myDunkTank.com makes a cowboy out of Blake Jennelle

Blake Jennelle, receiving the oath of his 'urban cowboy' office from City Councilman Bill Green in front of a City Hall that is, by our best estimation, entirely unrelated to Philadelphia. Screenshot via a video from Revzilla

No one can be sure about the accuracy of Blake Jennelle‘s stereotype of a cowboy. Or how authentically the Philly Startup Leaders co-founder says ‘howdy.’

But what Jennelle has done is made a pledge, donned a Western hat and begun a month of wandering Philadelphia as an urban cowboy, the pledge he made as part of myDunkTank, the new experimental fundraising website launched last month by Jennelle and partner Chap Ambrose.

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Startup Roundup: The Neat Company completes $2.5 million round of funding

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

Receipt and business card scanner hardware firm The Neat Company has completed a $2.5 million follow-up round of funding that includes Edison Venture Fund and MentorTech Ventures to expand sales, marketing and product development, according to a press release.

As we reported in our VC Roundup Tuesday, Yardley-based digital security company LifeShield announced that it closed a second round of funding, having now raised $11 million since December.

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Technically Not Tech: Jack Broomall of 2Wheels2Alaska

Jack Broomall is nearly halfway in his journey to Alaska for charity. Photo courtesy of 2wheels2alaska.com

Just like many residents of the Philadelphia area, Jack Broomall made it a point to visit the Jersey Shore this week. Not because he wanted to work on his tan or to relax. On the contrary, Broomall waded into the Atlantic Ocean up to his ankles to kick off his 10,000-mile coast-to-coast motorcycle ride for charity.

“We took some pictures and tweeted to the world that the ride begins here and now,” Broomall said.

The retired auto engineer and Malvern native is taking the next few weeks and cycling to Wasilla (Yes, that Wasilla), Alaska on his 2009 BMW F650GS in the name of the Austin Hatcher Foundation. The charity was created by two doctors who are fellow bikers and friends of Broomall who lost a child to brain cancer when he was only nine weeks old. Read their story on the foundation’s Web site.

“I have the opportunity to do it, so I’m doing it and I can bundle it with a charity I care about a great deal,” he said.

With the help of some sponsors, including local bike retailer Revzilla, the trip has raised “several thousand dollars”, and is nearing Broomall’s initial goal of five.

After the jump learn how Revzilla is aiding the cause, find out the tech Broomall is using to stay connected and find out how you can help and donate to the cause.
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RevZilla can hardly meet demand after segmenting and interacting with its customers

Like many small businesses, RevZilla had humble beginnings. The company’s original “business plan” was written on the back of a napkin and discussed among three friends who were between jobs.

Two years later, RevZilla.com is a premiere online destination for motorcycle and dirt bike gear and the company is racing to scale with the increase in orders. Recently, the company has redesigned its Web site, implemented what it learned from the past behavior of customers, and incorporated social media tools into its marketing; all from a warehouse in South Philly where it’s located.

“Philly is an interesting town to start a start up in,” said co-founder Anthony Bucci. Bucci believes that the entrepreneurial culture in the city has taken off in the past few years, crediting First Round Capitol and Philly Startup Leaders as examples.

After the jump, learn how RevZilla finds its best customers through Twitter and discover why shoe retailer Zappos has more to do with dirt bikes than you may think.

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