Philly Tech TidBits 5/26/2011

Veteran Philly-area entrepreneur and VC (NextStage Capital) Terry Williams is preparing for the launch of his new venture, Cross X Platform. Cross X will take a minority stake in IT services firms (a business Williams knows well since he founded and later sold TWC Consulting) and provide a technology platform and shared services to help them streamline their operations.


Philadelphia-based Evolved Capital launched in late April after about a year in beta. It provides a platform to help VCs and others in the venture ecosystem manage their portfolios, deal flow, and term sheets. Evolved Capital was founded by Geoff Myerson, who previously was with GlaxoSmithKline venture arm SR One and is also currently Managing Director & Co-founder of Life Sciences venture advisory firm Locust Walk Partners. He was named by the Philadelphia Business Journal as one its "40 under 40" in 2010. Co-founder Nick DeLong worked at Lockheed and then got his PhD from Penn.


Another venture with a similar "platform for services business" model, Hockessin, Delaware-based Careerminds, has completed raising $1.3 million in venture capital from several investors, including Gabriel Investments and Trestle Ventures of Philadelphia. Careerminds also appointed former Drake, Beam, Morin CEO Jack Gavin Chairman. The company is trying to use web-based outplacement and career transition services to streamline the outplacement business.


Although Cloud billing vendor Aria Systems has its headquarters in the Silicon Valley now, its Philadelphia-area R&D center continues to expand. Aria recently moved down West Chester Pike from Media to a larger office in Bromall. The company raised $20 million in new venture funding in February.


Fort Washington-based IT Consulting has rebranded its cloud computing service, formerly known as the SharedVision Universal Plan, as NearCloud. IT Consulting, which specializes in managed network support services and custom application development for clients in the Mid-Atlantic region, has three separate offerings for small, medium, and enterprise businesses. The company also emphasizes that all of its clients are within 100 miles of its server locations.


DBA Technologies of Warrington has launched a new website at http://www.dbatec.com/, as part of a broader rebranding effort. DBA Technologies, a custom software design and business solutions provider, was founded by David Bassion over 20 years ago while he was working for his Masters in Computer Science at Drexel. PR firm Furia Rubel handled the website redesign and branding initiative.


Kris Jones, who founded affiliate marketing firm Pepperjam of Wilkes-Barre and sold it to GSI Commerce a year ago after some ups and downs, has a new venture. ReferLocal will offer its members special deals starting in Northeastern Pennsylvania, with plans to expand elsewhere.


The publication RCR Wireless is bringing its Wireless Global Tour and Conference Series to Philadelphia in early June, highlighted by the RCR Mobile Broadband Philadelphia: Applications & Infrastructure Conference to be held on June 8 in partnership with the PA Wireless Association and Mobile Monday Mid-Atlantic. Agenda here.