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How is Philadelphia's startup ecosystem?

1 points by debacle ↗ HN
I'm looking to move in the next 12 months, and Philadelphia and the greater region has been shortlisted (wife has family there) as one of the potential locations to move.

Does Philadelphia have a good startup ecosystem, or am I going to find that there are plenty of "startups" but that the good jobs are few and far between?

I'm looking for something that's a bit more work-life balance than the previous startups I worked for, but at the same time I'm interested in being part of something that I believe in and which could lead to big things.

7 comments

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andrewantar
We are a philly startup hearo.fm and there is quite an ecosystem. Philly Startup Leaders hosts a ton of events and Penn/Wharton has a ton of founders who organize all kinds of things. Mentortech Partners and First Round are the prominent VCs. There are also a few co-working spaces. Are you a developer?
debacle
I am a programmer, process manager, development manager, project manager, and former business owner. I've pretty much done everything.
dmschulman
Might want to check out this map of statups in Philly:

http://phillystartupleaders.org/map/

I'm from the city, I live in SoCal now taking advantage of that startup scene, but I think if I moved back home I could find something tech oriented to do. Whether that company will be the next Amazon is a different story...

iamdprz
Is a smaller version of NY, easier for mining data. Is a multi-cultural haven in which they all mingle within a 2 miles radius. Head over to North 3rd(N3rd) St, is the equivalent of Silicon Valley. That's your best bet to Net-Work if you seeking Innovation. HUSTLE!!!

I hope that was helpful..

@iamdprz

hedonist
Well, "an analog to" rather than "the equivalent of" might be a better qualifier in the above.
opendomain
I work in Philly - it is a great city! Very clean and lower crime compared to New York. Also the cost of living is much lower than California - not to mention the taxes! We have a great startup scene as well, but if your real goal is Create your own startup, then the Valley or NY has more money and exposure. On the other hand, if you want to join a great company, we have some great ones- from DuckDuckGo to Comcast. GSI Commerce just got bought by eBay, so I guess they do not count as a startup, but it is a great company. You can live in NJ and have the option to work either Philly or New York.