Local firms secure Ben Franklin funding
Two Lackawanna County firms received investments from Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Ben Franklin approved $972,500 in funding from January to March to support product development, workforce expansion and operational growth across the region, officials said in a news release.
Specifically, Ben Franklin invested $785,000 among eight early-stage companies, including I Need A Speaker — a global online platform that connects event planners with speakers of all experience levels.
Ben Franklin also invested $187,500 among seven established manufacturers — including JED Pool Tools Inc. (operating as Northeastern Plastics), which specializes in custom injection molding, prototyping and 3D printing services — incorporating student enrichment work with a college or university partner, officials said.
JED Pool Tools Inc. will partner with Lehigh University to conduct a strategic organizational assessment to support growth and development, per the release.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Boston Globe
New England companies are sparking an industrial revolution. Here's how to harness it.
Advertisement In my new book, I explore how the industrialists of the mid-18th century provided a road map for making improvements to human life. Ben Franklin, for example, even listed industry as one of his famous 13 virtues, defining it in part as a sustained effort toward useful goals. Such effort was integral to the first Industrial Revolution. It took James Watt, whose improvements to the steam engine are credited with sparking the revolution, some two decades of improvements and modifications for his product to achieve what is known today as a 'product-market fit.' And for every figure like Watt who had a 'eureka' moment, there was someone like his business partner Matthew Boulton, a metal manufacturer who helped Watt with capital, know-how, and access to tools and skilled workers. Advertisement The early industrialists knew that what is today called 'process innovation,' making things better, leads to 'product innovation,' making better things. In other words, actually making something teaches you how to invent the next thing. In reality, The situation facing industry is far more complex than it was 250 years ago, of course. The mass production of the 20th century is giving way to new means of production and new forms of work. Digital technologies allow companies to spread manufacturing across geographical locations, to increase productivity. Supply chain disruptions, global tensions, trade wars, and a changing climate are showing how fragile our industrial systems can be. Artificial intelligence's intense demand on Apple's famous tagline shows our preoccupation with product improvement over process improvement. For too long we have been told that all work in developed countries should be 'knowledge work,' entirely divorced from making things. In industry after industry, from solar panels to semiconductor chips and electric cars, American inventions have been scaled elsewhere. This removes us from the cutting edge. But companies in our own backyard are forging a different path. Aerospace manufacturer Advertisement I often visit such cutting-edge companies and see digital-first design and production flows, and young people of all education levels working with their hands. Graduates of vocational schools are designing new production lines. This dovetails with a surge in interest in trades; the number of students enrolled in The point is that young Americans — new industrialists — are devoting themselves to making things for the common good. Politicians of both parties have enacted policies to encourage the growth of US industry. The specific actions, whether But no government policy will be effective if young people from all walks of life do not take up the mantle of building and maintaining our world. The country needs this generation of builders who are excited about working with their hands, about the satisfactions of building the world, and who see that work as building our communities. David A. Mindell is a professor at MIT and author of The New Lunar Society: An Enlightenment Guide to the Next Industrial Revolution (MIT Press, 2025) and cofounder of an investment firm focused on industrial transformation. He is a founding member of MIT's Send comments to magazine@ Advertisement
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
Blind Tiger receives investment of nearly $200K thanks to PA program
One local startup company received recognition and a generous investment on Tuesday afternoon. Blind Tiger Spirit Free Cocktails was recognized during a check presentation courtesy of Ben Franklin Technology Partners. Blind Tiger was chosen for its reshaping of consumer markets and their innovation and impact. Ben Franklin Technology Partners invests in innovative startups and established companies to drive economic growth and job creation throughout the region. Hungry customers fill Erie Mexican restaurants for Cinco de Mayo The investment was a total of $190,000 to help the company continue on its growth path. 'This is great for us because I have really been a team of one, with some outside counterparts supporting us along the way. So I am going to add at least two full-time positions with this investment in the hope that this, obviously, to build a bigger team and provide opportunities and jobs,' said Rebecca Styn, founder of Blind Tiger. Blind Tiger makes an alcohol free beverage rooted in the allure of the prohibition era speakeasies. They can be found on more than 1300 retail shelves worldwide. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJET/WFXP/
Forbes
03-04-2025
- Forbes
