Web3 enthusiasm is growing in the Keystone State. At the end of 2021, a group of blockchain fans formed a new organization advocating for wider research into and adoption of the technology. Dominic Folino, John Cox and Lara Coviello — all tech, investing and government affairs pros — launched the PA Blockchain Coalition with a goal to educate legislators and regular Pennsylvanians about the ways it can be implemented.
Pennsylvania
Al Dia: City redesigns startup innovation website
In partnership with Philadelphia’s effort to promote itself as a hub for tech and startups at the SXSW Interactive Festival this week, the Department of Commerce relaunched StartupPHL’s website to serve as a resource for companies, investors, students and media to find information about Philadelphia’s entrepreneur and tech community.
Philadelphia Business Journal: Photos: How Philadelphia’s new Museum of Illusions uses social media, technology to connect with its audience
The roughly $2 million interactive museum grand opens in Old City on Saturday. Have a look inside.
Technically Philly: The Enterprise Center is driving biz services to Philly’s commercial corridors
Throughout the pandemic, as The Enterprise Center helped Philadelphia small business owners with their Paycheck Protection Program loans, there was a recurring challenge: Many hadn’t scanned their paperwork, meaning they didn’t have an extra copy to share with the org.
PHL Inno: Six Philadelphia-area companies named to Forbes list of top startup employers
Six Philadelphia-area companies are on a new Forbes list ranking the 500 best startup employers in America.
Philly Voice: Philly’s five-year broadband internet plan hopes to bridge the city’s ‘digital divide’
The importance of reliable access to internet has never been more clear than in these past two years, as the COVID-19 pandemic has upended every aspect of our lives, from education and work, to entertainment and media consumption. And although city officials are solid on the fact that Philadelphia as a city does not lack access to broadband internet, officials within the Office of Innovation and Technology found that some portions of Philadelphia’s residential community have more access than others.
PHL Inno: Nerd Street Gamers gears up to raise $35M-plus Series B, launch crypto payouts
Nerd Street Gamers is eyeing a Series B round topping $35 million to grow its esports venue footprint and continue hiring as it rapidly grows.
Technically Philly: Gov. Wolf: This 11-person group will manage $100M to improve PA’s broadband access
This week, Gov. Tom Wolf announced the creation of an 11-person group called the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority that will manage at least $100 million in federal funding to coordinate the rollout of broadband internet across the state.
Technically Philly: Vistar Media never restricts itself when it comes to tech stack. Here’s why its engineers enjoy using a variety of programs
Kyle Gehmlich, now a software engineer at Vistar Media, was used to simply logging on, putting his head down to get his work done, and logging off. At the time, Gehmlich worked as a full-stack web developer for one of Vistar’s competitors.
Technically Philly: Linode’s $900M acquisition by Akamai is a ‘game changer’ for cloud service providers
Linode, the nearly 20-year-old cloud software company that’s made itself a household name in the Philly tech scene, will be acquired by Akamai Technologies.