These 4 startups caught our eye at Philly Startup Leaders’ Entrepreneur Expo

After patiently hearing the pitch from CHOP spinout Bainbridge Health, makers of data analytics software platform that reduces medication errors, Mayor Jim Kenney had a question: Could this software have made him safer during a recent hospital visit?

“Definitely,” founder Joseph Kaupp quickly told Kenney at Philly Startup Leaders’ annual Entrepreneur Expo, part of Philly Tech Week 2018 presented by Comcast, which gathered an impressive 100 startups and over 1,500 attendees Wednesday, per PSL executive director Kiera Smalls.

Held at the 23rd Street Armory since 2014, this year the event got an artsy shakeup by way of a venue switch to the Franklin Institute. The consensus seemed to be that the art installations, a more efficient space layout and cooler temperatures certainly changed the event for the better.

The exchange between Kenney and the founders of Bainbridge Health, which last year raised $1.3 million for their startup, was telling of how the yearly event is a consistent point of intersection between nascent startups and local government types, which also included Commerce director Harold Epps and Councilman Allan Domb. Also in the mix, a swath of investors that range from early-stage angel investors to, say, First Round Capital founder Josh Kopelman.

“I was there — and enjoyed spending some time watching Chris Wink sell some ads at the Technical.ly booth,” Kopelman said in an email. “I was impressed by the turnout, as well as the collection of companies that had tables. I only wish someone from Amazon’s HQ2 team was there. It would have shown very well for the city.”

Inspired by the talent, drive, and determination at the Entrepreneur Expo. I could not be prouder to have so many talented people calling Philadelphia home. pic.twitter.com/CFKWPPv56n

— Mayor Cherelle L. Parker (@PhillyMayor) May 2, 2018

The evening was a good check-in point to see what startups we actually might have missed during our roundup of realLIST companies earlier in the year.

Hear are a few we’re keeping tabs on for next year:

• Clarip: A recent change in European Union privacy laws made this startup’s privacy management platform a sought-after product for a handful of global retail companies. The company has a 10-person team based out of WeWork’s 1900 Market spot.
• Penji: Across the bridge in Camden’s Waterfront Lab space, the company is offering graphic design as a service. Recently, the startup offered its services to nonprofits for $1.
• PrivaKey: This Center City company closed out 2017 with a big win: The patent to its password-free access platform. Of note, the team’s stylish acid-washed tees.
• Whatever Bob Moore is working on: In January, Moore stepped down from Magento — the company that acquired RJMetrics — to focus on realLIST ’18 startup Stitch, led by cofounder Jake Stein as CEO. For now, all we have is a rumor that he’s working on a new company, but his track record as a cofounder and his current work as Philly Startup Leaders president suggest that we’d be wise to keep tabs on whatever is in his crosshairs.

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Full disclosure: Technically Media CEO Chris Wink is on the board of Philly Startup Leaders. He was not involved in this report.