Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania has approved $1,162,669.50 in investments from July to September of fiscal year 2026.
These investments will support 13 companies—11 early-stage companies and 2 established manufacturers—fostering innovative product development, workforce expansion, and operational growth across the region.
$1,125,000 in investments will be made to the following early-stage companies:
Aarogya Tech Inc.
Berks County
Aarogya Tech is a health-technology company that uses medical-grade data, AI, and patented tech to enable proactive, personalized health monitoring, focused especially on aging populations and chronic disease prevention.
www.aarogyatech.com
Fagen Omni Enterprise, Inc. (Promolytics)
Lackawanna County
Promolytics is a marketing analytics platform that helps brands connect promotions—like QR code campaigns, events, and in-store activations—to real-world sales, track ROI, and optimize campaigns in real time.
promolytics.net
FLX Solutions
Northampton County
FLX Solutions builds FLX BOT, a small, modular, snake-like robot designed for maintenance and inspection tasks in hard-to-reach or confined industrial spaces. This project was financed [in part] from Pennsylvania Small Business Credit Initiative funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Economic Development.
www.flxsolutions.com/
Gilson Snow, Inc.
Snyder County
Gilson Snow designs and manufactures innovative snowboards and skis that utilize a patented 3-dimensional (3D) base. The investment supports hiring staff, scaling manufacturing capabilities, and expanding marketing efforts.
www.GilsonSnow.com
Grovara Inc.
Philadelphia County
Grovara provides an online platform that allows U.S. food and beverage manufacturers to easily market and sell their products to retailers and distributors internationally. The investment supports market growth and product development needs. Grovara was previously located in Ben Franklin Northeast’s business incubator, TechVentures, and is now based in Philadelphia. This project was financed [in part] from Pennsylvania Small Business Credit Initiative funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Economic Development.
www.grovara.com
Hydron Desal Inc.
Lehigh County
Hydron develops a liquid-liquid extraction technology for brine management in oil & gas—offering a lower-cost method to treat produced water compared to membrane or thermal systems, and works with oil & gas producers, water project developers, and midstream operators.
www.hydrondesal.com
OptoVibronex, LLC
Northampton County
OptoVibronex is a life science startup developing a non-invasive technique that will offer physicians a faster way to diagnose diseases and track the effectiveness of treatments in fields such as skin cancer, ophthalmology, breast cancer, wound healing, dermatology, orthopedics, neurology, and vascular surgery.
optovibronex.com
Power Down Semiconductor, Inc.
Northampton County
Power Down Semiconductor focuses on developing innovative, low-power solutions for microcontrollers and other semiconductors to optimize battery life and performance. This project was financed [in part] from Pennsylvania Small Business Credit Initiative funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Economic Development.
www.powerdownsemi.com
Sprockets Fun Factory, LLC (Arcade Live)
Berks County
Arcade Live is an online arcade platform that streams real-world games like claw machines and coin pushers in real time to players’ devices, shipping prizes directly to winners’ homes.
arcadelive.com
Sylf, LLC
Lackawanna County
Sylf is a tech startup offering touchscreen alcohol-dispensing systems that let customers self-serve cocktails and hard seltzers via a tap/select/pour interface, while giving venue owners analytics, inventory tracking, and control over serving consistency.
www.sylfserve.com
The Varona Co (OCOA)
Berks County
The Varona Co. offers Ocoa Beauty, a line of luxury hair care products designed to nourish and enhance curls, with a focus on clean ingredients and sustainability.
ocoabeauty.com
$37,669.50 in investments will be made to the following established manufacturers, incorporating student enrichment work with a college or university partner:
SUSCON INC (Suscon Plastics)
Lycoming County
Suscon, Inc. is a plastic bottle manufacturer and co-packer that provides custom blow molding (HDPE & PET), beverage filling, labeling, product formulation, and distribution services—producing eco-friendly packaging for private label and branded beverage markets.
www.susconplastics.com
Unique Snacks
Berks County
Unique Snacks is a sixth-generation, family-owned snack company based in Reading, PA, that makes artisan pretzels and pretzel-based snacks using simple, natural ingredients and a slow-baked, all-natural process.
www.uniquesnacks.com
About Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania (Ben Franklin Northeast):
Ben Franklin Northeast is an economic development organization that provides investment capital and business support to startups, manufacturers, and business incubators across Northeastern Pennsylvania. We work to refresh, retain, and reimagine Pennsylvania’s innovation economy by creating high paying, sustainable jobs throughout our 21-county region.
The statewide Ben Franklin Technology Partners network consists of four independent nonprofit organizations located in Bethlehem, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and State College. Ben Franklin Technology Partners is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and is funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority.