Startups

Meet the 10 companies in Philly Startup Leaders’ second Founded in Philly accelerator

They'll virtually meet weekly through December, working through topics like the customer experience and founder wellness.

Inside 2020's Founded in Philly idea-stage accelerator. (Photo courtesy of Philly Startup Leaders)

Entrepreneurship organization and community Philly Startup Leaders announced Thursday that the second cohort of its Founded in Philly accelerator for early-stage entrepreneurs kicked off this week.

The accelerator, which relaunched last year amid an organizational revamp, is a 12-week program offering mentorship, a speakers series, financial opportunities and business-building lessons. The accelerator is now broken into two parts: one for “idea-stage” founders, and this program, for “MVP” startups, which have their business idea more solidified.

Last year, the City of Philadelphia granted $150,000 to the program, and over the summer, former PSL Director Kiera Smalls got a handful of area businesses and orgs to pledge more than $500,000 to the future of the program.

The funds are intended to go to founders from “underrepresented backgrounds,” with the hope of getting Philly’s tech and entrepreneurship ecosystem to more closely reflect the city’s demographics.

“Yes, we’re still going to be known for our events, and education and networking, but it’s been a dream to also be a part of funding,” Smalls told Technical.ly in June.

The 10 startups participating in the Founded in Philly accelerator will do so through weekly virtual sessions, working through topics like “the customer experience,” “founder wellness” and “a roadmap to investment.” The cohort will hear from speakers such as Kristen Swanson, chief of staff at Slack; Nkiruka Nwasokwa, technology marketing expert at Explain to Win; and Mike Gadsby, cofounder and CIO at O3 World.

The cohort will also have mentors such as Munir Pathak, former PSL accelerator participant and CEO of Swirl; Talia Edmondson, founder of HRnB Consulting; and technologist and entrepreneur Tiffanie Stanard.

The 10 startups participating in this year’s cohort are:

  • JumpButton Studio A game and animation studio that makes apps, websites and products that “invoke change and inspire creativity”
  • Katika — An online marketplace and directory for Black-owned products and brands from the U.S. and South Africa
  • Modern Mouth Presentation software that allows lecturers to design presentations for a classroom with a library of 3D images
  • Pure Organiks — An organic skin and hair care brand made with plant-derived chemicals, vitamins and essential nutrients
  • Quarbon — A crowdsourced sustainability ratings platform to make it easier to find transparent, environmentally minded businesses
  • Rae’s Roots — A daily supplement created to help moms feels their best
  • Roux — A restaurant solution startup designed to build an equitable, inclusive and sustainable model for food providers, restaurants and consumers
  • Swiv — A toothbrush designed to be accessible for people with cognitive disabilities.
  • TiP (Transparency in Politics) — A platform offering voters a way to communicate with politicians based on their views
  • Viora Health — A startup that uses data science and behavioral science tools to stratify risk, intervene, monitor and support patients to prevent disease progression

P.S. JumpButton cofounder and CEO Nicodemus Madehdou is nominated for Technical.ly Awards’ 2020 Technical Leader of the Year. Voting is open through Monday, Sept. 21.

Companies: JumpButton Studio / Swirl / O3 World / Philly Startup Leaders

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

16 places to responsibly dispose of old electronics in Philadelphia

19 tech and entrepreneurship events to check out before the holidays

Are digital navigators the answer to closing Philadelphia’s tech gap?

Expect high-speed internet at 100 Philly rec centers in 2025, Verizon says

Technically Media