The 15th annual Philly Tech Week took place from May 5 – 10, 2025, with the goal of celebrating innovation and empowering startups in the region’s thriving tech ecosystem.
During Philly Tech Week, PCI, PACT and Pennovation Works hosted a program at Pennovation Works on May 6, 2025 called “Innovate & Inspire: Research Panel & Pitch Competition.” The event featured a panel discussion with early stage venture capital investors Bianca Schilling, Chief of Staff and Investor at Apprentis Ventures, Brett Topche, Managing Director at Red & Blue Ventures, and Manny Stockman, PhD, Partner at Osage University Partners.
Following the panel, there was a pitch competition, where three Penn startups presented their ideas to the panel. Airalux, an I-Corps graduate co-founded by Penn Engineering graduate Josh Freedman with advisement from Andrew Tsourkas, PhD, Professor, Bioengineering at Penn Engineering, and Jeffrey Babin, PhD, professor and associate director of engineering entrepreneurship at Penn Engineering, is developing a device to support post-surgery breathing exercise management for patients and healthcare providers. Neuralert, co-founded by Steven Messe, MD, Professor of Neurology at Penn Medicine, is focused on creating light-weight, non-invasive wristbands that can detect stroke in as little as 15 minutes. Sync Labs, an I-Corps graduate and the 2025 President’s Innovation Prize winner, offers AI-based solutions to improve caregiving for seniors. The Sync Labs team, which is mentored by Jeffrey Babin, was the winner of the pitch competition and will receive direct entry to present at PACT’s Mid-Atlantic Capital Conference.