Digital media artists get featured on PECO Building

Photo courtesy of Klip Collective

For the next few months, artists will have a chance to display their digital work on the iconic PECO Building’s crown lights.

The opportunity comes from Art in the Air, a joint project between University City Science Center‘s Breadboard technology arts program and PECO. Each month through December, three selected digital art pieces will be displayed on First Friday atop the building, which is situated on Market Street along the Schuylkill River and which is a striking part of the city’s skyline.

PECO installed its iconic LED signage to replace an older technology in late 2008 and officially lit the billboard on the Fourth of July, last year. The board is made up of 118 40-foot long LED columns, according to Eastern Sign Tech, LLC, the Atlantic City-based company that installed the setup.

In August, Northern Liberties-based digital media firm Klip Collective won honors, along with Tyler grad Jamie Dillon and Kean University’s Brian Oakes.

“When they changed it, I missed the old PECO building. The ads all looked the same, like a PC presentation from 1991,” Klip Principal and Creative Director Ricardo Rivera says. “So I’m stoked that they’re putting some actual art up there, because it’s a great iconic canvas for digital media.”

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Links: Second Lower Merion student sues over webcam, Peco to display digital artists and more

DEFINITE READS

• The Philadelphia Daily News reports that a second Lower Merion student has sued the school district over the webcam controversy.
• KYW reports on a Northern Liberties cell phone-photography art collection.
• ABC News reports on a trend of more websites selling class notes to students, including former DreamIT Ventures participant Notehall.com.

MIGHT BE OF INTEREST

• Washington Post tech columnist Cecilia Kang has a Q&A with University of Pennsylvania Professor Joseph Turow about online privacy.
• Society Hill’s own Science Cheerleader Darlene Cavalier guest blogs for Discover magazine on the origination of the BP oil leak cap.

GIVE A GLANCE

• The Philadelphia Business Journal reports that University City nonprofit biomedical research center Wistar Institute is planning a major new expansion.
• The Business Journal also reports that Peco and the University City Science Center are partnering to showcase digital artists on Peco’s Center City headquarters the first Friday of every month.
• The Business Journal also reports that CoverSports USA, the Kingsessing-based manufacturer of protective covers, has expanded — but is staying in Philadelphia with its 67 employees.

Every Friday morning, we make sure you didn t miss anything with Friday Tech Links.

VC Roundup: DreamIt in Forbes Magazine

Welcome to the VC Round-up, where we’ll parse through venture capital news related to Philadelphia-based private equity firms and the companies they fund. Subscribe to the roundup as an email newsletter. If you have any VC-related news to pass along to us, please drop us a line.

DEFINITE READS

Edit: Kerry Rupp clears up a few facts in the comments below.

DreamIt Ventures gets a feature in this month’s Forbes focusing on managing partners Steven Welch, Kerry Rupp, Michael Levinson and David Book. The story provides a digestible overview for those not familiar with the University City Science Center-based business incubator and provides lots of numbers and personal backstory for those more knowledgeable about the program. The most surprising fact uncovered by Forbes: none of the companies incubated by DreamIt have turned a profit. Look out for our Demo Day preview on Wednesday to get a sneak peak at some of the companies in this year’s class.

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Tech Transfer: Why It Matters and How Philly’s Making It Better

As we approach our nation’s birthday this weekend, let’s give a nod to another Philadelphia first: The University City Science Center. It’s the nation’s oldest and largest urban business incubator, providing physical space, resources and funding to help startup companies and university researchers commercialize new technologies. With 31 university partners across the region, the Science Center is no stranger to technology transfer, the process that allows university research to be commercialized for greater public benefit.

It’s also at the center of a national debate over whether tech transfer encourages or hampers the creation of tech startups.

Read more at Philly Mag’s Philly Post.

VC Roundup: BFTP and Fed start fund for green companies

Welcome to the VC Round-up, where we’ll parse through venture capital news related to Philadelphia-based private equity firms and the companies they fund. Subscribe to the roundup as an email newsletter. If you have any VC-related news to pass along to us, please drop us a line.

