Startup roundup: P’unk Ave launching Apostrophe 1.0 CMS, Clio possible “household name” backing, Proton saves BP $3.7m

Introducing Technically Philly’s Startup Roundup. Here, we’ll parse 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. If you’ve got news to share, get in touch.

DEFINITE READS

P’unk Ave will launch the first version of its open-source Apostrophe content management system on Wednesday. The developer says that the CMS has been used for several of its clients, including Duke University, Kiberton Waldorf School and the Environmental Management Assistance Program. We’ve wrote about the CMS in this roundup before, and after talks with co-founder Geoff DiMasi, we think the team is playing its release pretty low-key for the quality of the product. It might be DiMasi’s punk rock roots—ask him about seeing Fugazi back in the day.
Orpheus Media Research, developer of music analysis tool Clio, says in an to Technically Philly that after reaching out to investors with its full business plan, the new company has been “aggressive in reaching out to major industry players,” and is in partnership talks with two large content partners and three “household name” corporations for technology and funding. Additionally, after reducing its funding requirements, it is now seeking private equity partnerships with angel firms as opposed to venture capital. Get on that, investors.

MIGHT BE WORTH YOUR TIME

Proton Media has published a case study about energy giant BP, which says it calculated $3.7 million in savings using Proton’s virtual reality conference setting as opposed to a physical three-day event.
The Philadelphia Business Journal reports that investor-backed drug maker Cephalon will buy pharma firm Mepha AG of Switzerland for $599 million, doubling the Frazer, Pennsylvania-based company’s international business.

GIVE A GLANCE

Next Fab Studio has announced its corporate rates after launching its prototyping space at the University City Science Center last month. It’s $300 per month for two employees, $600 per month for five or $1,500 for 10 employees. Companies could make that money back in custom-embroidered aprons alone.
Start Philly features Rittenhouse-based Venmo, a mobile payment service. After only a few months, the company has grown to thousands of users, founder Igram Magdon-Ismail says.
If interactive maps get you hot and bothered anything like they do us at Technically Philly, dig Avencia‘s explanation of the nitty gritty behind putting together the Philadelphia Water Department Stormwater Map Viewer.
Startup Roundup will post weekly on Wednesdays until there’s not a Philly startup story left to link to on the Internet.