21-05-2025
Philly's new interim commerce director brings nearly two decades of city experience to the role
Power Moves is a recurring series where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, gig or promotion? Email us at philly@
A management shakeup is taking place at a key Philadelphia government agency.
The Commerce Department underwent a change in leadership, with former Commerce Director Alba Martinez stepping down and longtime city gov employee Karen Fegely taking her place.
Plus, local startups are getting the chance to show themselves off through accelerators and pitch competitions this spring.
Software company Ideate won the Demo Pit competition at the Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies' Phorum conference last month. The HiveBio Accelerator, which is focused on support for underrepresented life sciences founders, selected its first cohort.
Check out all the details and more power moves below the chart, where we look at the top 10 desirable skills for jobs right now and how many job postings request each skill.
Longtime city gov employee appointed acting commerce director
Mayor Cherelle Parker appointed Karen Fegely as acting commerce director earlier this month. Fegely is taking over the position from Alba Martinez, who announced her departure from the Commerce Department in March to produce an original musical.
The Commerce Department's role is to help economic development happen by creating initiatives to increase accessibility and equity, Fegely told This includes creating opportunities for Philadelphians to build wealth through a sustainable career, owning a business, owning property and more.
'Philadelphia is really well-positioned to do that,' Fegely said, 'to be in a place where we grow together.'
Fegely has almost 18 years of experience working in the city's Department of Commerce, most recently as deputy commerce director of policy and strategic initiatives. She was also previously the deputy commerce director of neighborhood business services.
Fegely now oversees initiatives that the Commerce Department already has in place, such as the Small Business Catalyst Fund and the PHL Open for Business initiative, which aims to streamline access to business resources. The goal is to provide one-on-one assistance to businesses, but also partner with orgs across the city that can support the business community in Philly, she told
'We have all the right ingredients,' Fegely said. 'It's just doing more and bigger, and making sure we're connecting to people, that people know to come to us for help.'
Ideate wins PACT Demo Pit, will pitch at mid-Atlantic conference this fall
Rahmi Halaby, founder of early-stage startup Ideate, won Best in Show at Phorum 2025, securing a spot to pitch at the Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies' (PACT) Mid-Atlantic Capital Conference in the fall.
Ideate, which is developing a software product to automate operational tasks for designers so they can focus on creative work, was one of six companies selected to pitch at PACT's Demo Pit competition during the conference.
The companies were all connected to the theme of AI in the workplace, but ranged in stage. Ideate is currently pre-revenue and pre-product launch, so it felt good to win next to other companies that are further along in development, Halaby told
'What really needs to set us apart is the story that we're able to tell and the vision of the product,' Halaby said. 'To have that recognized was very reassuring.'
The company currently has a closed beta product and plans to launch a full product in the fall. Ideate is also raising a $500,000 seed round that it hopes to close in November, Halaby said.
'I'm really excited to, in the coming months, basically have a product that people can fully sign up for and use and save time within their day to focus on the creative work,' Halaby said.
HiveBio Accelerator selects its first cohort
Ten Philly-area startups were selected for the first cohort of the HiveBio Accelerator, which aims to support underrepresented life sciences founders. The chosen startups include five therapeutics companies, three medical device companies, one digital health company and one biotech supply chain company.
'I'm most proud of the diversity within our underrepresented founder cohort,' said Tia Lyles-Williams, founder and chief innovation officer of HiveBio. 'Of this cohort, eight are BIPOC-led, eight are first-generation-led, seven are woman-led, and seven are immigrant-led. I'm looking forward to working with this impressive cohort and supporting their unapologetic success.'
The chosen startups include Ajaya Bio, BioLattice Ophthalmics, Bound Therapeutics, Cerespectus, Higher Medicine, QuneUp, Trevarx Biomedical, Valfard Therapeutics and Vasowatch.
The nine-month program will provide mentorship, commercialization strategies, opportunities to meet investors and other resources to the companies. The accelerator program is supported by a $250,000 grant from the Knight Foundation.
More power moves:
The University City Science Center selected five life sciences entrepreneurs for the fifth cohort of its Founders Fellowship program. Grace Akinyele, Top Charoensombut, Tuhin Das, Josh Freedman and Thomas Tam will participate in a year-long program that starts with an educational curriculum about healthcare for aging populations. The second half of the program focuses on commercialization and turning product ideas into companies. Each fellow will receive mentorship, a $50,000 stipend and access to lab space.
Center City District selected Adam Robinson as the new vice president of development and partnerships, where he will lead the org's non-assessment revenue team.
Online safety company Kidas is partnering with esports and gaming platform PlayVS. Kidas' anti-bullying software will be integrated into esports programs across the country.
Comcast Business acquired Nitel, a Chicago-based telecommunications services provider. The company did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.
Data security and privacy consulting firm Zaviant ranked No. 50 on Inc Regionals: Northeast list, which ranks companies in the region based on revenue growth between 2021 and 2023.
Anna Paulson is the new CEO and president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The Fed also appointed John Grady of Wexford Science & Technology, Warren E. Moore of Inspira Health and Brian Schaller of Wawa to its Economic and Community Advisory Council.
PACT welcomed Amanda Arroyo as its new director of membership and Roland Nichols as its new marketing manager.
Temple University's Institute for Business and Information Technology recognized David McGettigan, Rick Nucci and Craig Conway at the 2025 Information Technology Awards.
Montgomery County Community College's esports team won its fourth national championship from the National Junior College Athletics Association Esports.
The Novella Center for Entrepreneurship launched in Trenton, New Jersey, earlier this month. The Novella Center is licensing business accelerator curriculum from the Baltimore-based Conscious Venture Lab.
Clinical trial payment company Greenphire won best patient portal at the MedTech Breakthrough Awards. It was also recognized as a finalist for the Citeline Awards for Innovative Clinical Trial Solutions.
The Moore College of Art and Design is partnering with the Franklin Institute to support a new entertainment design major. The program will teach students about interactive design for immersive experiences.
Sarah Huffman is a 2022-2024 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism.