Create Business Growth By Eliminating Performative Action
The more you act on things that create momentum, the more feedback you get. That feedback, even when it stings, is your unfair advantage. There's a beautiful quote by Ben Franklin that goes, 'Well done is better than well said.' Ben knew what he was talking about. He also invented bifocals and the lightning rod. You know what he didn't do? Sit on a plane watching a movie while the world passed him by. Years ago, after years of trying to recruit him, I hired a sharp executive from the insurance world. This was a smart guy who should have been a doctor but didn't choose that path, definitely someone I wanted on my team. So we hop on a plane to head to a big meeting, and 30 minutes in, I glance over to see him watching a movie. On a Tuesday afternoon. At 40,000 feet. You'd think he just found out they made Titanic 2: Jack's Back or something. Now, I didn't lose my cool (outwardly), but inside I was burning. What does he think we are doing here? This wasn't vacation. This wasn't the red-eye to Vegas after a product launch. This was Tuesday. A workday. How does travel not stress him out as much as it does me? I'm not stressed because of mass transit and flight delays, but because it is inefficient. If I am traveling, I can't always work on the things that I need to in order to grow the company. On that flight, we were at work. And I couldn't reconcile wasting that time—company time—on anything other than, well, work. It's not about being a workaholic. It's about understanding that leadership, and entrepreneurship in particular, is a constant balancing act between time, productivity, and cost. That's the triangle. And if one side is way out of proportion—like racking up airline points while catching up on Top Gun: Maverick—you're failing to create momentum on what's important. I've seen it all, and I bet you have too; high-paid execs scrolling through social media in their modern business casual attire. Wrinkle-free five-pocket workout pants. Lace-up low-cut kicks. Moisture-wicking fabric polo with an exclusive golf course billboard on the left chest. Quarter zip sweater ready to roll. Or even worse, employees bouncing between low-priority 'busy tasks' like they're trying to win a medal in hamster-wheel Olympics, and meetings that feel more like group therapy than strategic sessions. They're moving, sure. But they're not going anywhere. Here's the hard truth: Motion is not the same as progress. You can look busy, act busy, even talk busy—but unless you're taking meaningful action, it doesn't matter. That's the problem with 'acting like acting.' It's all show, no substance. And in business, that's a recipe for stalled growth, missed goals, and erosion of trust within your team. Real productivity means getting real results. It means building momentum that leads to the next step, the next breakthrough, the next deal. That doesn't mean being perfect. It means being proactive. Let's go back to the very early days of our company when our marketing strategy was… well, let's call it "reactive." Need revenue? Then we need leads. Send an email blast. Want visibility? Throw out a press release. Was there a master plan? Not exactly. But doing something—anything—was still better than doing nothing. Taking action, even messy action, builds experience. It gives you data to evaluate, processes to refine, and opportunities to seize. You get better simply by doing. You can't steer a parked car—and you certainly can't scale a business from the couch. The more you act on things that create momentum, the more feedback you get. That feedback, even when it stings, is your unfair advantage. Because while everyone else is waiting for the perfect conditions or the ideal strategy, you're out there testing, failing, learning, and adapting. That's how real businesses grow. Of course, not all action is created equal. If you're navigating a $200 million acquisition, now is not the time to wing it. When the stakes are that high, we stretch our time side of the triangle. We slow things down, dig in, analyze, and listen—especially to the customer's perspective. Because no matter how exciting the deal is, it has to lead to growth, and that takes revenue. Otherwise, you've just built a very expensive monument to distraction. Taking action doesn't mean being reckless. It means being intentional. It means knowing when to move fast and when to be deliberate. But it always means moving. One of the greatest byproducts of a culture of action is the ripple effect it creates. Your team watches what you do more than they listen to what you say. If they see you prioritizing meaningful, results-driven action—even when it's inconvenient or hard—they'll follow suit. On the flip side, if they see you phoning it in, dragging out decisions, or prioritizing comfort over contribution? Don't be surprised when they start doing the same. Momentum is contagious. So is apathy. We call it 'playing office' when someone is acting like they are acting. We see you. We know what you are really doing. Taking action makes you better because it keeps you better. It drives productivity, accelerates growth, sharpens decision-making, and strengthens your culture. But most importantly, it builds trust—between you and your customers, your team, your partners, and yourself. Here's what I've learned over the years: In business, there are very few perfect and obvious decisions. But indecision? That's where businesses go to die. So stop watching from the sidelines. Close the movie. Put down the phone. Get off the hamster wheel. Take action—even if it's imperfect, even if it's uncomfortable, even if it's just the next small step. Because the only thing worse than taking the wrong action is taking no action at all.
