This week, we officially launched Keystone Innovation Collaborative (KIC). On Wednesday evening, we gathered with university leaders, investors, founders, and partners at our York headquarters to mark the moment together.

For more than a decade, venture capital largely centered on software. Capital flowed toward businesses with low overhead, near-zero marginal cost and the promise of rapid scale through code alone.

That is starting to change. The next wave of venture-backed innovation is increasingly tied to the physical economy, and it will look more like Pennsylvania.

White Rose Ventures, 1855 Capital and Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central & Northern PA are pleased to announce the first official close of Keystone Innovation Fund II, L.P. on April 3, 2026.

Natural ecosystems aren’t designed. They emerge. We learn this early in biology long before we sit through meetings about “innovation strategy.” Every organism plays a role. Balance is maintained through feedback loops. Startup ecosystems behave the same way. 

Central Pennsylvania has shown what happens when capital, talent, and support move in sync. The region now produces credible companies, attracts meaningful investment, and keeps more teams building here. The next step is turning that regional strength into statewide momentum.

Central Pennsylvania has built real strength in the “first mile” of entrepreneurship. Founders can find pitch competitions, small grants, incubators, accelerators and university programs to help get an idea off the ground. That’s important. It’s how the spark of a good idea starts to catch fire.

Pennsylvania has always been a place defined by ambition. From steel and rail to robotics and biotech, industries that have shaped the nation have emerged from all corners of the Commonwealth. The talent, ingenuity, and work ethic of PA entrepreneurs has never been in question. What has been missing is a cohesive network that brings these strengths together.