In The News

Fairmount Park 'oasis' named one of nation's best sculpture gardens

USA Today Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Fairmount Park Art Association makes USA Today's list for America's must-see sculpture gardens.

This group started in 1872 to integrate sculpture into the city, and is the main reason Philadelphia is now said to have more public art than any other city. Visitors can download MP3s or use a cellphone for tours of the city's extensive sculpture collection, which is overseen by the association. You'll find a concentration of art in Fairmont Park, a 9,200-acre urban oasis.

Original source: USA Today
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Fishtown artist learns about ceramics through Marcellus Shale creations

The New York Times Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Fishtown scultpure artist Jennie Shanker's work to create ceramics using clay from the Marcellus Shale region gets some love from New York Times blogger Andrew Revkin.

On her shale blog, Shanker builds links to useful background on the gas issue around the edges of her posts without ramming a particular view down one’s throat. Here’s a video snippet she shot while exploring shale outcroppings by the roadside.

Original source: New York Times
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Fast-growing tech firm from Northern Virginia expands to Philly, hiring eight

Richmond BizSense Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Northern Virginia technology company CapTech is growing and opening a Philadelphia office, reports Richmond BizSense.

The new Philadelphia office will employ 10 people, including two managers who will be relocated from Richmond to run the new location.

The company, which builds custom technology systems such as mobile banking, mobile shopping, and iPad and iPhone apps, has 300 employees and targets financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies.

Original source: Richmond BizSense
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From scrub time to prime time: Excitement abounds for The Roots mural

Associated Press Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter got busted for graffiti as a Philadelphia teen. Now he'll be the subject of public art with The Roots mural planned for South Street, reports the Associated Press.

"They remind us why we love art, why art is so important, why art is a lifeline, why art can be transformative and why we need it," said Jane Golden, director of the city's Mural Arts Program.

The energetic Golden literally jumped up and down with excitement in announcing the eight-month project, which will include soliciting mural design ideas, creating a storefront art studio for community workshops and developing a "Roots 101" arts education curriculum for students.

Original source: Associated Press
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Meet the guy whose dream is to have a sheep farm in Philly

Metropolis Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Metropolis Magazine tells the story of industrial designer Andrew Dahlgren, his Philadelphia company ADMK and how he is helping revolutionize textile manufacturing and labor.

"Ultimately, what we are talking about is a new way of living," says Dahlgren. Pattern files can be digitally conveyed to satellite knitters in their homes who may, in turn, use the knitting machines to provide for themselves beyond their contracted production.

Dahlgren takes the long view, pointing out that "Stradivarius was still innovating violin making in his 80s, can we as a culture accept, as a way of living, making things?" Dignity, pride, and identity in workmanship seem like quaint yet timeless building blocks for reviving an industry that once boasted some 60,000 employees in Philadelphia and competed globally long before “globalization” was ever coined.

Original source: Metropolis
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Philly startup eyes 51 million Hispanics for free, instant mobile-money transfers to family abroad

el-emergente.com Tuesday, November 08, 2011

A Wharton School MBA is working with a University of Pennsylvania team on a local startup that aims to make transferring money overseas more efficient, reports el-emergente.com

Edrizio De La Cruz, a recent MBA graduate from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, founded Regalii and leads the UPenn team working on it. For Edrizio, It’s a personal mission. "I grew up in the Dominican Republic," Says Edrizio, "and immigrated to New York's Washington Heights neighborhood, which was probably 110 percent Dominican. But I went to high school in Queens, where I used to play basketball with Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians and Salvadorians. I quickly assimilated to each subculture. But my social circle was pretty homogeneous. Almost everyone around me was an immigrant. So I assumed that only immigrants sent money or remained connected to family in Latin America."

Original source: el-emergente.com
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Like Nana on E! Film production startup focuses on personal storytelling in Philly

Modern Luxury Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Modern Luxury takes a look at David Adelman's new film production company, which got its start soon after he produced a video commemorating his recently deceased grandmother.

Breaking ranks with his Wharton-School peers, David Adelman is gunning to glamorize a pastime formerly left to the 8 mm. Testing his entrepreneurial mettle, the 29-year-old recently launched Reel Tributes (reeltributes.com), a film production company that works to capture the narratives of wired-in clans, whether they come from the perspective of the patriarchs or their heirs. using high-definition video, boom mics and social media to crowdsource material from friends and relatives around the world, the firm cranks out an upmarket result. Picture Nana on E! True Hollywood Story.

Original source: Modern Luxury
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Founders Unplugged: Cliq set to release 'connected search' capability

Philly Tech Meetup Founders Unplugged Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Philly Tech Meetup keeps on growing, and its new Founders Unplugged video series takes a closer look at Cliq, which we reported on back in September, and its CEO Alex Khorram.

In the next few weeks, the Philadelphia-based social search startup will roll out Connected Search, a first of its kind feature that will allow a user to search for a hotel in Chicago and get results based on those he or she is most connected to. That means the ability to view any relevant posts or media shared by friends and friends of friends about that particular hotel.

