With your suggestions already pouring in for the 2019 realLIST round-up of note-worthy companies, it seems pretty safe to say that there’s interest in this little exercise.
After all, Philly is ripe with interesting startups. But which ones seem to have the most potential? Through our reporting, we hope to come up with a valuable group of startups that we’ll be tracking in the new year.
In the meantime, let’s have a quick look at what last year’s honorees were up to.
(Don’t forget to suggest which companies we should check out.)
10. WeGardn
Per WeGardn cofounder Greg Donworth on LinkedIn, this company’s assets and business were acquired by rival Philly Foodworks. WeGardn, founded in 2017, offered a “farm-to-table marketplace” with a database of 100 local food suppliers and had landed a partnership with Postmates. Donworth is now at Aramark, the city’s biggest food service company.
9. Tern Water
This year saw Mohamed Zerban’s startup, makers of a connected water faucet that tracks water quality and filter efficiency, launch preorders for the long-awaited gadget through an Indiegogo campaign. The faucet is now being used at some 30 locations in New York and Philly, including offices and coworking spaces (such as 1776 at Pennovation, where the six-person team is based) and will ship to individuals in 2019.
8. Stitch
This past November, the Center City data analytics startup was acquired by a California-based company called Talend in a $60-million deal. The 33-person team, according to CEO and cofounder Jake Stein, will stay put and have plans to grow, now as a local office for Talend.
7. Port
Cofounder Tim Raybould pivoted Port — which aimed at giving local businesses have access to more predictable revenue — to Open Bundle, a shared news membership platform. The company’s first product is Stoop, an app that puts all your email newsletters in one centralized location.
6. NeuroFlow
From funding rounds to pitch competitions to accelerators and deals, the startup — makers of a platform that tracks behavioral health indicators — has had a busy year.
5. Keriton
Former CEO and cofounder Vidur Bhatnagar, which helped the company win several pitch competitions and awards throughout the year, stepped down as CEO in August. (He declined to comment then on why or where he was headed.)
4. LeagueSide
This company, which looks to connect youth sports leagues with sponsorship opps from big brands, raised $1.6 million in venture capital this year. It was nominated for Startup of the Year at PACT’s Enterprise awards.
3. Blackfynn
During the Fall, Center City-based Blackfynn struck a partnership with the Michael J. Fox Foundation to aid scientists on their search of new treatments for Parkinson’s disease.
2. Borderwise
Founder Jeremy Peskin told Technical.ly that the company hit the coveted “profitable” status in April. Most of its recent efforts have been focused on expanding its law firm-facing platform in a bid to “streamline immigration for all affected parties — immigrants, employers, immigration attorneys, schools, etc.”
1. Amino
The blockchain-enabled adtech company with a well-respected founding team saw $4.5 million in capital roll into its coffers during 2018, a year that saw the startup stump hard for transparency in the adtech world.
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