How a gun detection startup raised millions

Conshohocken-based ZeroEyes repeatedly raised large sums over the last four years, including $53 million in Series B funding in June.

That’s impressive, given that it’s generally harder to raise venture capital now than it was 10 years ago. Cofounder Sam Alaimo credits ZeroEyes’ success to its mission to end gun violence.

➡️ Read more about ZeroEyes’ fundraising strategy.

Trends founders should know before pitching

Longtime tech CEO Bob Moul interviewed 40 venture capitalists about the current investment economy. He learned that investors are looking for more from founders at earlier stages.

Venture capitalists are more cautious about the risk they’re willing to take on, he said. But investors also are looking for a strong team, and it shouldn’t be as hard to pull one together.

➡️ Read more about these three VC trends.

News Incubator: What else to know today

• Members of the Temple University Graduate Student Association and Temple’s Faculty Senate president react to John Fry’s appointment as university president. [Philly Biz Journal]

• Paul Richards, chief revenue officer for camera manufacturer PTZOptics, released a book called “Remote Production” about broadcasting technologies. [PTZOptics]

• Philadelphia ranked the fifth best city for international students, according to a report from Commercial Cafe. Philly is the third best for affordability and commuting. [Commercial Cafe]

• Do you know an exceptional technologist? Nominate them for this year’s RealLIST Engineers list in Philly. [Technical.ly]

🗓️ On the Calendar

• Venture Cafe returns on July 11 with sessions about SOP alchemy and robotics seals being used in elder care. [Register here]

• Need something fixed? NextFab’s Philly Fixers Guild is hosting another repair fair on July 11. [Sign up here]

• Philly Data Visualization’s July Meetup is on July 11. [Details here]

• Philly JS Club is welcoming Ceora Ford for a session about passwordless authentication at its meetup on July 11. [Register here]

• Philly Game Mechanics is hosting another monthly playtest night on July 11. [Details here]