Author: admin_EIS_

Tech-Enabled Real Estate Brokerage Houwzer Has Acquired Competitor Trelora

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The addition of some new executives comes alongside a B2B operation for Houwzer, which will focus on a new vertical that the company calls “brokerage as a service.”

Tech-forward real estate and mortgage brokerage Houwzer, which got its start in 2015 in Philly and has expanded to neighboring states, has acquired next-gen brokerage Trelora.

The news comes amid a year of growth for Houwzer. The Center City-HQ’d company raised an $118 million Series B early this year, a mix of $18 million in equity and a $100 million warehouse line of credit, led by Edison Partners. It had plans to launch three new consumer products, the company said then: Cash Advantage, Convenience Offers and Buy Before You Sell. It also launched the RiseUp Fund in April, a nonprofit to bring grants and resources to low- to moderate-income first-time homebuyers.

And with this acquisition, it now adds Trelora’s flat-fee, full service real estate offerings to its portfolio. Houwzer CEO Mike Maher said in an emailed statement that he’d been in contact with Trelora, based in Denver, since 2018. Though they were a direct competitor, he saw them as a “sister company” also looking to disrupt the real estate industry.

“This is a material inflection point for Houwzer,” Maher told Technical.ly. “We see an opportunity to innovate, build, and scale a transformational enterprise serving customers during this seismic market shift.”

The acquisition expands Houwzer’s footprint to 14 states. It currently operates in Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and DC, and it adds Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Washington.

Read the full article here.

Audigent Ranked Number 79 Fastest-Growing Company In North America On The 2022 Deloitte Technology Fast 500

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Attributes Revenue Growth to Success of Market-Leading Curated Marketplace Products & Innovations in Identity and Data Activation

Audigent, the leading data identity, curation, and activation platform, today announced it ranked 79th on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™, a ranking of the 500 fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, fintech, and energy tech companies in North America. During the measurement period, Audigent grew 2,153%, making it the second fastest-growing advertising technology company on the list. Audigent placed among the top 16% of all companies and #5 in New York State.

Audigent’s Chief Executive Officer, Drew Stein, credits the company’s next-generation curated marketplace products (SmartPMPs™, ContextualPMPs™, and CognitivePMPs™) and its unique approach to actioning data and identity through the supply path for its rocketship growth.

“Incredibly disruptive changes in how data is actioned across the digital media landscape have created an environment where innovation is not just a ‘nice-to-have,’ but an absolute necessity for survival and growth,” Stein said. “Audigent has been at the forefront of data innovation through its unique product suite and has pioneered a new path forward for robust data activation that is privacy-safe, future-proof and valuable to brands and media agencies looking to drive efficiency and performance.”

Read the full article here.

Biomeme To Launch Portable Sample-To-Answer PCR System, Host-Response Testing

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The pandemic wrought remarkable changes in diagnostics, some of which may improve healthcare for future generations. It also precipitated a dramatic expansion for Philadelphia-based mini PCR instrument and assay developer Biomeme.

The company is now using revenues from CAP and CLIA accredited testing labs it owns to create a sample-to-answer instrument and further differentiate itself through a focus on host-response testing.

Biomeme was founded in 2013 to commercialize a mini PCR system called Franklin. The company debuted a wholly owned subsidiary of testing labs, called One Health Laboratories, in February of 2019, in part to capitalize on the attributes of the Franklin system, according to Jesse vanWestrienen, a Biomeme cofounder and executive VP of products.

“We felt that a lot of the types of products that Biomeme was creating would be really useful in [lab-developed test] environments and would add some capabilities that other CLIA and CAP labs don’t necessarily have,” vanWestrienen said, like mobility and ease of use.

The firm validated a lab-developed respiratory panel for influenza A, influenza B, and respiratory syncytial virus prior to the pandemic.

Then the pandemic hit and there was a dire need for SARS-CoV-2 testing. In May of 2020, Biomeme obtained Emergency Use Authorization for a lab-developed SARS-CoV-2 assay to be run at One Health Labs, and three months later, it received a second EUA for a modified test using the firm’s two-minute manual nucleic acid extraction kit, called the M1 Sample Prep Cartridge, and running on the Franklin or on standard thermal cyclers.

“Then, it was a matter of scaling because obviously, the demand was insane,” vanWestrienen said.

Over the course of the pandemic, One Health Labs has overseen more than 100 temporary testing sites using the Franklin mobile PCR system.

Read the full article here.

What Roundtrip Learned From Two Years Of Internal DEI Audits

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The data has influenced hiring practices, leadership decisions and internal policy, such as removing college degrees as requirements from some jobs.

Company leaders who choose to engage in conversations with their employees about diversity, equity and inclusion strategies know those conversations can feel clumsy or start from an uncomfortable place.

In the wake of the rising Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, Roundtrip founder and CEO Mark Switaj decided it was no longer appropriate for the Callowhill-based company to stay quiet on issues of race or current events. It was more important, he thought, to take a hard look at the company’s hiring and operating practices in order to be as inclusive and representative as possible.

