Leadnomics named one of the best places to work in the region [Startup Roundup]

Technically Philly’s Startup Roundup parses out the small pieces that make our greater Startup ecosystem thrive. We want to keep you in touch with the innovations that we can’t quite get to covering, but that deserve highlight. Follow along with a weekly email newsletter by clicking here and selecting the Startup Roundup button or follow Startup Roundup’s RSS feed. If you’ve got news to share, get in touch.

WHO’S GETTING FUNDED

The Chester County Economic Development Council‘s i2n initiative gave out $50,000 in grants to five companies in Chester and Delaware counties, Keystone Edge reported, including Momentum Dynamics, the Malvern startup that builds wireless charging pads for electric cars.

New Jersey’s Edison Ventures invested $5 million in New York City-based game developer Arkadium, according to a release.

First Round Capital will manage the city’s $6 million Startup PHL fund for local early-stage companies, we reported yesterday. The city also announced $500,000 in funding for entrepreneurial programs. Find the list of winners here.

First Round Capital also participated in a $1.9 million seed round for San Francisco-based messaging app MessageMe, VentureBeat reported, and a $5.5 million round for San Francisco-based startup Sift Science, AllThingsD reported. Sift Science uses machine learning to detect fraud.

Social entrepreneurship accelerator GoodCompany Group received a $500,000 commitment for investment from the local Investors Circle group, we reported last week. The money will back startups participating in the upcoming GoodCompany cycle. Read more about why this matters.

WHO’S MAKING MOVES

Visual analytics firm Curalate got a shout in the New York Times last week for a study the startup did to find the most-liked Instagram photo from New York Fashion Week.

Legal staffing startup Hire an Esquire is hosting a “Firm Up Weekend” this weekend for attorneys to learn how to start their own law firms. Think Startup Weekend for lawyers. The event will be at Benjamin’s Desk and cost $60.

Watch videos of the pitches from DreamIt Ventures‘ inaugural Austin class, which includes two Philly companies: FastFig and TrendKite.

Exton, Pa.-based startup ThingWorx launched a new version of its platform that allows developers to build apps that connect people and machines, according to a release. It also announced a partnership with Systech Corporation, a San Diego company that makes devices for IP communications.

Lead generation company Leadnomics was named #13 on a list of “Top Workplaces” (Small Companies) in the region. Find the list here. (Email marketing company AWeber and recently-acquired digital agency Empathy Lab also made the list.)

Monetate added two executives to its senior management: a COO and a CFO. The new COO, John Healy, used to work at GSI Marketing Services, while Dave Stetson, the new CFO, was previously CFO at California-based Dealer.com. Read the release here.

Couponing app SnipSnap launched its Android app after more than seven months of development, we reported yesterday.

AND SOME PARTING WORDS…

“[Balance] persistence with stubbornness,” said Curalate cofounder Apu Gupta in an interview with YFS Magazine. “One of the things you find with good entrepreneurs is the ability to tear down walls and make things happen despite odds that suggest that you shouldn’t be doing this at all.”