We are excited to announce the 2026 Pennovati

If you watched drones light up the Philadelphia sky during the Eagles' 2023 playoff run, you were watching the work of a company with deep roots right here at Pennovation Works. Verge Aero, a former member of the Pennovation Center, has evolved from a small team tinkering with drone automation into a full platform company powering light shows for event producers and operators nationwide.

For many veterans, the hardest part of transitioning out of service isn't the discipline, the work ethic, or the resilience, it's knowing where to start in a civilian tech landscape that doesn't always speak the same language. On March 24th, the Vets in Tech Greater Philadelphia Chapter tackled that challenge head-on with Pathways into Tech, their first event of the year and a milestone moment for a chapter that's quickly becoming a vital hub for the region's veteran tech community.

Penn Dental researchers have engineered lettuce to produce functional GLP-1 peptides, a potential breakthrough for making diabetes and obesity drugs cheaper, easier to take, and gentler on patients.

What happens when you clear away the slide decks, ditch the long pitches, and put founders face-to-face with investors on an open demo floor? You get the Philly Startup Expo — and in March, Code & Coffee Philadelphia and OneSixOne Ventures brought that energy to Pennovation Center for one of the most hands-on, high-signal events the Philly startup ecosystem has seen in recent memory.

AI tools are getting smarter by the day. But are we? That was the main question behind Philly AI Connect's March event, The Human Edge in the Age of AI, held at Pennovation Center. And it set the tone for one of our most thought-provoking evenings yet.

Philadelphia’s startup ecosystem continues to gain national attention, and the latest RealLIST Startups 2026 from Technical.ly reinforces just how strong that momentum has become.

Each year, the RealLIST highlights early-stage companies poised for growth, selected based on factors like traction, innovation, and ecosystem engagement. The 2026 cohort showcases a wide range of industries from biotech and healthcare to AI and software, reflecting the diversity and depth of the region’s innovation economy.

In 2025, we broadened our horizons and strengthened the foundations laid in 2024, proving that Pennovation Works is not just a Philadelphia landmark, but a global destination for innovation.

From hosting 9 international delegations across four continents to welcoming over 200 students through our Youth, Entrepreneurship, & STEM (Y.E.S.) Initiative, we are ensuring that the future of STEM is both inclusive and global.

This year’s Pennsylvania Farm Show celebrated America’s 250th anniversary with the theme “Growing a Nation.” 

Over the course of the show, which is the nation’s biggest indoor agricultural exposition, Penn Vet faculty, staff, and leadership met with young people interested in becoming veterinarians, staffed the ‘Calving Corner’ exhibit, and showed off the expertise of the animals at Penn Vet’s Working Dog Center.

Studies suggest that between one-third and one-half of all dogs will develop cancer during their lifetime. 

Hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive, malignant cancer of blood vessel cells, is especially devastating and described as a “silent killer.” Currently, there are no diagnostic measures or tools to detect it early, and the prognosis once diagnosed is poor.