VC Roundup: Quaker gets aroused, Safeguard swaps debt

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.

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As we tweeted yesterday, Fast Company interviewed Josh Kopelman about why people should start a company in Philly. In the interview Kopelman points to local universities and the low cost of living as prime reasons people should set up shop here. The article came after the local community lobbied the magazine to be included in its series.

According to a press release, Quaker BioVentures has teamed up with a student-run VC firm to invest in Semprae Laboratories. The company makes “arousal” oils. Yes, we’re serious.

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VC Roundup: BFTP invests in 5, Venmo gets funded

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.

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Ben Franklin Technology Partners has invested $800,000 in five locally-based companies. Three of the companies (Aklero, EyeIC and Jenrin) are getting their second round of funding from BFTP, while Glastone Associates and Quantason are receiving thief first round of funding. The companies are in the medical and financial industries.

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VC Roundup: GoodCompany goes to NYC, ETF changes name

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

GoodCompany Ventures is kicking off a handful of events up and down the east coast to discuss the social good of entrepreneurship and to raise awareness about the fund’s 2010 incubator. First up: The 67th Ward. The panel will be moderated by Fred Wilson, founder of Union Square Ventures and well-read VC blogger. The fund promises Technically Philly that a Philly event is in the works, but for now we’ll be at the NYC edition. So if you managed to snag tickets, be sure to say hello.

Tengion, a Quaker BioVentures backed company is raising money for an IPO.

ETF Ventures has changed its name to SeventySix Capital. Presumably because of the company’s West Conshohocken location right off of the Schuylkill Expressway. Or, as another theory suggests, they’re big basketball fans.

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VC Roundup: Edison Ventures helps Rowan, Comcast Interactive Capital gets props

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.

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Edison Venture Funds, based in New Jersey, is funding a Rowan University program to send engineering students to local K-12 schools to help promote engineering as a career option. Rowan University has made large investments in its engineering program recent years, propelling it to among the nation’s best.

DreamIt Ventures managing partner Steve Welsh has backed out of the race for Pennsylvania’s sixth district. “I simply believe I can do more by helping other candidates,” said Welsh in a statement posted to his website.

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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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Shop Talk: Monetate brings real-time marketing to e-commerce

Often, e-commerce marketers waiting on slow-moving IT departments are losing time that they could be spending marketing to customers, says serial entrepreneur David Brussin.

“Because they don’t have control of their sites, [marketers] can’t create the best experience for each customer on the site,” Brussin says. “That’s been the promise of e-commerce for 10 years.”

Brussin, who co-founded Conshohocken-based and First Round Capital-funded Monetate, thinks he and co-founder David Bookspan have solved that problem. The real-time marketing platform allows marketers to skip their IT groups and keep campaigns moving as quickly as they need to, he says.

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VC Roundup: Packlate.com raises cash, DreamIt teams up with NYC accelerator

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.

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DreamIt Ventures has partnered with 67th Ward-based startup accelerator program Startl to accept five companies into this summer’s DreamIt program.

University City Science Center-based vacation rental service Packlate.com has raised $650,000 from local firms First Round Capital and ETF Ventures. The company’s CEO is DreamIt co-founder Steve Barsh, who also got his car dug out by a backhoe this week.

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VC Roundup: Is VC ready for its turnaround?

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.

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According to the VCs assembled in New Jersey for the New Jersey Technology Council conference, VC activity is primed to heat up in the coming months. Bala Cynwyd-based Osage Partners was among the local firms in attendance. “If you can survive the last three years, then you have something,” said one attendee.

Ben Franklin Technology Partner has anounced nearly $600,000 in investment, including $50,000 going to Viddler. If you remember, Viddler told us in October: “We’re done funding.”

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VC Roundup: State’s VC market is “too small”

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.

Edit: Corrected source of Yodle funding.

DEFINITE READS

BFTP has announced its New Energy Plan, a contest awarding $35,000 to entrepreneurs looking to start a clean energy-oriented company. The contest deadline is April 15th, like your taxes.

First Round Capital has created an exchange fund for entrepreneurs. The fund allows portfolio companies to give up a piece of ownership in their own company for a tiny share of ownership in all First Round companies. Got that?

The Brookings Institution has released a report saying the state’s VC market is too small. “There are more things [the state] could do that wouldn’t impact the budget,” it says, citing BFTP as a step in the right direction.

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VC Roundup: Philly is home to 2 of the most active VC firms in U.S., DreamIt open for applications

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

PriceWaterhouseCoopers has released its Q4 MoneyTree report, complete with regional data showing Philly bouncing back from a disappointing Q3 with $142 million being invested in 28 deals, mostly in medical and biotechnology. See all the deals listed here. Silicon Valley continues its rebound with $2.2 billion of investment, nearly four times the next closet metro area. In total dollars invested, Philly ranks 12th out of 17 markets.

If you ever wonder why there is so much First Round and BFTP news on Technically Philly, its probably because First Round Capital and Ben Franklin Technology Partners were ranked the forth and 19th most active VC firms in the nation by Dow Jones VentureSource, respectively. The Wall Street Journal points out that the average age of firms on the list is 24, while First Round Capital is only six years old. Meanwhile, BFTP/SEP announced it has invested nearly $1 million in five local companies.

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