DEFINITE READS

The city is using stimulus money to create The Greenworks Pilot Energy Technology Program, a new accelerator fund designed to house green startups. The companies will be vetted by Ben Franklin Technology Partners and the grants will range from $50,000 to $150,000. The deadline to apply for the funds is July 31st.

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Science Center takes on Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority this week

The University City Science Center is trying to fend off efforts from the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to take control of undeveloped property on Market Street between 38th and 39th Street.

The Science Center is a non-profit that is home to numerous Philadelphia technology and pharma companies, including startup incubator DreamIt Ventures.

Currently, the property in question is a parking lot, and the UCSC blames the economic meltdown for the lack of development. “The RDA, seemingly oblivious to the global financial collapse, is in violation of its agreement with the Science Center and should be blocked from declaring the Science Center in default,” said a press release [PDF link] on June 1st.

Despite the lack of movement on the lot, the Science Center has been widening and improving the sidewalks in front of its buildings. And, according to PlanPhilly, the UCSC is working with neighborhood groups to get an elevator in the 40th Street El stop.

The UCSC refused further comment when contact by Technically Philly; we’d like to know if the legal battle with the RDA has any effect on the future development of the Center.

A hearing is set for June 16.

Report: More than 3,500 business networking events held in region last year

According to a report from business organization platform Basecamp and economic development group Select Greater Philadelphia, business networking events held in the region are going strong.

The report compiles statistics pulled from the popular Basecamp Business Calendar Network events calendar to tally the strength of the region’s events and networking opportunities.

Five-hundred organizations held 3,504 events last year, with nearly 300 held per month. The kicker—nearly half of the events hosted were put together by 25 organizations, with the top ten groups having hosted 31 percent of all events in the region. We see that trend often in our own events coverage.

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Event Highlights for March 19 – April 4, 2010

Hey, at least it ain’t snowin’.

If you can stand to brave the rainy and cloudy weather this week, head out to some of Philadelphia’s technology events.

This week, Next Fab Studio will let passersby through its doors for an open house and lecture from University of Pennsylvania professor Peter Bressler. After UX Book Club on Wednesday night, network with PhillyCHI at its free happy hour in Old City. Finally, join Philly Startup Leaders for its second Cigars & Startups event. It’s way gangster.

All events listed on the event calendar are free to attend. Be sure to checkour complete calendar for more.

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Startup Roundup: American Society of Inventors event tonight, StarCite gets patent, VentureHacks teaches email

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. Follow along with the Startup Roundup’s dedicated RSS feed. If you’ve got news to share, get in touch.

DEFINITE READS

We’re not sure how we missed this one, but nearly a dozen local well-known groups have come together to host an event with the American Society of Inventors, tonight at the University City Science Center, to talk about how to launch a successful entrepreneurial venture. We’d list all the organizations here, but gosh that’s a lot of text. Trust us, you know about ‘em. And it’s free, people.

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Friday Q&A: Steve Barsh, CEO of Packlate.com

Update: Minor copy edits. Changed logo.

As reported in this week’s Venture Capital Roundup, Steve Barsh has had a busy week.

The DreamIt Ventures managing partner got his tons of national press for his latest startup, Packlate.com, from TechCrunch, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. The company, based in University City (though with plans to move to West Conshohocken) aims to be a last-minute vacation booking service and has received funding from ETF Ventures and First Round Capital.

“It’s not a rocket ship yet, but it is kind of jiggling on the launchpad,” says Barsh.

Barsh says the idea has been brewing for years as he mentored young entrepreneurs at DreamIt while maintaining vacation properties in Utah.

“You know the saying ‘Those who do, do. And those who don’t, teach? I like to do both,” he says.

Currently he says he is still dedicating ten percent of his time to DreamIt but says he wants to focus most of his efforts on his new startup. We spoke with Barsh about Packlate’s future, how DreamIt can survive with preoccupied management and when we’ll be able to book a Jersey Shore vacation with Packlate.

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