Ben Franklin’s Record of Success
Startups and innovative established manufacturers seek fertile ecosystems. In partnership with the Department of Community and Economic Development, Ben Franklin creates and develops those ecosystems to make Pennsylvania more attractive, and supports and nurtures the types of jobs and opportunities that young people seek, keeping our students, children, and grandchildren in Pennsylvania.
Launched more than 35 years ago, Ben Franklin Technology Partners serves all 67 counties through four regionally based centers in Pittsburgh, State College, Bethlehem and Philadelphia, with several satellite offices spread across the state. The statewide initiative has become the international gold standard for high-tech development.
Ben Franklin leverages the excellence of Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities to build and accelerate the development of technology-based industries through competitive investments in early-stage startups and funding for innovation in established manufacturers.
(Learn more about the ways Ben Franklin and Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities create a winning partnership.) The statewide initiative also supports university-based centers of excellence and promotes greater collaboration among academia, businesses, investors and government.
The numbers speak for themselves.
According to the most recent in-depth analysis by two nonpartisan research organizations,
The Pennsylvania Economy League and KLIOS Consulting, Ben Franklin helped to create 11,407 high-paying jobs, generate $386 million in tax receipts for the commonwealth, and boost the state’s economy by $4.1 billion between 2012 and 2016. Jobs created by Ben Franklin’s client industries pay an average of $79,364 annually, which is 52 percent more than the average non-farm wage in Pennsylvania.
Every dollar invested by the state into Ben Franklin
generates $3.90 in additional state taxes, the analysis found,
with Pennsylvania receiving $386 million in additional state tax
receipts as a result of Ben Franklin’s investments in clients.
For a full copy of the in-depth analysis, visit
Since its inception, Ben Franklin has invested in more than
4,500 technology-based companies and boosted the state’s economy by more than $25 billion, helping to generate 148,000 jobs through investments in client firms
and spinoff companies in Pennsylvania.
2019 Economic Impact:
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2,071 jobs created
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14,712 jobs retained by client companies
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100 new client companies formed
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$2.2 billion in sales revenue generated by current client companies