Philly weekly roundup: Middle East deal for gene therapy startup; Saving the alleys; Medtech lessons from Omaha

Philly’s had enough piles of trash on the side of the road lately. We don’t need college students adding more. Enter Rego, a greentech startup that partnered with Penn and Drexel to divert move-out waste to nonprofits like the Philadelphia Furniture Bank. Working with students for a better future is what Zip Code Wilmington Director of Admissions Dan Stabb is all about — and he uses his side gig with an improv troupe to hone lessons.

What else happened in Philly tech this week? Here’s our weekly roundup.

📰 News Incubator: What else to know

• Philly and Omaha’s life science sectors have more in common than you’d think — and stakeholders say our region might be able to benefit from Nebraska’s strategy of slow and steady growth. [Technical.ly]

• Looking to sell your business? Before you start the process, it’s important to bring on a strong M&A advisor. Here are 10 factors to consider as you search for the right person. [Technical.ly]

• The Keystone Internet Coalition published a letter to Gov. Shapiro asking him to challenge the termination of the state’s Digital Equity Act grants. [KIC/Technical.ly]

• Gene therapy company GEMMA Biotherapeutics announced a partnership with the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi to establish manufacturing and research centers in the Middle East. [DOH Abu Dhabi]

• Center City’s alleyways have a high potential to improve people’s walking experiences, per a new report— if we can motivate to get them cleaned up. [Center City District ]

•  After losing a major partnership with pharma giant Bristol Myers Squibb, local cell therapy company Century Therapeutics laid off 72 employees, 51% of the staff.  [Philly Biz Journal]

• PA officials say Friday’s statewide 911 outage (which brought that unmissable BEEEP to all your devices) was due to a “technical issue” and “not an act of sabotage.” [CBS Philadelphia]

• With the signing of Senate Bill 649, Pennsylvania law now classifies deepfakes as a digital forgery, making them illegal and punishable in court. [PA Sen. Pennycuick]

• Catch up with last week’s events. Check out the recaps of day 1 at RailsConf and Founder’s Live Philadelphia in our #philly Slack channel. [Technica.ly Slack/Request an invite]

• Music venue World Cafe Live hosted a town hall last week where artists, employees and other community members expressed their distrust of new leadership. Tech entrepreneur Joe Callahan took over as CEO in May, followed by staff walkouts and firings. [Inquirer]

🗓️ On the Calendar

• Technical.ly event: Listen to Technical.ly CEO Chris Wink’s conversation with Alice Gore, president and cofounder of Hello Alice, during the next Builder’s Live on July 16. [Register here]

• Partner event: Best excuse to visit Chicago? Apply to the annual GPLEX conference and join local leaders to gain insights on how Philly can grow a vibrant economy, attract and retain talent and build an even stronger tech ecosystem. Deadline: July 21. [Details here]

• Bond with fellow game enthusiasts this Saturday during a hike and happy hour with Philly Game Mechanics on July 19. [More details ]

• Swing by Hive76 for an open house on July 20 and learn more about the makerspace. [Sign up]

• Code and Coffee Philly is mixing it up with a different venue this month. Join the group for a coworking day at Pennovation Works on July 24. [More details]

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