On Tuesday, December 8, four teams participating in the Ben Franklin TechCelerator program gave their final presentations to a panel of judges consisting of local experts. 

The judges selected two winners—Heliome and Biotransitions—who received $5,000 to help advance their startups. 

Heliome, led by Dr. Andrew Patterson, is a virtually-based startup that formed 2 months ago and is focused on developing innovative drug treatments for metabolic diseases, such as Diabetes and Obesity. The team is developing effective and safe drug therapies and hopes to use their $5,000 to find a physical location in the area. 

Biotransitions, led by Jeffrey Catchmark, was the other winner and they plan to use their prize money to continue developing their biofoam for wound care applications. 

Other participants included Aleo BME and Spherical Acoustics. 

Working with these and other companies, the TechCelerator program helps keep entrepreneurship alive in our community and helps boost economic development. 

With more resources for aspiring entrepreneurs and startups becoming available in the area, economic development has seen a rise. In 2014, over 650 jobs were created in Centre County from technology startups alone, thanks to a vast number of resources for guidance.