Helena Kondow, Ph.D. is an ORISE Fellow in the Division of Research, Innovation, and Ventures (DRIVe) at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). She primarily supports Blue Knight, BARDA’s joint initiative with Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS, as well as the BARDA Accelerator Network. Prior to her fellowship, Helena graduated from Texas A&M University with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, where she studied the physiological effects of peptide-derived delivery systems on mammalian cells. Dr. David Winter is the Team Leader for both the BARDA Accelerator Network and the Blue Knight collaboration with JNJ Jabs. He earned his PhD at SUNY-Buffalo and spent 18 years at the bench at RPMI, Johns Hopkins University, NIH, and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research before moving into Program Management at NIAID/NIH. Dr. Winter also served as the external collaborations manager for Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics in Siena, Italy, before returning to NIH. He then served at the Center for Scientific Review running two study sections- the Cellular and Molecular Immunology A (CMI-A) study section and the Innovative Immunology SBIR/STTR special emphasis panel. In 2016, he was appointed as an Embassy Science Fellow for the State Department to work with the Indonesian government to design a national peer review system for science grants. If any of the following questions resonate with you, be sure to book your appointment today by emailing hello@venturecafephiladelphia.org with your preferred time slot!  

In this workshop, we will cover the basics of search engine optimization and how it enables a well designed content marketing strategy. We define and discuss many of the fundamentals that business owners should know when it comes to implementing their SEO strategy and how SEO can be used to compliment a paid advertising strategy. Participants will leave with the following: More confidence in understanding how your website contributes to lead-gen for your business How to design a content marketing strategy that will produce more inbound organic traffic Conceptual understanding of conversions and why it’s important to attribute conversions to the methods a visitor used to find your website A baseline knowledge of the tools available to measure your content performance Lead by Peter Yeargin Peter is the founder of a pre-seed Startup called Sage SEO. He began his career as a technical operations officer at the Central Intelligence Agency supporting overseas operations and electronic signals intelligence systems. In 2001, he moved to private industry where he spent majority of his professional career in various technology engineering and sales leadership roles at Cisco Systems. In 2020, he founded Sage and moved into the startup/entrepreneur world full-time. Sage SEO is a cloud-based SaaS platform that illuminates the black box of search engine optimization through the power of analytics, AI, and 3rd party tool integrations. Peter lives in Wynnewood, PA with his wife Ella, and two daughters (4 & 2), Rowen and Winter.

You are welcome to join the Venture for America Classes of 2020 and 2021 as they compete in VFA Philly’s first-ever Ideas-A-Thon. Fellows were given six weeks to come up with an impactful idea and were asked to present a mini-pitch where their idea is headed, including any MVPs and customer growth! Taz Alam | Taz is a serial entrepreneur who’s dedicated to promoting the Hustle Mentality to the world. Beyond working as a Content Marketing Associate at ReturnLogic, she is building the Hustle Brand through her website (tazonthehustle.com), her Instagram platform (@tazonthehustle), and her podcast. Taz is building a movement to change the way the we think as a society and will stop at nothing to bring it global. Michelle Jarcho | Michelle is a 2020 Venture for America fellow passionate about consumer packaged goods, social entrepreneurship, and all things food. She currently works at Saxbys, where she focuses on Supply Chain Management, Demand Planning, Sales Reporting, and Data Analysis Projects. She’s looking forward to presenting her group’s grocery delivery concept, medli, on Thursday.  Nadav Kempinski | Founder of Journi.  journi is a texting service made to lower the barrier of entry to journal. Get the benefits of journaling (introspection, reflection & gratitude) during the small moments of your day by sending texts, and watch your daily entries grow! Alex Leone | I’m a Venture for America fellow and the Talent Management and Acquisition Manager at ReturnLogic, an e-comm SaaS startup. I’m working on a software concept that would help students with disabilities and their families navigate the education system based on my experience as a first grade teacher and my master’s education in developmental disabilities. Barret Rus 

Please note, this is a Hybrid session meaning you can join us in-person or virtually. Join Aron Starosta and Eamon Gallagher for a roundtable discussion where you can get immediate, actionable feedback on your start up idea, your pitch, or your presentation. Attendees also have the opportunity to share feedback with the presenters. This is a regular meetup group with a fun, informal environment. Grab a cold beverage and participation is highly encouraged! Part of what makes Startup Roundtable such a valuable resource are all the attendees who provide feedback and insight. If your pitch isn’t ready yet or you just want to observe, come by anyway and take part in the discussion! Ready to pitch and receive feedback? Sign up here: https://vencafphl.typeform.com/to/uEr6bkTt. Looking forward to seeing you there!

This session is optional for cohort members - we will spend this time getting ready for the pitch competition on June 9.

Citizen Diplomacy International and Venture Cafe are hosting the Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI), the U.S. Department of State's flagship program for emerging entrepreneurs from Europe, visiting Philadelphia from May 14 - June 11. These are professional entrepreneurs in medicine, social innovation, technology, logistics, and workforce development visiting the U.S. to learn new business skills and strengthen relationships with the U.S. Citizen diplomacy at its best!Join us for a special YTILI Pitch Night on June 2nd, and listen to each of the 7 fellows pitch their social business as they compete for a chance to win a cash investment in a final pitch competition in Washington, DC!

Please note, this is a Hybrid session meaning you can join us in-person or virtually. If you plan to join us in-person, please plan to bring proof of full vaccination. Masks will be required unless you are actively eating or drinking.The OnRamp Series at the University City Science Center is a free and inclusive program for first-time business founders to acquire foundational knowledge and take their venture to the next level. After 8 incredible weeks of workshops held at Venture Cafe as part of our second cohort led by Founder-in-Residence, Jimmy White IV, we are excited to present our OnRamp: Stimulate Your Startup Pitch Competition! Hear from ten of our talented OnRamp entrepreneurs as they compete for the top prize of $5,000 for their venture! The second place winner will receive $2,500, and the third place winner will receive $1,500. We are thrilled to offer each of our top awardees a PACT Connect membership and an ic@3401 membership. Join us as we celebrate the hard work of these amazing entrepreneurs and see who will walk away with the top prize!Judges: TBDHosted by Founder in Residence Jimmy White IV