University City Science Center

06/01/2026

The World Cup is headed to Philadelphia, and all the preparations are a reminder of something we know well: behind every major breakthrough is an entire ecosystem making it possible. In this month's newsletter, find updates from:

💠Cosm Medical
💠HEARTio
💠Avocado Health
💠Yumlish
💠Calla Lily Clinical Care
💠Airalux Medical
💠SweetBio, Inc.
💠Freyya
..And more! It's all here:
https://mailchi.mp/sciencecenter.org/june-newsletter-2026

05/28/2026

The strongest fundraise you can make isn't your next round. It's revenue.

Three investors break down what capital discipline actually looks like from the other side of the table — and why disciplined founders are the ones with leverage in today's market. Here's what they told us:

➡️ https://sciencecenter.org/blog/capital-efficiency-isnt-a-defensive-posture-its-a-power-move

Featuring:

Adrianna Samaniego (she/her/ella) of Cherryrock Capital, Maren Nelson of the Alliance of Angels, and Erica Murdock of Unseen, powered by Seae Ventures, Chirag Goel, Principal at Propellant Ventures, and Tiffany Wilson, President and CEO of the Science Center

05/19/2026

Watch👀: with Airalux Medical, Josh Freedman and co-founder Yi-An Hsieh are re-designing a familiar device. It’s transforming how patients with lung complications breathe deeply – and lowering costs for hospital systems.

And the Science Center's network gave the startup access to the clinical, regulatory, and commercialization expertise it needed to keep moving forward.

➡️ Read the full story: https://sciencecenter.org/blog/a-better-way-to-breathe-the-airalux-story

05/18/2026

Last week, the Founders Fellows gathered one final time to present their Capstone projects – sharing how mentor feedback, customer discovery, and countless conversations shaped the evolution of their ideas and their approach as founders.

Each Fellow’s journey looked different, and throughout the program, the Science Center helped meet founders where they were – connecting them with the guidance, resources, and perspectives most relevant to their individual paths.

The cohort also reflected on what’s next for their ventures and where they see their work heading in the future.

“The fellowship gave me the foundation I need to approach things like a founder, and not just a scientist," said Grace Akinyele.

Congratulations on a successful year,

⚡ (Grace) Olayemi Akinyele
⚡ (Top) Narintadeach Charoensombut
⚡ TUHIN DAS, Ph.D.
⚡ (Josh) Joshua Freedman
⚡ Thomas Tam

05/18/2026

At the Science Center’s latest Think Tank, “From Bench to Bedside,” leaders across medicine, medtech, and venture capital unpacked what it actually takes to move cardiovascular innovation into patient care.

Swipe through to see photos from the evening's event 📸
Read more about the discussion ➡️
https://sciencecenter.org/blog/from-bench-to-bedside-the-state-of-cardiovascular-innovation

Kevin M. Baumlin, MD moderated a conversation with Dr. Rajan Jain, Dr. Allison Post, PhD of Rhythio Medical, and Jeffrey O'Donnell Sr. of Runway Healthcare on everything from FDA pathways and funding uncertainty to AI diagnostics and the future of preventative care.

05/15/2026

Innovation moves faster when founders have the right resources at the right time: here’s this month's Startup Resource Roundup. Including opportunities from:

⚡ Novella Center for Entrepreneurship
⚡ gener8tor
⚡ Cartier
⚡ Entreprenista
⚡ Philadelphia Department of Commerce
⚡ Troutman Pepper Locke LLP
⚡ Health2Tech..and more!

➡️ Check it out: https://mailchi.mp/sciencecenter.org/startup-resource-roundup-may-2026

05/15/2026

Congratulations to the bioMérieux team, recipient of the 2026 FirstHand Mentor Champion Award 🏆 - in memory of Shelby Keating Brown

This award recognizes mentors who go above and beyond, and this team truly embodied that. A huge thank you to Ashley Brown, Estefanía Novoa Rama, Sammy Bor, Trey Whiting, Fantasia Brown and Darryll Barkhouse for the time, energy, and care they put into mentoring the next generation of innovators.

05/14/2026

What does it really take to bring cardiovascular innovation to patients? We asked four leading experts across clinical, academic research, medtech entrepreneurship, and venture capital: here's what they said during a cross-sector discussion at the Science Center.
➡️ https://sciencecenter.org/blog/from-bench-to-bedside-the-state-of-cardiovascular-innovation
Featuring:
💬 Moderator Kevin M. Baumlin, MD, chief medical affairs officer of the Science Center and former professor and chair of Emergency Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital
🫀 Cardiologist Dr. Rajan Jain, associate professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
🫀 Allison Post, PhD, founder and CEO of Rhythio Medical and CRP alumna
🫀 Jeffrey O'Donnell Sr., Managing General Partner of Runway Healthcare

What does it take to move cardiovascular innovation from bench to bedside? Dr. Kevin Baumlin , chief medical affairs officer of the Science Center and…

05/08/2026

Heath Naquin spoke on investor discovery at Technical.ly 's Builders Conference:

The right partners can add expertise that a company needs, instead of just a cash infusion, experts said at Technical.ly’s Builders Conference.

05/06/2026

You're an essential part of the 2026 Nucleus Awards: we need YOU to nominate the region's changemakers! Tell us who deserves to be recognized this year for fostering a more innovative and collaborative future. ⬇️

Nominate now:
sciencecenter.org/nucleus-awards/nominations

Bringing together groundbreakers from across the region, the Nucleus Awards is an industry-recognized celebration of Philadelphia’s role as leader in equitable science and technology innovation and inclusive growth.