Money Moves is a recurring series where we chart the raises, grants, contracts, mergers and other funding news of tech companies across our regions. Have a tip? Email us at philly@technical.ly.

The Philadelphia life sciences sector continues to dominate regional investment this year, with both private and public funds sustaining growth. 

The University City Science Center received $300,000 from biotech giant Genentech, supporting an initiative to identify gaps in the region’s life sciences sector. 

The City of Philadelphia also distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars in matching grants to local life sciences companies. Plus, a local medical device company closed out 2025 with a $158 million raise. 

Get all the details and more money moves below. 

The Science Center secures $300k from Genentech 

Global biotech company and Roche subsidiary Genentech is giving the University City Science Center a $300,000 grant to support the org’s Translation Project. 

Publicly launched last summer, the Translation Project helps Philly’s life sciences ecosystem identify gaps to hopefully bring more companies’ products to market, Tiffany Wilson, president and CEO of the Science Center, told Technical.ly. 

“We’ve talked with Genentech for a long time, and I think they shared in this shared frustration of how long it takes for proven innovations, amazing science, to actually reach patients,” Wilson said. 

The funding will create a Healthcare Innovation Translation Council to identify goals for the region and connect stakeholders. The group will be made up of leaders from local institutions like the University of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson University and Independence Blue Cross, along with representatives from industry stakeholders like Genentech. 

The Science Center will also put together an academic paper that outlines the state of the ecosystem and how companies can get their product ideas to commercialization. 

This news follows a wave of big announcements for the region’s life sciences sector, including two recent investments from global biopharma company Eli Lilly. 

These are signals of momentum for companies from the early to the late stage, Wilson said. But it’s also important to step back and see how all of these resources fit together. 

“I’m zooming out and saying, at the end of the day, if we want to continue to catalyze entrepreneurship in life sciences and healthcare technology in Greater Philadelphia,” Wilson said. “Where are there opportunities to do that in unique ways by leveraging the assets of our ecosystem?” 

City program matches SBIR and STTR grants for life science startups

The Philadelphia Department of Commerce awarded $450,000 in matching grants to local life sciences companies in January. The funds will match the amount companies have received from federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards in 2022 or later. 

The city is also working with the University City Science Center to offer additional resources and help each awardee with its commercialization goals. 

“In Philly, we focus on collaboration and solutions,” Rebecca Grant, senior director of life sciences and innovation for the city, wrote on LinkedIn. “Based on the success of our SBIR/STTR matching grant pilot, we anticipate reopening the program later this year.” 

Currently, the SBIR/STTR program is frozen, as Congress hasn’t moved to allocate more funding since it dried up in September. 

Impulse Dynamics raises $158M

Medical device company Impulse Dynamics raised $158 million at the end of 2025, contributing to the region’s top deals last quarter. PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association’s quarterly Venture Monitor report listed the raise as $242 million. Impulse Dynamics did not immediately respond to Technical.ly’s request for comment.    

The South Jersey-based company is focused on developing treatments for people with heart failure. This funding will support commercialization, development of new products and clinical trials. 

“Impulse Dynamics is uniquely positioned to fill a critical gap in [heart failure] care: providing symptom relief for patients who have limited treatment options beyond medications,” Guido Neels, chairman of the company’s board of directors, said. 

More money moves: 

  • Behavioral health platform Ritten announced a $35 million Series B at the end of 2025. The funding supports the company’s work with mental health and addiction treatment providers. 
  • Montgomery County-based Third Arc Bio brought in a $52 million Series A extension, with contributions from a16z as a new investor. The biotech company’s lead product is a treatment for cancer patients with tumors. 
  • The New Jersey Economic Development Authority awarded $6.2 million total to three tech companies through the New Jersey Innovation Evergreen Fund. 
  • The Wistar Institute’s Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center received an “exceptional” rating from the National Cancer Institute during the renewal process of its Cancer Center Support Grant. This grant will provide $16.3 million to the research center over the next five years. 

Recent SEC filings:

This story is made possible thanks to support from Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, a nonprofit that leads the Philadelphia region’s equitable economic growth by nurturing and investing in innovative, early-stage companies, and through purposeful involvement in regional and national initiatives.