Businesses are constantly looking to improve and accelerate the pace of production. For Fermento, the newest resident of the University City Science Center’s Port business incubator, that means speeding up the beer brewing process.
Recent winners of the University of Pennsylvania’s Y-Prize Competition, Fermento is now occupying lab space at the Port to further develop the technology behind its Microdroplet Maker. With this technology, brewers will be able to ferment beer up to three times faster than by traditional methods. By streamlining the fermentation process, brewers can avoid the often weeks-long bottleneck that can occur when waiting for yeast to convert sugar to alcohol.
Two other startups, BioSignal Analytics and SphereVis LLC, have also moved into the Port. A spinout from Temple University, BioSignal Analytics uses big data and machine learning to create clinical tools that recognize and interpret physiological signals. The company's first product, AutoEEG leverages deep learning techniques and the world's largest EEG database to perform real-time seizure detection in an ICU setting.
SphereVis LLC is developing microscope cover slides that improve image resolution. SphereVis‘ high resolution imaging of biological and photonic structures can be achieved using conventional microscopes, at a fraction of the cost of adding a high-resolution lens or purchasing an often expensive super-resolution imaging microscope. SphereVis was launched through the University of Pennsylvania’s UPStart program.
The Port business incubator helps emerging life sciences, physical sciences, and digital technology companies operate and grow through a suite of related programs and facilities. The Port provides coworking spaces, cubicles, fully furnished offices, and wet and dry labs directly in the heart of the Science Center’s legacy campus at uCity Square. The Port also connects its residents to Greater Philadelphia’s diverse and supportive innovation ecosystem.
About the Science Center
Located in the heart of uCity Square, the University City Science Center is a dynamic hub for innovation, and entrepreneurship and technology development in the Greater Philadelphia region. Founded in 1963 as the nation’s first urban research park, it provides business incubation, programming, lab and office facilities, and support services for entrepreneurs, start-ups, and growing and established companies. Graduate firms and current residents of the Science Center’s business incubator support one out of every 100 jobs in Greater Philadelphia and drive $12.9 billion in economic activity in the region annually. For more information about the Science Center, go to www.sciencecenter.org.
