Chime in on the future of health IT growth in Philly

Philly’s potential for health IT growth got a boost last December when news broke of a new $6 million fund for early-stage health IT companies. And now, the trio of companies behind that fund — Safeguard Scientifics, Ben Franklin Technology Partners and Independence Blue Cross — are hosting a chat on what that growth should look like.

On Jan. 31, execs from each organization will take your questions in a forum titled Fueling Philly’s Digital Health Economy. The discussion will be led by Science Center CEO Stephen Tang at Quorum. Here’s the lineup of speakers:

• Scott Nissenbaum, Chief Investment Officer at Ben Franklin Technology Partners
• Tom Olenzak, Managing Director of Strategic Innovation Portfolios at Independence Blue Cross
• David Luk, Principal at Safeguard Scientifics

#ICYMI We're hosting a discussion on Philly's #digitalhealth economy @Quorum_Sc on Jan. 31, https://t.co/yxG3Zfdrm5 @bftp_sep @IBX

— SafeguardScientifics (@Safeguard) January 10, 2017

When we first reported on the launch of the fund, we said we’d be keeping tabs on how the fund planned to influence Philly’s health IT scene. As Safeguard’s Luk said in an emailed statement, the whole point of the event is starting a dialogue around Philly’s potential to lead the digital health ecosystem. It’s also a good opportunity to bring your sharpest questions and ideas.

“It’s never just about the capital, or just about the entrepreneurs, or just about the engineering talent, or large corporations, or effective economic development strategies,” said Luk. “It’s about the entire community collaborating and working together to fuel the future, and this event offers a great way to combine these active ingredients together to talk and problem-solve to get us there.”