Startups in Philadelphia Have Long Known How to Bootstrap and Grind. Now, the Original City of Innovation and Disruption Welcomes Startup Grind with Philly's Own Artist & Instigator Wayne Kimmel
A global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs, Startup Grind has landed in the City of Brotherly Love – finally! Programming consists of monthly one-on-one fireside interviews with the city’s most influential entrepreneurs, touting war stories of both successes and failures.
If Benjamin Franklin were alive today, he would likely be at the top of everyone’s speaker list for a fireside chat. So it’s only fitting that the new home of Startup Grind would be at Benjamin’s Desk, the Center City co-working space that bears his name and has dubbed him the ‘Original Entrepreneur’.
Entrepreneurs from all experiences, industries, and backgrounds are invited to attend the inaugural event on Wednesday May 1st following Philly Tech Week. Startup Grind Philadelphia will be welcoming Venture Capitalist Wayne Kimmel, Founding Partner of Artists & Instigators, the firm who's invested in startups like Dwolla, Seamless, Indiegogo, ReverbNation, Zaarly, and Nutrisystem to name a few. Make sure you join our Startup Grind Philadelphia MeetUp community here and reserve tickets for the kick-off event here.
The Philadelphia Chapter of Startup Grind is seeking to fill the gap in programming that currently exists in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. There are workshops, panels, and demos, but entrepreneurs are craving to hear the stories from the horses mouth and are looking for those little keys to add to their startup toolbox.
Why Philadelphia and why now? The city is in the midst of a burgeoning renaissance with an abundance of growing startups, city-led initiatives funding ideas and open data projects, and better access to capital with venture firm First Round Capital, and hopefully others soon, moving into the city.
And why not Philly? It is after all the birthplace of the most disruptive startup the world has ever seen in the United States of America. The founders knew Philadelphia was special, and so do we. Philly isn’t just a great first base – it’s the place to start, grow, and exit your company. We’re centrally located, home to some of the best human capital in the world at our institutions of higher learning, tremendously affordable considering cost of living and quality of life, and the level of opportunity for pay, advancement, and growth is as good as anywhere in the country.
From Safeguard Scientifics to Boomi to DuckDuckGo, we’ve seen the impact of venture capital leadership in a Pete Musser, a successful exit to Dell and unifying community leadership in a Bob Moul, and the closing of growth capital while leading by example and giving back through investing in a Gabriel Weinberg. The grind continues, but the city’s rebirth will now be told directly by the entrepreneurs who have shaped and continue to sharpen our city’s entrepreneurial scene. Startup Grind Philadelphia welcomes you to join the movement.
Join our MeetUp community here and reserve tickets for the kick-off event here. We're actively seeking local and global sponsors who share our core values of educating, inspiring, and connecting. Questions/comments/inquiries can be sent to mmaher@startupgrind.com.
The Philadelphia Chapter Director is Mike Maher. You can find his bio on the Startup Grind Philadelphia homepage here.
#GetYourGrindOn cc: @StartupGrind @StartupGrindPHL @BenjaminsDesk @Art_Instigators @WayneKimmel