800-171 standard and collects assessor-ready evidence for teams handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).
CybersecurityGovTechSaaS
Co-investorsDorm RoomAmadeus Capital PartnersBioAdvanceColumbus Venture PartnersCriteria Bio VenturesEast Innovate+4 more
Tolerance Bio develops therapeutics targeting the thymus—the regulator of immune tolerance—to preserve, restore, and manipulate its function and extend health span.
BiotechDeep TechLongevityPhiladelphia, US
Francisco Leon(Executive Officer, Director)inPhilip Ball(Executive Officer, Director)Justin Vogel(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardDamia Tormo Carulla(Director)Pablo Cironi(Director)inRobert Goldstein(Director)
Co-investorsCriteria Bio VenturesBioAdvanceColumbus Venture Partners
Tozuda manufactures non-electronic impact indicators that detect when helmet damage occurs, signaling compromised safety through color change.
HardwareIoTSaaSPhiladelphia, US
JESSICA GARCIA(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardMELISSA WITHERS(Director)in
Co-investorsRevUp CapitalTechstars
HealthtechWilmington, US
Subha Airan-Javia(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsDreamit VenturesTech Council Ventures
Vistar Media operates a platform connecting marketers with out-of-home (OOH) advertising inventory, offering media owners digital signage management tools and providing brands access to extensive OOH ad space across physical locations.
AdTechB2B MarketplacesMarketing TechMedia & Entertainment
Co-investorsAdvancit CapitalEniac VenturesMercury FundValhalla Partners
Yellowdig is a social learning platform that creates online communities for courses, onboarding, programs, and clubs to increase student engagement, persistence, and retention.
EdTechEnterprise SoftwareImpact & Social GoodSaaS
Shaunak Roy(Founder)in
Co-investors500 GlobalRobin Hood VenturesQB1 VenturesRosecliff VenturesSRI CapitalSustainVC
BiotechPhiladelphia, US
Daniel Mazzucco(Executive Officer, Director)Rugart Eric(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardLouis Berardi(Director)
Co-investorsBroad Street AngelsRowan Innovation Venture Fund
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
ApprenNetBoardBookitByndrDiet TVEyeICFLX SolutionsMilkcrateNuvanna
Rows marked “SEC filing” are inferred from directors named on the company's SEC Form D — public regulatory data, not a portfolio list published by the firm.
Exits · 1
1 IPOsQR PharmaNYSE: ANVS
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Pa · timesleader.com · Aug 17, 2026
Tolerance · medscape.com · Aug 10, 2026
Tolerance Bio · intelligence360.news · Jul 28, 2026
Ajaya · business-standard.com · Jul 14, 2026
Percy · startupfortune.com · Jul 13, 2026
Innovation Works · technical.ly · May 27, 2026
IPO stake values · per SEC filings
Value of this firm's stake in each portfolio company at its IPO price, from the prospectus principal-stockholder table.
| Company | Owned | IPO price | At IPO | Stake value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QR Pharma | 4.0% | $6.00 | Jan 2020 | $1.4M |
Source: SEC S-1 / 424B prospectus filings. Stake value = shares beneficially owned × the initial public offering price, as disclosed — a market value at IPO, not a return multiple (the firm's original cost is not disclosed).
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Ben Franklin Technology Partners made?
- Ben Franklin Technology Partners has 42 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited, including 8 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Ben Franklin Technology Partners invest at?
- Ben Franklin Technology Partners invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Growth stages.
- What is Ben Franklin Technology Partners's typical check size?
- Ben Franklin Technology Partners typically writes checks of $50K – $250K.
- What sectors does Ben Franklin Technology Partners focus on?
- Ben Franklin Technology Partners focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, Deep Tech, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Ben Franklin Technology Partners located?
- Ben Franklin Technology Partners is headquartered in Harrisburg, US.
- Does Ben Franklin Technology Partners lead rounds?
- Ben Franklin Technology Partners typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamAngelo Valletta, Ben Franklin Technology Partners Northeast | Testimonial for LifeAire
LifeAire Systems · Angelo Valletta
LVEDC Interview with Angelo Valletta, President of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of NEP
LV EDC · Angelo Valletta
Images
Co-investors · 2
Alumni Ventures (AV) is a venture capital firm that co-invests alongside lead VCs in startups, backing founders with capital and access to a large investor and operator community.
First Round Capital is an early-stage venture firm that backs companies at their earliest moments, often before they are named, across enterprise, AI, consumer, healthcare, fintech and hardware sectors.
Firms observed investing alongside Ben Franklin Technology Partners, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Ben Franklin Technology Partners's recorded portfolio.
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