Philly weekly roundup: ZeroEyes partners with Temple; A lay off comeback story; How PA certified the vote

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Laid-off tech worker rebounds as founder

Jacky Liang always had a passion for technology, but he struggled to find his niche at the start of his career. After trying out different roles and facing multiple rounds of layoffs, Liang turned his attention to AI. 

This year, Liang switched gears to found his own startup, an AI chatbot for small businesses. He spent the fall working to get the company off the ground, while also looking for a new full-time tech role. 

➡️ Read more about Liang’s entrepreneurship journey

ZeroEyes lands major Temple partnership

ZeroEyes announced a partnership with Temple University, the first local university to use the company’s AI-based gun detection technology. This deal comes a few months after the company raised $53 million this summer. 

Also, Indy Hall launched a podcast pilot, the University City Science Center selected its next Capital Readiness Cohort and a Penn Engineering dean won an award for his drone research. 

➡️ Check out the details in this month’s Power Moves

News Incubator: What else to know

• Luigi Mangione, a suspect arrested for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is an alum of the University of Pennsylvania and worked in the tech and gaming industry. [Technical.ly]
 
• Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt certified the 2024 election results last week. Here are the steps Pennsylvania takes after Election Day to ensure integrity. [Technical.ly]

• Technical.ly launched a Map of Innovation Ecosystems. Check out how Philadelphia compares to markets across the country. [Technical.ly]
 
• Wendy K. Nickel will be the University City Science Center’s first chief program officer. Nickel has 25 years of experience in health advocacy, program development and business. [LinkedIn]
 
• Hopeworks opened the expanded training space at its Kensington location last week. The workforce development nonprofit received a $1 million donation this spring to increase its offerings. [Email/Technical.ly]
 
• Hospitality businesswoman Ellen Yin won the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia’s 2025 Paradigm award. [The Chamber]
 
• CIC Philadelphia is partnering with Persephoni BioPartners. The venture consulting firm will establish a physical presence at the office and lab space in Philly. [CIC]
 
• Temple University’s Institute for Business and Information Technology and the Association for Information Systems released its 2024 Information Systems Job Index. [Job Index]
 
• Electric vehicle charging startup ConnectDER raised a $35 million Series D. [Philly Biz Journal]
 
• Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia developed an open-source AI tool to better understand disease progression. [Healthcare IT News]

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🗓️ On the Calendar

• Come out to Code for Philly’s final Hack Night of the year on Tuesday, Dec. 10. [More details]

• Join Technical.ly CEO Chris Wink at the State of the Economy webinar on Dec. 11. [Register here]

• NextFab hosts its eighth Philadelphia Hardware Meetup on Dec. 11. [More details]

• Sports Business Leaders is hosting its monthly meetup on Dec. 11. [More details]

• Venture Cafe is back on Thursday, Dec. 12 and the theme is Trend Night and Resilient Systems. [Register here]

• Are you looking for feedback on a side project? Join Philly Game Mechanics at its monthly Playtest night on Dec. 12. [More details]