Ben Franklin News
The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania will host its 17th annual Ben Franklin Venture Idol on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 from 5:00 – 7:45 PM. This year’s event will be held virtually and is free-of-charge to guests.
November 19 is National Entrepreneur’s Day. In celebration, leading up to that day, Ben Franklin Venture Idol will be held on November 17 and Factory’s StartUp Lehigh Valley will be held on November 18. The purpose of these virtual events is to build awareness of and support regional entrepreneurship.
Ben Franklin Venture Idol is a cross between Shark Tank® and American Idol®, but with entrepreneurs and investors instead of vocalists and celebrities. The event illustrates a significant way in which early-stage entrepreneurs seek and obtain seed capital. Ben Franklin Venture Idol will also be a “crowdfunding” event.
A week prior to the public event, seven companies will pitch the investment opportunity with their company to a group of experienced private investors, who will select three finalists. The finalists will then pitch to a virtual audience, and a second panel of investors will comment on their presentations. The audience members will then “fund” the companies, crowdfunding style.
Ben Franklin will allocate a total of $15,000 in investment funding among the finalists based on the audience vote. Ben Franklin Venture Idol registration is now open and free-of-charge at https://ventureidol.ticketmambo.com/.
Seven Ben Franklin Venture Idol contestants were selected competitively from among BFTP/NEP’s early-stage clients. The 2020 competitors are:
Heudia Health LLC- East Stroudsburg
http://www.heudia.com
Heudia Health offers a software platform that reduces the cost of care for hospitals and managed care groups by enabling community organizations to better connect with and empower low-income individuals and families. The goal is to help people obtain the optimal set of health, social service, education, and economic services.
Hootboard, LLC- Bethlehem
https://www.hootboard.com/
HootBoard is transforming the way visitor information is delivered by destinations and destination partners in travel, tourism, and events industries. HootBoard-based concierge kiosks, plugins, and apps give control back to destination organizations and their partners to provide the best in real-time destination information to their leisure visitors, event attendees, and citizens. In addition to Destination Management Organizations, HootBoard has digitized information desks in industries including higher education, travel, and health care.
IntelliGreen – West Hazleton, PA
https://intelligreen.net/
IntelliGreen offers products and services focused on technology that enables society to maintain its well-being better. The company’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform works with its Intelli-Temp Facial Recognition Temperature Scanner, which can detect and identify a face, including for an individual wearing a mask; direct a person to put on a mask as a requirement to entry; detect a reference temperature within 0.5 degrees accuracy; and provide alerting for fever conditions; all within one second.
ProdHealth, Inc.- Bethlehem, PA
https://www.prodhealth.com/
ProdHealth is a digital health and wellness solution that provides users with personalized health coaching, remote patient monitoring, and telehealth services. Its platform lets users learn, track their habits, and communicate with their healthcare teams seamlessly, improving the probability of adherence. ProdHealth targets self-funded employers and individuals who want to minimize the risk of chronic disease and its associated costs while optimizing health and environmental impact.
Rocket Cloud, Inc. – Bethlehem
https://www.rocketcl.com/
Rocket Cloud provides innovative cloud-based software solutions for wholesale distributors. The firm creates visibility for clients’ inventory on major internet marketplaces by connecting and syncing directly with their existing systems without expensive software-changing costs. Rocket Cloud’s enterprise suite handles inventory replenishment, repricing, and accounting/ reconciliation, along with providing analytics to monitor performance.
studio BE Mindfulness, LLC – Wilkes-Barre
https://meetyourcenter.com/
studio BE is a well-tech company leveraging a web interface to utilize proprietary, scientifically proven mindfulness techniques to empower employees to manage stress, optimize their mental health, cultivate work/life integration, and increase productivity. The company serves corporations, nonprofits, and individuals worldwide via on-site visits and/or remotely by utilizing a comprehensive e-learning platform.
Thread Bioscience, Inc. – Bethlehem
https://threadb.com/
Thread Bioscience produces a new diagnostic test, CultureStat, which uses a patented technology to detect urinary tract infections (UTIs) at the Point of Care faster, more accurately, and at a lower cost than current testing approaches. With an estimated 150 million UTIs worldwide annually and accounting for $6 billion in health care expenditures, there is a worldwide need for a more efficient test for UTIs to reduce the incidence of improperly prescribed antibiotics.
