PhillyTech People News 9/5/2018: IoT, Clinical Trials tech leads

Edison Partners hires new partner, Daniel Herscovici.
Previously, Dan worked at Xfinity Home where he was senior vice president and general manager.

The Amazon-Berkshire-JPM health venture led by Atul Gawande has a COO: Jack Stoddard (CNBC)



CRF Health and Bracket announced the closing of their merger in early September, creating a leader in Clinical Trials Technology based in Wayne. Bracket's current CEO, Mike Nolte, will assume the role of CEO for the combined company. An experienced leadership team from both organizations will help guide the strategic direction of CRF Bracket, the company says in a release.



Rick Bulotta is now Director, Azure IoT Strategy for Microsoft. Bulotta said on LinkedIn that he'd be working part time for Microsoft, based out of the Philly area. Bulotta, who co-founded ThingWorx, also has his own shop.



Leading Philadelphia based visual search company, Slyce, was awarded the prize for Mobile Solution of the Year at the Retail Systems Awards 2018 held in London, England in June. The award came as recognition for the company’s work with Tommy Hilfiger in producing its snap to shop app, TommyNow Snap.

Ted Mann, CEO of Slyce, who was in London to collect the award said, “This award is a great achievement for the entire Slyce team who went above and beyond to bring TommyNow Snap to life. It’s also fantastic recognition in Europe, a market we believe will be a strong one for our technology going forward. The app itself was a huge success which we’re very proud of - even Tommy himself was quoted as saying that the technology marked a ‘breakthrough in shopping!”

Slyce provided the cutting edge visual search technology at the heart of the app, the 1st ever retail shopping app built entirely around the camera and visual search.


Slyce is now expanding into France and has been selected to join Lafayette Plug and Play - the premier business accelerator for the retail and e-commerce industries.




MissionOG recently made what it considers two important hires for the firm's future.

Michael Heller is now an operating partner at MissionOG. Previously, he was the president and co-founder of Argus Information & Advisory Services, an information services firm that serves the banking industry.

Liz Haerling is its new VP of finance. She joins MissionOG after ten years with Graham Partners.

Managing partner George Krautzel emphasized two things in an email note:
1) how MissionOG is attracting top talent to a growing investment firm here in Philly
2) how MissionOG continues to accelerate and build a world-class investment firm here in Center City




Q&A: Entercom Comms Head Esther-Mireya Tejeda Is Wooing Marketers Back To Radio
(Holmes Report)

Entercom Taps New HR, SVP and Names Pair of PDs . (RadioWorld)



Dilworth Paxson appoints new co-COOs; Raju to serve another term as CEO
(Philadelphia Business Journal)



Connexus Technology CEO Wins Philadelphia Business Journal Award (PR Newswire)

DrayNow Raises $5 Million in Series A Financing from Comcast Ventures and Osage Venture Partners

24.178.145.127 ­
DrayNow Raises $5 Million in Series A Financing from Comcast Ventures and Osage Venture Partners
The Intermodal trucking industry’s first technology platform for freight booking and tracking gains momentum in the hot shipping & logistics sector

August 28, 2018 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DrayNow, the first real-time marketplace transforming the way Intermodal shipping brokers connect with available motor carriers, has completed its Series A funding of $5 million, led by Comcast Ventures and joined by Osage Venture Partners.

Philadelphia-based #tech #startup, @DrayNow completes its Series A funding of $5 Million led by @ComcastVentures and @OsageVP. DrayNow offers the first real-time marketplace for those working in #intermodal freight.
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“We’re passionate about removing the friction and manual processes from this niche of transportation that has struggled to innovate,” said Mike Albert, founder and CEO of DrayNow. “Every stakeholder within the intermodal supply chain is asking for transparency and status updates in increments previously unimaginable due to our industry’s fragmentation.”

DrayNow is reinventing the way Intermodal freight moves over the critical first and last miles with a robust, tech-enabled marketplace. DrayNow’s instant load-booking app and match-making platform not only helps shippers and brokers connect to trucking capacity, it provides the first window into what’s happening with any given shipment at any time.

DrayNow will use the recent financing to grow its team and fuel an expansion into new geographies. At a time when the Intermodal industry is facing constrained capacity, with fewer than 5,000 carriers able to access Intermodal freight, DrayNow opens that market to another 845,000 carriers. The company’s steady revenue growth and freight volume increases throughout 2018 is validating the value of a more accessible, real-time marketplace.

“Over the past 6 months, 78% of the loads posted on our DrayNow Marketplace are taken in less than 20 minutes. Both sides of the business – brokers and carriers – are capitalizing on the simplicity and transparency of our real-time booking engine,” said Albert. “And it’s not just the ability to match freight to carriers that’s driving the interest, it’s a superior experience. We spent the past 6 months asking our customers and users what they need…and then refining our platform to deliver total visibility, greater operational efficiency and other tools to help improve overall quality of life. Now, with the support of our great partners, Comcast Ventures and Osage Venture Partners, we’re better positioned to swiftly move into new markets.”

“The shipping and logistics industry is an incredibly vital and growing part of our economy. Yet the Intermodal sector of the industry has seen very little technology enabling the match-making and operational efficiency it needs,” said Sam Landman, managing director of Comcast Ventures. “We invested in DrayNow because the team and the technology establishes a much more efficient method for moving freight. In addition to being the first mover in the space, DrayNow has demonstrated an ability to build and refine an offering that addresses its customers’ pain points.”

DrayNow’s prior financing included co-founder investment and seed funding from Genacast Ventures.

About DrayNow

DrayNow provides technology-driven solutions for the intermodal freight industry. Led by industry veterans, the company operates the first intermodal marketplace connecting brokers to available carriers. The DrayNow Marketplace is accessed by Third-Party Logistics (3PLs), Intermodal Marketing Companies (IMCs), and brokers through a desktop interface where users can view truck capacity in real-time, post loads, track load status and obtain electronic documents immediately. With DrayNow’s mobile application, truck drivers can get turnkey access to Intermodal freight, browse loads, compare rates and details, select loads, deliver loads and get paid faster.

About Comcast Ventures

Comcast Ventures is the venture capital affiliate of Comcast Corporation. Comcast Ventures invests in innovative businesses that represent the next generation of technologies that will change the way people live, work and interact.

About Osage Venture Partners

Osage Venture Partners (OVP) invests in early stage, business-to-business (B2B) software companies on the East Coast from its offices just outside of Philadelphia, PA. With over $175 million under management, OVP seeks to invest in determined and creative entrepreneurs and provide them with the capital and support required to build high-growth, market-leading businesses. For more information, visit www.osagepartners.com.

Contacts
Broadpath, Inc.
Christina Manning (for DrayNow)
215-644-6509
cmanning@broadpathpr.com


DRAYNOW
Release Summary
DrayNow, the first real-time marketplace transforming the Intermodal freight industry, completes its Series A funding of $5M led by Comcast Ventures.


#Hashtags
#tech #intermodal #startup
Contacts
Broadpath, Inc.
Christina Manning (for DrayNow)
215-644-6509
cmanning@broadpathpr.com

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