1/4 of startups that demoed at Early Stage East last year got funded

Twenty startups pitched at Early Stage East‘s 16th annual Capital Conference late last month in Center City in hopes of raising funding for their ventures. The startups, mainly from New York and Pennsylvania, pitched to a crowd of representatives from about 25 local investment firms, including Investors’ Circle, Gabriel Investments and Emerald Stage2 Ventures.

This year, the focus was on commerce-related ventures.

How good are the odds of getting funded at Early Stage East? Last year, about one-fourth of the 25 startups that pitched got funded, according to a spokeswoman.

At the conference, David Bookspan, cofounder of DreamIt Ventures, was awarded the Sal Buccieri Memorial Impact Award for his work with the startup accelerator.

Read more about Early Stage East’s annual showcase here.