Cliq already has three million U.S. businesses in its database and is shooting for all nine million in the near future, aiming to provide online searchers with trusted information more quickly than ever.

Ajungo, the social network for travelers, gets Gadling love

Gadling Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Ben Barton and Steve Shea's traveler-focused startup, Ajungo, could be Philly's next social media sensation, reports AOL's Gadling. The company also was included prominently in this BBC feature.

The goal of the site is to make travel more social as well as more comfortable for people going to new destinations. And, if there is any information that you do not want shared, the site will not post it without your permission.

Original source: Gadling
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National Geographic says Capogiro is best in the world

National Geographic Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Philadelphia's own Capogiro, which has four area locations, was named the No. 1 place in the world to eat ice cream by National Geographic.

Made with the freshest ingredients (such as milk from Amish grass-fed cows), the artisan gelatos and sorbettos handcrafted each day at Capogiro Gelato include flavors not seen anywhere else—Madagascar bourbon vanilla, melograno (pomegranate), nocciola Piemonte (hazelnut), Saigon cinnamon, Thai coconut milk (with a dash of rum), and zucca (long-neck pumpkin).

Original source: National Geographic
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TechCrunch casts ballot for ElectNext's launch out of beta

TechCrunch Tuesday, November 08, 2011

TechCrunch covers ElectNext's launch out of beta on Monday, a month after we told you about them here.

The site, which likes to describe itself as an "eHarmony for voters," offers a familiar concept, thanks to the dozens of politically themed quizzes that attempt to suss out what political party best fits your personal interests and beliefs. But ElectNext takes the political quiz to the next level by actually matching up your beliefs with those from the actual candidates in the current election.

Original source: TechCrunch
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Easier city to start a biz: Philly vs. Baltimore

Baltimore Sun Tuesday, November 01, 2011

The Baltimore Sun's tech blogger does a side-by-side comparison of taxes involved in starting a business in Philadelphia and Baltimore.

One thing I discovered today is that if you're interested in doing business in Baltimore, the city has a great website for helping you get started. It's called: Baltimore: Open For Business.

But it would be super-handy if Baltimore simply put all the tax, fee, and license costs on one page, so that business owners and entrepreneurs can be sure they're not missing one because they're not looking in the right place. (Kind of like what Philadelphia does here.)

Original source: Baltimore Sun
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TicketLeap scares up growth among haunts with app, QR codes

Inc. Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Inc. magazine examines how Philadelphia startup TicketLeap has cashed in on the growing number of haunted houses using its online ticket exchange.

The haunt industry is bigger than you might think. The Haunted House Association, an industry trade group based in High Point, North Carolina, estimates that there are about 2,000 haunted attractions in the Unites States, which generate between 400 and 500 million dollars in ticket sales each year.

Stanchak hopes to take a piece of that business. He says he began noticing an upward trend in haunts using the service in about 2008. The company, which ranked No. 357 on the 2010 Inc. 500 with an 857 percent growth rate and $2.1 million in revenue, now services about 200 hundred Haunts, but expects the number to rise.

Innovation within the industry is especially important for smaller haunts, Stanchak says, because it's a seasonal business. Haunts stay open from just September 1st to November 1st, so there's little room for error in marketing and logistical strategies.

Original source: Inc.
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Malvern pharma startup among stars of BioTech 2011's innovation corridor

MedCity News Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Recro Pharma of Malvern was one of several companies from the region who were showcased at BioTech 2011 last week at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and MedCity News has a write-up and video on its new drug that targets postoperative and diabetes pain.

This year’s innovation corridor included about 24 scientists and early stage startups from universities and incubators who exhibited posters that highlighted their work and demonstrated the commercial applications, something that regional associations are trying to do more. Now in its sixth year, a decision was made to put the younger scientists alongside the more mature startups so potential investors could see them at the same time and encourage mentoring and partnership opportunities.

Recro Pharma, a Malvern, Pennsylvania-based company, is seeking $20 million for a new drug application for a drug that targets postoperative and diabetes pain relief.

Original source: MedCity News
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Nutter urges international panel to drive change at U.N. sustainability symposium at Penn

Smart Planet Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter called for U.S. mayors to help create change at the national level when it comes to issues of sustainability, reports Smart Planet, at the United Nations Environmental Programme's Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative Symposium at the University of Pennsylvania last week.

The panel also included former Toronto mayor David Miller, Sao Paulo municipal secretary Elton Santa Fé Zacarias and Madrid housing agency representative Catalina de Miguel Garcia. It was moderated by former Nashville mayor Bill Purcell.

“I want to encourage all of my fellow mayors in the United States and around the world: everyone should set a goal to be the number one green city,” Nutter said. “If we strive for this goal, everyone will win.”

The key is “infusing” such policies in all departments and at all levels of city government.

Original source: Smart Planet
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