While Switaj said he recognizes that diverse teams are better for business, he also wanted the company to better represent the population the healthcare transportation company serves.

“We wanted to make sure we were telling our story,” the CEO told Technical.ly. “Large tech brands were showing maybe skewed perspectives, but for populations we serve, most of our clients are lower socioeconomic communities and the elderly.”

Read the full article here.

Restor3d Raises $23 Million To Expand 3D Printed Personalized Solutions For Musculoskeletal Surgery And Develop Machine Learning Enabled Design Tools

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restor3d, a leading medical device company and 3D printing manufacturer, has raised $23 million to expand the delivery of 3D printed personalized surgical solutions across multiple musculoskeletal specialties and to develop machine learning software tools for assisting engineers with patient specific implant design.

Ken Gall Ph.D., co-founder of restor3d and a Professor at Duke University, says the company will be deploying the capital on (1) new product introductions and enhanced 3D printed personalized surgical solutions in upper/lower extremity, spine, and trauma, (2) ongoing development of machine learning enabled software for surgical planning and implant design, (3) fundamental research, preclinical, and clinical studies, and (4) expansion of the commercial team to support market traction. In addition, in early 2023, restor3d will move into a new facility in Research Triangle Park that will expand capabilities for patient specific digital design, in-house manufacturing of implants and instruments, as well as surgeon training and education labs.

In 2021, restor3d announced it had merged with Kinos Medical, a leading total ankle replacement company, which helped accelerate restor3d’s expansion into the high-growth extremity arthroplasty markets in the U.S. restor3d has multiple FDA product clearances that span lower extremity, upper extremity, spine, and trauma. The new funding and restor3d’s 3D printed implant and disposable instrument model will enable simultaneous expansion across these diverse markets to provide innovative solutions for pressing clinical needs.

Read the full article here. 

Audigent Secures $19.1 Million Series B Financing Round Led by EPAM Systems/The Go Philly Fund

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Audigent, the “2.0” data management platform (DMP) and leading edge “data agency” that has pioneered data-driven private marketplace deals through its cookieless HALOM Identity product suite has announced that it has completed a $19.1 million Series B round of financing.

The funding will allow Audigent to continue its expansion as the premier first party data platform for the entertainment, sports, lifestyle and Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) eCommerce verticals as well as further its innovation as one of the leading next-gen data monetization platforms for major retail and CPG partners. The Go Philly Fund, a joint venture between Ben Franklin Technology Partners and EPAM Systems, Inc., has led the investment round with additional participation from both existing and new investors including: Broadscale Group, Raised in Space, MathCapital, Riverpark Ventures and others.

The investment brings Audigent’s total funding to $33.6 million since launch and will help the company broaden the reach of its cookieless PMP products and HALO IDTM while also aggressively expanding its sales and marketing efforts globally. Additionally, it will fuel the continued expansion of first-to-market data and inventory monetization tools for premium digital publishers. EPAM’s VP, Co-Head of North America, Regina Viadro will join the Board of Directors.

The Series B financing builds on an exciting year of growth for Audigent, highlighted by extraordinary demand for its SmartPMPTM and ContextualPMPTM products as well as growing adoption of its cookieless HALO IDTM by both content publishers and supply side platforms (SSP).

Read the full article here.

Biomeme & Predigen Merge to Enable Point-of-Care Delivery of Host Response Tests That Address Critical Unmet Needs in Healthcare

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Biomeme, the leading provider of portable PCR testing solutions, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Predigen, a privately held diagnostic company and emerging leader in precision medicine focused on host response diagnostics.

Predigen’s acquisition will expand Biomeme’s capabilities across infectious disease and clinical microbiology, business management, and commercialization.

redigen’s portfolio includes flagship host gene expression biomarkers for the pre-symptomatic detection of viral infections as well as biomarkers that accurately discriminate viral from bacterial infections to enable appropriate patient management and antibiotic stewardship. Predigen also has signatures for sepsis diagnosis, sepsis risk stratification, and a pipeline of biomarkers for non-infectious diseases. With nine different patents at various stages of execution, this scientific team has received over $50 million in grant funding from the Department of Defense (DoD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

According to Brian Best, Predigen’s CEO, “Prior to the pandemic, the over-utilization of antibiotics and increasing antimicrobial resistance were dominant concerns among the infectious disease community. That need still exists and it is a significant market opportunity that requires accurate, near-patient and rapid-result performance capabilities. This merger will enable an end-to-end solution to meet this challenge.”

Read the full article here.

Cagent Vascular Receives $9M Investment to Accelerate Marketing of its Lead Product

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A Wayne medical device company has raised $9 million to accelerate the commercialization of its peripheral artery disease device cleared by the Food and Drug Administration last year.

Cagent Vascular received the investment from Sectoral Asset Management. Marc-Andre Marcotte, a partner and COO at the Canadian investment firm, has joined Cagent’s board of directors.

