EFE Labs Boosts Local Startups Through Ben Franklin Technology Partners Alliance

For many aspiring entrepreneurs and small businesses, finding the money to design and prototype their ideas can be a tremendous challenge.

Ben Franklin Technology Partners (BFTP) helps bridge that gap through its various programs and grant offerings, and a new alliance with EFE Laboratories will provide young companies with even more of the connections, technical expertise and financial capital they need to bring their products to market.

Led by majority owner and engineer Kip Anthony, EFE is a leading manufacturer of controllers, communication tools, medical devices, and other electrical and mechanical engineering solutions.

With 35 employees and growing, the Horsham-based lab has already helped clients obtain matching Ben Franklin FabNet (BFFN) prototyping grants.

For example, its work with SureShade has allowed founder Dana Russikoff to both expand the company’s market reach, and move the design and manufacturing of its retractable boat shades back to the Philadelphia area.

Not content to simply refer clients to the BFFN program, EFE actively reaches out to growing companies facing various developmental challenges and a lack of R&D capital.

“I’m trying to make sure that, through the network and connections I have, clients receive the help they need to move their manufacturing process forward,” says Anthony.

An established engineer with an MBA, Anthony understands the vital role manufacturing plays in the economy, and is passionate about sharing EFE’s capabilities and experience with the larger entrepreneurial community.

“There are a lot of good people behind this,” he insists, discussing how EFE’s new alliance might help bring manufacturing jobs back to the region. “[There’s] a lot of shared passion, and a lot of drive and desire to succeed.”

Published by Flying Kite | By Dan Eldridge, Writer | Posted: Tuesday, October 21, 2014

View the Article

About EFE Laboratories

With over 50 years of industrial and manufacturing experience, EFE is an established, solutions-based contract manufacturer. By collaborating with customers across diverse markets in pursuit of superior product design, development, and manufacturing services, EFE brings extraordinary expertise to its customers. We do this by relying on an industry-leading commitment to quality evidenced by our UL, ISO, IPC, and other certifications. From startups to the Fortune 500, EFE has proven its ability to deliver measurable value to organizations of any size.  For more information about the company, please visit their website: https://efelabs.com/ needed work

About Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA

Ben Franklin is the most active early stage capital provider for the region’s technology sectors. Through university, industry, and regional partnerships that accelerate technology commercialization and entrepreneurship, Ben combines the best practices of venture capital with a public-spirited purpose; to lead the region’s technology community to new heights, creating jobs and changing lives for the better. Ben Franklin is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and is funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority. For more information, please visit www.partnerswithapurpose.org