Philly weekly roundup: What Gen Z workers want; Franklin’s heart reopens; Top tech stories of 2024

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Philly tech’s biggest stories of the year

2024 brought a mixed bag of news for Philadelphia’s tech community.
 
There were contentious moves at startups, layoffs and some major institutions closing down. But work to grow the local sector through the federal Tech Hubs program continues despite a setback, and the effort to ensure every Philadelphian has access to the internet continues.
 
There were also celebrations of longevity, as orgs like Coded by and Campus Philly celebrated milestone anniversaries, showing the strength of the ecosystem.
 
➡️ Check out the top four stories in Philly tech from 2024

Inside Franklin Institute’s human body exhibit

After closing for six months, the Franklin Institute’s Giant Heart reopened this weekend as part of a revamped human body exhibit. Museum designers said they wanted to preserve the Giant Heart experience while adding interactive elements that complemented it. 

The whole exhibit is split into three galleries about body systems, medical technology and mental health. Each part has interactive elements and games for visitors to play with, and we got an early look. 

➡️ Peek inside the new “Body Odyssey” exhibit

News Incubator: What else to know

• Gen Z employees prioritize human connection, fair compensation and meaningful work, HR pros said during the closing panel at the Young, Smart and Local conference. [Technical.ly]

• Vare Rec Center in Grays Ferry reopened last week after $20 million in renovations. It’s the city’s first to get high-speed internet thanks to a contract with Verizon. [WHYY/Technical.ly]

• The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative is rebranding to just “The Skills Initiative” to reflect that it does workforce development work citywide. [Skills Initiative]

• Sojo Industries was awarded a patent for Sojo Flight, which contracts its manufacturing services to similar facilities. The Bristol food and beverage robotics company raised a $10 million Series A earlier this year. [Bevnet/Technical.ly]

• The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority opened applications for Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding to support efforts to build internet infrastructure. [PBDA/Technical.ly]

• Wharton launched a new online course called “AI in Education: Leveraging ChatGPT for Teaching” led by experts Ethan Mollick and Lilach Mollick. [Coursera]

• Medicus Pharma completed a $4 million initial public offering, the region’s second life sciences IPO this year. [Philly Biz Journal]

•  AI cancer diagnosis company Proscia was named in Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech. [Proscia]

•  Comcast is increasing the price — and speed — of Internet Essentials, a low-cost internet option available for qualifying households. The plan will now cost $14.95 per month and will be 75 mbps. [Comcast]

Invite to Maryland’s Entrepreneur Expo

Next week brings the 10th edition of TEDCO’s Entrepreneur Expo. Organizers invite stakeholders from all regions to attend the popular daylong conference, which is returning for the first time since the pandemic.
 
The event features dozens of speakers (both founders and funders) as well as networking opportunities, a keynote lunch and a closing reception. It all goes down right on the water in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor on Wednesday, Dec. 4 — get your tickets today.
 
➡️ See the full agenda and register to attend

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🗓️ On the Calendar

• PCI Ventures is hosting virtual office hours on Nov. 27 [Sign up]

• Code and Coffee will be at its usual spot, Capital One Cafe, on Nov. 30 [More details]

• Princeton Innovation Center BioLabs is hosting a panel about branding on Dec. 3 [More details]

• Philadelphia Data Visualization Meetup’s December event is on Dec. 4 at Cesium’s HQ [More details]

• Philly Tech Entrepreneurs’ monthly marketing webinar happens on Dec. 5 [Details here]