
Ben Franklin Technology Partners
200 Innovation Boulevard Suite 150, State College, PA, 16803, United States
Overview
Ben Franklin has provided the Capital, Knowledge and Networks that help innovative enterprises compete in the global marketplace, generating wealth and supporting regional economic growth. Ben Franklin has invested more than $165 million to grow more than 1,750 regional enterprises, across all areas of technology. It has launched university/industry partnerships that accelerate scientific discoveries to commercialization. The Ben Franklin Technology Partners is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and is funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority.
- Total investments
- 54
- Lead investments
- 10
- Investments · 12mo
- 4
- Active investors
- 2
Investment portfolio
- Latus Bio
Participated · Series A · May 2026
Latus Bio develops a gene therapy platform that pairs proprietary and engineered AAV capsids with clinically optimized routes of administration to enable efficient delivery at low doses. The company’s two lead programs are LTS-101 for CLN2 disease, which has IND clearance and multiple FDA designations, and LTS-201 for Huntington’s disease, which is being prepared for IND submission. Latus is advancing capsid variants for potential application beyond CNS disorders, including kidney, eye, heart, and muscle diseases. Management emphasizes scalability and lower-dose delivery to improve safety, manufacturability, and cost, targeting larger rare and broader CNS indications. The company raised $97 million in its Series A (including a $43 million extension) to fund operations through key clinical milestones for these programs.
- Kipostech
Led · Seed · Apr 2026
Founded in 2022 by Hema Ravindran and Raj Singh, Kipostech develops systems that generate non-thermal plasma to neutralize bacteria, viruses, and particulate hazards in poultry-house air. The company pivoted from an initial healthcare focus to agriculture to access clearer market pathways and address acute needs during avian influenza outbreaks. Kipostech's system also collects particulates, removes harmful gases, and includes an integrated air-quality monitor for proactive risk alerts. A pilot at the University of Delaware demonstrated promising efficacy in initial tests. Financially, the company completed an $800,000 pre-seed and is planning a $3 million seed round to scale operations and form partnerships, with backing from Ben Franklin Technology Partners and intent to pursue a Pennsylvania agriculture grant.
- Ajaya Bio
Led · Equity · Mar 2026
Founded in 2024 and based in Philadelphia, Ajaya Bio is developing bispecific antibodies that link a targeting arm for pathogenic inflammatory cells with an arm that recruits immune cells to kill those targets. Its lead program targets rheumatoid arthritis and is currently in preclinical animal studies. The company was bootstrapped by founders Mohit Sachdeva and Ramesh Singh, participated in the HiveBio accelerator, and has a four-person team. Ajaya raised $1 million from BioAdvance Capital and Ben Franklin Technology Partners to support preclinical work and plans to file an IND after manufacturing its drug. Management aims to raise a Series A to fund manufacturing, regulatory filings, a clinical trial, and team expansion, and also intends to develop a broader pipeline for other autoimmune and potentially cancer indications.
- Moberg Analytics
Led · Seed · Oct 2025
Moberg Analytics is a Philadelphia-based startup focused on advanced brain monitoring and critical care informatics. Its core product, the Moberg Clinical Platform (MCP), aggregates data from multiple bedside devices into a single, intelligent interface that delivers real-time analytics and precision-medicine decision support for intensive care units. The company has received more than $8 million in federal research grants to build and validate MCP, demonstrating strong non-dilutive backing for its technology. In October 2025, Moberg secured a $600,000 seed round to shift from research to commercial deployment. The proceeds will fund regulatory clearances, pilot installations at leading hospitals, and execution of the go-to-market strategy. By making comprehensive brain monitoring as routine as cardiac or respiratory monitoring, Moberg aims to improve outcomes for critically ill patients worldwide.
- CollX
Participated · Series A · Mar 2025
CollX provides a mobile-first marketplace and toolkit that lets collectors scan cards, upload and export collections, view others’ collections, and buy or trade cards. The app includes AI chat features powered by OpenAI for collection advice and pricing, plus specialized offerings like Card Dealer Pro for bulk scanning. CollX monetizes through a pro subscription ($10/month or $100/year), referral partnerships (PSA grading, Whatnot, Fanatics, Topps), and a 10% marketplace commission; CollX says Pro and Card Dealer Pro drive the bulk of current revenue while marketplace transaction revenue is growing. The company reports over 3 million users (up from 600,000 in 2023), about 400,000 monthly active users, and a marketplace that hosts roughly 30,000 buyers and 20,000 sellers with ~20% month-over-month growth. CollX faces competition from Alt, Ludex, and ComC but positions itself on breadth of card coverage and integrated tools. The startup is not yet profitable and plans to decide by year-end whether to pursue profitability or accelerate user and marketplace growth. CollX offers free iOS and Android apps that let collectors scan trading cards and receive value estimates using a proprietary database of more than 20 million cards. Since launching in January last year the app has attracted over 600,000 users who have scanned more than 100 million cards. The company acquired Card Dealer Pro last year and currently generates revenue from that product, which helps card shops quickly scan and upload inventory. Today the app connects collectors for potential deals, though transactions and address exchange are handled manually. CollX plans to build a marketplace to facilitate trades between card dealers and take a cut of transactions, and to help shops list their collections on the platform. In the longer term the startup intends to expand beyond cards to onboard other collectibles such as coins and stamps.