With many of the big players in the US economy on the sidelines at the moment suffering from bouts of mortgage meltdown (fever), liquidation (diarrhea), or bankruptcy (coma), now seems like a good time to focus on the lil’ guys. Ten smaller businesses are participating in what is being called a “green business incubator” at the Naval Yard this summer. Put together by GoodCompany Ventures and given the stamp of approval by Mayor Nutter and the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, the incubator will function as a workshop for upstart businesses who will work toward sustainability, enhancing their access to infrastructure, advisors, and capital. The participating companies represent diverse fields ranging from healthcare to energy to the social sector. Guest speakers include Mayor Nutter, Chuck Lacy (former President of Ben & Jerry’s and current President of the Barred Rock Fund), and Stephen Goodman (a partner at Morgan Lewis). Students from the Wharton School of Business will also take an active role in guiding the participants: The incubator will incubate the businesses until “Funding Day” at the end of the summer, when they will present their ideas to investors who might decide to jump aboard, which we imagine will be somewhat like this.
This program means a big boost in visibility and viability for all the participating companies, which are striving to combine greenness with social impact. How could anyone fault that? They include:
· Cyrus-XP, a creator of software to more efficiently store medical records
· CalendarFly, whose website lets schools and parents more easily schedule their kids’ activities
· VolunteerBIG.com develops networking technology for volunteers and non-profits
· BlackGold Biofuels creates technology to turn sewer gas into biodiesel
· Math Foundations provides math remediation programs to colleges and job training programs
· Onion Flats designs and builds urban development with an eye for creativity and responsibility

So there you have it: The world is not totally made of shit. Have you got some good news? If so, send it to tips[at]philebrity[dot]com with “GOOD MOTHERFUCKING NEWS!” in the subject header — we’d love to hear about it.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 at 2:34 pm.