Philly weekly roundup: Phenom buys another competitor; FCC investigates Comcast; Penn funding threatened

Welcome to the roundup of the latest from Philly's tech and entrepreneurship scene. Want this in your inbox? Subscribe for free.

This week in Philly, Phenom acquires its sixth company in five years, UCSC brings Israeli startups to Philly and more.

Read on for Technical.ly’s weekly roundup of top news in the region.

📰 News Incubator: What else to know

• The download threshold for high-speed internet is 100 Mbps according to the FCC. So what internet speed do you actually need? [Technical.ly]
 
• Angel investor network Keiretsu Forum implemented the K4-MST AI FastTrak Due Diligence Engine earlier this month. [Technical.ly]
 
• Mayor Cherelle Parker discussed tax reform, affordable housing and small business opportunities at her second Mayoral Luncheon with the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia. [WHYY]
 
•  The Federal Communications Commission opened an investigation into Comcast’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs. [Reuters]
 
•  The University of Pennsylvania could lose up to $250 million in federal funding because of the Trump Administration’s plan to restrict funding through the National Institutes of Health. [The Inquirer]
 
•  Tech workforce development program Launchpad is looking for partner companies to host summer interns. [Launchpad]
 
•  PamPam, an AI-based map-making platform, announced two new tools for its platform. One provides place-based recommendations and the other is focused on sharing local knowledge. [Technical.ly/PamPam]
 
• Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technology is accepting applications from companies to present at the Demo Pit at its 2025 Phorum Technology Conference. [PACT]
 
• Biotech company Aro Biotherapeutics announced Purnanand Sarma as its new CEO, replacing cofounder Susan Dillon who will remain on the company’s board. [Business Wire]
 
• Governor Josh Shapiro filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration because state agencies are unable to access federal funding, due to a freeze. [PA.gov]

🗓️ On the Calendar

• Philadelphia DevOps Group is hosting its February meetup on Feb. 18. The group is still looking for volunteers to give a talk on Tuesday. [More details]

• Venture Cafe is back on Feb. 20. Programming will include two leadership talks for founders. [Sign up]

• The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association’s February happy hour is on Feb. 20. [Register here]

• DataPhilly and PhillyJS are cohosting a Front-end Framework Face Off on Feb. 20.  [Register here]

• Join Philly Tech Sistas for Coffee and Connect with Women of Color in Tech on Feb. 22. [Buy tickets]

• Code and Coffee returns on Feb. 22 at the Yard. [More details]