Founded in 2014, Cagent specializes in developing next generation angioplasty balloons using its proprietary serration technology.

In April 2020, the FDA granted marketing clearance to the company’s Serranator PTA serration balloon catheter — an angioplasty device with serrated metal strips to aid in arterial expansion — for treating below-the-knee lesions.

Cagent intends to use part of the investment proceeds to accelerate the commercialization and scaling of manufacturing for the Serranator product.

Read the full article here.

Clutch Platform Powers Wizard World's First Loyalty Program for the Comic Con Crowd

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clutch

The producer of the iconic pop culture conventions enlists a marketing technology innovator to deliver personalized, more memorable experiences for fans.

When it comes to fan loyalty, there’s arguably no more devout group than the multitudes of decked-out fans attending Wizard World Comic Con events each year. Now the iconic tour’s producer, Wizard World, Inc. has teamed with Clutch, a consumer management platform pioneer, to further kindle fan devotion through enhanced, personalized experiences at its comic, sci-fi, and related events.

With its new fan loyalty program, Wizard World will offer exclusive incentives for advanced admission purchases along with options to pre-order photo op and autograph sessions at its pop culture events. The program will also help Wizard World use data insights provided by the Clutch platform to identify a fan’s favorite movies, TV shows, comics, and characters, and deliver customized experiences.

“With a fast-growing list of characters, brands, and celebrities participating in our comic con events, it is crucial to Wizard World and our partners that our offerings match specific fan preferences and deliver exactly what they are most passionate about,” explained John Macaluso, Wizard World CEO. “Clutch’s advanced customer marketing technology gives us keen insight into our fans’ behavior and interests, which allows us to cater to their individual preferences and maximize their experiences at all of our shows across the country.”

“Today’s consumers demand that brands deliver customized, even ‘special’ experiences, regardless of location, product, or scale,” said Chris Jones, Senior Vice President of Business Development for Clutch. “Personalization is critical to every customer-centric business, and it will come naturally for a brand like Wizard World that’s already had tremendous success with experiential marketing. The Clutch-Wizard World team is going to explore fan loyalty, events marketing, and data collection in a way that hasn’t been done before, creating untold growth opportunity for both organizations.”

The loyalty program is planned for full-scale deployment in the first quarter of 2016. In the meantime, you can see the conflux of devotees for yourself at the next Wizard World Comic Con, happening November 20-22 in Reno, Nevada.

About Clutch
Clutch’s advanced Consumer Management platform delivers customer intelligence and personalized engagements empowering consumer-focused brands to identify, understand and motivate their Most Valuable Customers (MVCs). Its advanced marketing platform integrates customer data across point-of-sale, ecommerce, mobile and social channels delivering personalized experiences, intelligent engagements and loyal customers.Headquartered outside of Philadelphia, Clutch’s solutions impact over 55 million consumers of over 750 brands. Clutch is a proud partner of Safeguard Scientifics SFE, +0.47% and Ben Franklin Technology Partners. For more information visit clutch.com, follow Clutch Holdings on LinkedIn or@ClutchSuccess on Twitter.

About Wizard World
Wizard World, Inc. (http://www.wizardworld.com) produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, television, cosplay, comics, graphic novels, toys, video gaming, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A’s, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World has also launched CONtv, a digital media channel in partnership with leading independent content distributor Cinedigm™ (NASDAQ: CIDM), and ComicConBox™, a premium subscription-based monthly box service. Fans can interact with Wizard World on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services.

The 2015-16 Wizard World Comic Con schedule is available at: www.wizardworld.com/wizcon.html.

Houwzer, Phenom, Piano and more Philly Tech Companies Made 2021’s Inc. 5000 list

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The 2021 edition of the Inc. 5000 list, a roundup of the country’s fastest-growing private companies, was released Tuesday, and Philadelphia-area companies made a strong showing again.

This year’s list comes amid a continuing global pandemic, taking stock of the companies that report three-year revenue growth. Out of the top 5,000 companies, 149 come from the Philly metro area, which includes the ‘burbs, South Jersey and Wilmington — though, caveat, not all of those “Delaware” companies are actually from Delaware. Last year’s list saw 136 local businesses ranked.

The local list makers represented a median growth of 134% since last year, saw $7 billion in total revenue and added 15,012 jobs, per Inc. Twelve of the local companies were newly founded, and 70 are repeat honorees, including many of the tech companies represented.

Check out some highlights from 2021’s list:

  • Real estate tech company Houwzer, which made the Inc. 5000 last year, too, ranked No. 918 this year, down a few hundred from 2020’s No. 730 ranking.
  • HR tech company Phenom ranks right under Houwzer at No. 928. It’s risen the ranks from last year, when it placed No. 1,852.
  • B2B software company Piano ranks No. 1,028 on this year’s list, a few spots down from its rank as No. 708 in 2019 and 440 in 2018.

See the full list and article here.

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