Ben Franklin makes $495,000 in regional tech investments

Listen to this article

The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania‘s recently approved the investment of $495,000 in 11 companies from across its 21-county service area. The recipients include several early-stage companies in the Greater Lehigh Valley.  

DetectBee, Inc. of Bethlehem received $25,000 to complete the development and commercialization of DetectBee’s MVP Software-as-a-Service platform that allows users to detect cybersecurity vulnerabilities in their own systems and in third-party systems tied to them via interfaces.  

Huntley & Co., Easton received $80,000 to secure a license for S. Huntley & Company in Pennsylvania and New Jersey as a non-bank motor vehicle financier. Also, secure dealership partners, begin building the website, and launch the monthly subscription service in support of the financing tools. The firm’s product, Toppcar.com, is an online retail and financing platform that allows the growing modern classic car enthusiast segment of consumers and dealers to buy and finance cars completely online. 

Thread Bioscience of Bethlehem received $50,000 to commercialize a patented diagnostic test, CultureStat, for urinary tract infections, that is faster, more accurate, less expensive than current tests.   

Ben Franklin also provided 1:1 matching funding for work with a college or university partner on technology-based innovation in established manufacturers. 

Bosch Rexroth Corporation of Bethlehem received $25,000 to work with Lehigh University’s Enterprise Systems Center to develop and implement simulation-based scheduling software for the company’s CNC machine scheduling system. CNC will improve throughput and reduce lead time, providing greater capacity. Bosch Rexroth manufactures motion control equipment, including hydraulic and pneumatic components.

Gillette Industrial Services Inc. of Bangor received- $25,000 to work with Lehigh University’s Enterprise Systems Center to complete layout plans of the company’s new campus to facilitate growth and prepare for ISO Quality System Certification. D. Gillette Industrial Services designs, fabricates and repairs maintenance equipment for the U.S. military and industrial clients. 

Heyco Metal Inc. of Reading received $25,000 to work with Alvernia University’s O’Pake Institute to implement an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to improve supply chain, customer service and support growth. Heyco Metals is a precision mill that manufactures thin-gauge, copper, copper alloy, and stainless-steel strip products to exacting specifications for the automotive, aerospace, connector, and consumer electronics industries. 

Joe Jurgielewicz & Son LTD of Hamburg received $15,000 to work with Alvernia University’s O’Pake Institute to lay out for a new facility and an overall manufacturing site master plan to increase capacity and optimize production. Joe Jurgielewicz & Son is a duck production operation that supplies restaurants, food services and institutions in the U.S. The firm is vertically integrated from breeding to delivery and employs environmentally friendly, sustainable farming practices. 

LifeAire Systems LLC of Allentown received $25,000 to work with Lehigh University to develop additional applications for LifeAire Systems’ technology. LifeAire discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes air purification systems for the healthcare industry. The systems are clinically proven and proprietary, and effectively eliminate viable and chemical pathogens on a single pass, with no harmful byproducts or ozone produced.