I’m running one of the fastest growing app development companies in the United States. We’ve been around for almost seven years and have helped launch over 160 applications around the world.
Here is the best part. We aren’t based in San Francisco.
We’re not in Silicon Valley.
We’re not even based in California.
No, we're based in the City of Brotherly Love, the place where cheesesteaks are king and we bleed green.
Our home is Philadelphia.
You see, over the past few years, I’ve become frustrated by the lack of love for the Philadelphia tech scene. It's not just a deafening silence, but clear disrespect for this incredible city. Philadelphia is often overshadowed by its big brother an hour and a half north - New York City. You’ll hear about Boston, even Washington DC, but you don’t often hear about Philly.
It’s time to change that.
1. Philly has tons of smart, eager talent
You've got the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, and Drexel University. That's not all.
There's also Saint Joseph's University, the College of Philadelphia, and La Salle University.
The hits keep on coming: Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia University, and Villanova.
And I’m sure that some of these schools may ring a bell (pun intended). Here is the coolest part: they are all in or near the city. In fact, most of these schools cluster in one part of the city called University City.
Philadelphia doesn't just hold a ton of students in one concentrated place: they’re keeping them too. Back in 2015, Philly Magazine reported that, between 2006 and 2014, Philly added 120,600 millennials into the city. That's a staggering 41.2% growth.
Talent is here, and the talent is staying. With incredible nightlife, endless food options, Penn's Landing, Rittenhouse, Center City, Northern Liberties, Fishtown, and Manayunk, incredible talent is choosing to work and live in Philadelphia. This creates an environment of young professionals hungry to join your growing startup.
2. Philly offers great networking, coworking and funding opportunities
Heard of Philly Tech Week? No? You have a lot to catch up on. One of the biggest tech events in the country, this year is expected to draw more than 25,000 attendees. This is our SXSW: an event hosted across the entire city for a full week, full of meetups, workshops, conferences, keynotes, mixers. It’s an entrepreneur's paradise and turns the entire city into one giant playground.
Not a big enough event for you? How about Startup Grind’s Philadelphia chapter? TEDxPhiladelphia? Forbes 30 Under 30 Conference? WordCamp Conference? You're not about to run out of things to do.
Of course, if events aren't your networking style, maybe you'd like working alongside smart people at one of the most beautiful coworking spaces around. WeWork is here, but they're not the only ones. Benjamin’s Desk is one of the most fantastic coworking facilities in the entire world - with one hell of a view, too. IndyHall is one of the original coworking spaces, too. Then there's Venturef0rth, NextFab, Walnut Street Labs, Seed Philly, Project Liberty, and Devnuts. Don’t forget about the incredible amount of cafes in Old City, Northern Liberties, Center City, and Fishtown.
Perhaps networking on grinding out work isn’t your cup of tea. Maybe you’re more focused on raising funds. Understandable - and Philadelphia delivers. Philly is home to First Round Capital, as well as Ben Franklin Technology Partners, the Dorm Room Fund, Robinhood Ventures, Startup PHL, and Dreamit Ventures - just to name a few.
3. We're near the shore, the mountains and other major cities
You are an hour away from being on the beaches in New Jersey. One hour away from skiing and snowboarding in the mountains. It's just one hour to Six Flags Great Adventure, Dorney Park, Hershey Park and lots of other attractions. You can be in New York City, Baltimore, or Washington DC in an hour and a half, too.
Philadelphia is smack dab in the middle of everything. Companies can easily attract talent to relocate, and once you're here, it is easy to handle business travel across the whole east coast.
Don’t forget, this is the startup city of America after all. History is everywhere. One minute you can be walking by one of the most state-of-the-art skyscrapers in the world. Next minute, next to the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the first bar ever opened in the United States.
4. You're not in an oversaturated market
Perhaps one of the biggest assets for a growing startup, Philadelphia’s market isn’t saturated. The perk to an underrated entrepreneurial scene is the ability to make a name for yourself, separate yourself from the pack, and become a thought leader in the market.
But act fast, because Philadelphia’s tech and entrepreneur scene are growing - fast. There is no better time to make your move, before Philly become cluttered, saturated, and competitive. Move now, and by the time this happens, you'll have already made your mark, becoming a shining example leading Philly’s growth, and the definition of success in this incredible city. That's an opportunity that most other cities will no longer give you.
5. You'll be among other major Philly startups
When you do make a splash, you'll be in good company. Introducing your startup colleagues: DuckDuckGo, Seer Interactive, RJMetrics, Whose Your Landlord, Linode, Technically, Benjamin’s Desk, and of course my company, Chop Dawg - (*cough* shameless plug *cough*). Point being, the market is validated and companies are growing at a rapid pace here. Philadelphia has already proven to be a great foundation to attract talent. But above all, it's an incredibly close community in which everyone wants to see each other succeed.
6) You won't break the bank here
Perhaps the most attractive thing for young startups and growing companies: this city is affordable. Housing isn’t expensive. Rent isn’t unreasonable. Everything is walking distance. Public transportation is great. Uber is widely available.
You’re near everything and have everything you want in one place. If it isn't, and you're the healthy type, you'll find bike lanes on almost every major road. There's easy access to the sports stadium, too, and lots of free parks and public space when you get there. Philadelphia will give you one of the best bangs for your buck, both as an entrepreneur and as a resident. Not many major cities in the States can give you that.
7. You'll love The Wawa
For those that live in the area, this is self-explanatory. For those who never have heard of Wawa before, imagine the convenience store of your dreams. That’s a Wawa and they are everywhere in this great city.
8. You'll get the hard-hustling East Coast mentality
Perhaps above all, Philadelphia brings you into an East Coast mentality. It's that fast-paced, agile mindset you associate with New York City's busy streets - just without the busy streets. The fact is, Philadelphia is full of go-getters. We're not ashamed to get our hands dirty with blue-collar work, and bring that grit into building global, white-collar-staffed companies. We understand here that things won’t be easy - but that doesn’t mean it won't be worth it. We all have each others’ backs. After all, that's what it means to live in the City of Brotherly Love
Get to Philadelphia Already
At the end of the day, Philadelphia is the 5th largest city in the country. It's also the 3rd densest, and the 6th largest metro region.
It's full of smart people, with over 100 colleges and universities in the region. You'll find 13 Fortune 500 businesses that call this city home. They're joined by 5,100 IT businesses in this area alone.
It won't break the bank. The average rent for an office is only $28/sq ft.
But you're not trapped here: Philly has one of the top 15 busiest airports in the entire world, and the 3rd busiest train station.
You'll be in good company, too. Besides the growing startups we already mentioned, Philly has seen three major tech exits for a combined $3.9 billion.
Philadelphia is quickly popping onto the radar. Hell, I’d argue for a lot of you, it already has. This is the time your startup, your company, or even you individually should considering joining this movement and relocating to Philadelphia.
This city is growing and changing, and brilliant, like-minded individuals like you will continue to put it over the top.