At Pittsburgh’s Reclamation Factory, Georgia Crowther aims to use automation to turn waste into park benches, playgrounds and more.

On the flip side, Philadelphia’s distinct neighborhood culture can be a major asset. Loyal customer bases, strong local pride and an ever-growing network of incubators and accelerators help many ...

Other investors include Silicon Valley VC titan Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Ardent Venture Partners in DC, Liberty Mutual Strategic Ventures and Acrew Capital, among others. Andreessen Horowitz led ...