Philly Startup Leaders Announces New Board Leadership and 2019 Accelerator Cohort
2019 is already looking good for the startup group. The organization will have a new board president and chairman and an accelerator double its usual size.
Image via Philly Startup Leaders Twitter.
Some big, exciting changes are coming to Philly Startup Leaders next year, and the changes are definitely a reflection of Philly’s growing startup scene and PSL’s increasingly in-demand services. On Thursday, the organization announced changes to its board and popular accelerator.
In January, 1776 CEO Jennifer Maher, who currently sits as a board member, will become the organization’s board president. Meanwhile, current board president Bob Moore will serve as the organization’s board chairman. Both will serve in their new roles for two years.
Board seats will also see some changes. Terms for Guru’s Rick Nucci, SmartPal’s Prasanna Krishnan, and Practice’s Emily Foote have expired; replacing them in January will be Switchboard Live CEO Rudy J. Ellis, Group K Diagnostics CEO Brianna Wronko and Quotapath CEO AJ Bruno. Beginning in 2019, PSL’s complete board will include:
- Jennifer Maher (president), 1776
- Bob Moore (chairman), Crossbeam
- AJ Bruno, Quotapath
- Brianna Wronko, Group K Diagnostics
- Brigitte Daniel, Wilco Electronics
- Chris Wink, Technical.ly Media
- Jon Gosier, Southbox
- Liz Brown, Backstage Capital
- Luke Butler, Comcast
- Michelle Berkoben, Wipfli
- Morgan Berman, MilkCrate
- Rudy J. Ellis, Switchboard Live
- Todd Outten, Comcast
PSL also announced that its prized accelerator will expand to support twelve startups, up from six. The expansion is due to a new partnership with AT&T.
“Philly Startup Leaders is in a unique position, representing the largest network of emerging entrepreneurs in the city, while engaging experienced founders looking to give back. Partnering with AT&T allows us to reinforce this cycle of success and elevate the Philly startup community,” PSL executive director Kiera Smalls said in a statement. “We look forward to connecting these founders to the resources they need, and in turn increasing their chances for success.”
AT&T External Affairs assistant vice president Joseph Divis praised the new partnership: “This is an exciting opportunity for AT&T, to invest in the work of PSL in its Accelerator program and to support the passionate founders in Philadelphia who will be grinding next year to take their promising startups to the next level. We are proud to help strengthen the city’s startup ecosystem and shine a spotlight on the compelling platforms technologies and ideas that will mark the 2019 PSL Accelerator.”
The eight-week program, which aims to equip founders with the tools they need to grow their businesses, kicks off in February and culminates with PSL Pitches. Below are the twelve companies selected for the 2019 cohort, according to PSL:
Arke Aeronautics
Arke Aeronautics provides first responders with life-saving insights before they arrive on scene by remotely deploying autonomous drones.
Cotton Wars
Cotton Wars is a series of ongoing, themed t-shirt design contests happening simultaneously.
Health Genie
Health Genie is an Evernote like iOS app (reminder, organizing, archiving, and note taking) a platform for busy moms to help simplify family health. Once Health Genie reaches a critical threshold of 200,000 users, we will make money by contracting with health care companies (pharmaceuticals, biotechs, pharmacies, health systems, gyms, nutritional programs) interested in targeting busy moms for advertising, feedback, and clinical trial participation.
HopSkip
We simplify the way groups book hotel rooms.
LEADOVATE
Leadovate is the first online learning platform dedicated to college application courses from admissions officers of elite schools. We level the college admissions playing field by being the first to offer this product through an accessible monthly subscription.
MILES
Miles reinvents ride sharing in Philadelphia by minding cost and convenience.
Nomo FOMO
Nomo FOMO is a social travel app for frequent fliers and backpackers who travel often and have limited time in one place. It easily and quickly connects you with your network so you don’t miss opportunities for meetups or travel tips and gives you the ability to plan proactively versus finding out in the moment.
NuMoola LLC
NuMoola is a financial platform focused on the youth market, empowering kids through financial literacy, practical application of real money and a gamification approach to engagement.
Swirl Technologies
Swirl helps you diversify your personal network by building relationships across differences. Our goal is to create more inclusive communities.
TRUST AND GO (TAG) LLC
The way you transport your kids is about to change forever. Designed for busy parents, Trust and Go, or TAG, provides immediate access to a trusted network of friends that will always help your kids get where they need to go.
Vetd
Vetd is a stress free way to buy from Vendors.
WEach Seats
By 2025, a majority of the U.S. labor force will be working remotely in some capacity (as a perk of the job or as independently self-employed) and living in metro urban areas. The WEach Seats app connects users to normally closed neighborhood restaurants, bars, and breweries — helping them become local, affordable, flexible, and trendy coworking spaces.
