Philly weekly roundup: Commerce director steps down; Net neutrality in PA; Lungpacer Medical doubles workforce

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, why local STEM education org TechGirlz really shut down, the Science Center ended a long-running meetup and more.

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

📰 News Incubator: What else to know

• Tom Zhang became an entrepreneur because he wanted a career that had an impact. Now, his company, Daxo Industries, is trying to change the fruit picking industry.   [Technical.ly]

• The Trump Administration wants to dismantle the Department of Education, which could lead to more people pursuing nontraditional career training. [Technical.ly]

•  Philly Director of Commerce Alba Martinez is leaving her role at the city to produce her original musical La Guagua 47, which will premiere in Philadelphia in 2026. [City of Philadelphia]

• Interested in launching a startup? Coded by Ventures is accepting applications to its accelerator program and the Pennovation Accelerator opened applications for its summer 2025 program. [Coded by Ventures/Pennovation]

• Exton-based medical device company Lungpacer Medical is planning to double its workforce by hiring an internal commercial sales team. [Philly Biz Journal]

•  Pennsylvania representatives introduced legislation that would restore net neutrality in the commonwealth. A federal appeals court blocked the FCC’s net neutrality efforts in January. [Broadband Breakfast/Technical.ly]

•  Wharton grad Charlie Javice was convicted of defrauding JPMorgan Chase out of $175 million after the bank bought her startup, Frank, in 2021. [NPR]

•  Online safety company Kidas announced a partnership with esports and gaming platform PlayVS. Kidas’ ProtectMe software will be integrated into PlayVS programming. [Kidas]

•  The city’s Vision Zero program partnered with Philly Stat 360 to launch a Vision Zero dashboard. [City of Philadelphia]

🗓️ On the Calendar

• Technical.ly CEO Chris Wink and EcoMap CEO Sherrod Davis will discuss tools for ecosystem builders on the next Builders Live on April 2. [Tune in here]

• Founder Institute is hosting a Founder Night Out networking event on April 2. [Register here]

 • Developing a game that you want to test out? Join Philly Game Mechanics for its monthly Playtest night on April 3. [More details]

• Join Code & Coffee for a founder-focused coworking circle on April 4. [More details]

• DC215 is hosting another hacker open house at Ex Machina Parlor on April 4. [More details]

.• Partner event: Looking to meet with entrepreneurs from around the globe? From April 5 – 9, they’ll be convening in Philly at the 39th International Conference on Business Incubation for sessions on ecosystem mapping, the green economy, founder support and more. [Register]

• Partner event: The next edition of the Temple Fox Business School’s Innovation Leader Speaker Series is on April 8. AI product expert Abhai Pratap Singh will reveal how he’s driven innovations in the field, like the Amazon Alexa.[Reserve a spot] [Submit a question]

• Partner event: Spend Earth Day learning about Philly startups with a strong drive toward creating a more sustainable future. The Greater Philly Green Startup Pitch Competition will showcase local climate and greentech innovations on April 22. [Sign up]