Ben Franklin Technology Partners | How Pennsylvania's Innovation Economy Benefits

How PA Benefits

Pennsylvania has a stake in the continued success of Ben Franklin Technology Partners. And indeed, the commonwealth is a strong partner in support of the statewide initiative and its areas of focus. Ben Franklin’s strategy encompasses three key areas:

Developing and growing early-stage technology-oriented companies.
Supporting established manufacturers as they creatively apply new technology to help them succeed globally by producing better, cheaper, and faster.
Promoting an innovative community-wide infrastructure that supports Pennsylvania’s technology-based companies.

Funding entrepreneurial incubators and accelerators is a smart investment. Research by the Kauffman Foundation shows that young firms create the vast majority of new jobs. Funding the entrepreneurial ecosystem is a smart investment.
Other states have picked up on this, making the competition for technology all the more competitive. In fact, other states have adopted technology-based economic development programs of their own. Innovation is the key to long-term economic prosperity. States that harness innovation, and the companies associated with it, are capturing a disproportionate share of economic growth, generating tax revenue and creating the highly paid, sustainable jobs that drive strong economic growth.

According to polls, 89% of voters nationwide support initiatives to drive greater benefit out of science and technology innovation — exactly the kinds of programs that Ben Franklin offers today.

*Key findings from 2015 national public opinion research by the INNOVATION ADVOCACY COUNCIL: An initiative of SSTI.

Since its inception nearly 40 years ago, Ben Franklin Technology Partners has invested in more than 4,500 technology-based companies across Pennsylvania.

Technology-based startups are recognized as an essential component of a dynamic competitive economy.

Ben Franklin Technology Partners supports established manufacturers as they creatively apply new technology to help them succeed globally by producing better, cheaper, and faster.