Announcing Philly Startup Leaders' 5-Year Vision
Like many of you, 2020 was a year of change for us. We hosted our very first idea-stage accelerator just as lockdowns began, which forced us to transition or postpone our beloved programs and events. Several board terms ended as internal leadership transitioned on to exciting new opportunities.
As we kicked off 2021, we added new faces to our Board and team with a new Executive Director and Director of Programming & Events - just in time for The Grand Reopening and a world very much in need of new ideas. The needs in our communities also changed. While our core missions remain unwavering, they’ve certainly evolved.
CORE MISSIONS:
Increase the number of entrepreneurs in Philadelphia: By increasing visibility, access, education, funding, and community-based support for new entrepreneurs, we can ensure that new ideas make it to market.
Grow the number of startups positively impacted by the community: Ensure our startups are able to locate and leverage the information, resources, and support to start, stay, and grow in the region.
Help create a positive perception of Philadelphia’s startup ecosystem: Tell the story of Philly’s many successes across the nation and the globe to invite new trade, talent, and investment.
Equitable entrepreneurial development: Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are central to the entirety of our work. We’re committed to action that leads to systemic change, which is necessary to reduce barriers to entry for all entrepreneurs and ensures that all Philadelphians benefit from the economic development and innovation here.
VISION:
For over 14 years, Philly Startup Leaders has provided instruction, encouragement, mentorship and connections to early-stage entrepreneurs. As our world changes, our initiatives have as well. We are proud to share our long-term vision for PSL, and what that means for our founders, alumni, service providers and partners, including ways to get involved at every level:
Community Engagement: During the last year and beyond, it became clear just how important our network is - and how human connection is at the core of what we do, as the nucleus of the Philly startup ecosystem. Our true value stems from our network, which is rich with wisdom, intel, camaraderie and collaboration. In order to make our library of resources--and expansive 12,000+ member community--easier to navigate, and allow members to be more self-directed in finding what they need at every stage, we’re consolidating our community into one platform - PSL Connect.
This new platform will:
Create Connections - whether you’re looking for cofounders, mentors, or kindred spirits, makes it easier to find meaningful connections;
Promote Collaboration - start a dialogue by sharing information relevant to your stage, industry, or function while learning from others through discussions, events, accelerators, and co-working spaces;
Grow Your Business - identify mission-aligned investors, post jobs to attract local talent, and find vetted vendors to help you go from startup to scale-up;
Increase Visibility for your startup by setting up your searchable company profile, sharing milestones, and gaining trust by contributing to the community;
Think Global, Act Local - our resource library will be sourced from global ecosystem partners on the same platform, and from users in our community, so you can learn from trusted best practices and expand your perspectives;
Help Us Share the Story of Your Success - The more we know about our community, the better we can advocate for investment into our ecosystem. Philly’s got a lot to brag about, so help us share your success story with sponsors, partners, prospects, investors, talent, and media in the region and beyond.
Welcome Wagon
Philadelphia is seeing an influx of new ideas to our ecosystem and a grand migration of newcomers to the region from all over the nation and the globe. Knowing where to start, establishing your network, and understanding the culture of your new community can be challenging.
We are proud to introduce the Welcome Wagon event series to connect newcomers to Philadelphia to the organizations, resources, and opportunities that will help them build a deeper relationship with our city. By hosting monthly meetups all around the city, we will:
Deepen Contextual Understanding of Philadelphia by showcasing local businesses, resources, history, and culture to newcomers all over the city to ensure they become active, equitable contributors of their new neighborhoods;
Welcome New organizations, Individuals and Ecosystem builders to the city and help them connect with our community in an approachable, accessible ways;
Strengthen National and Global Connections by turning newcomers into enthusiastic evangelists that promote trade and the exchange of ideas;
Re-engage legacy PSL members to tell the true story of Philadelphia and invite others to join in our journey forward;
Authentic Engagement - As businesses expand to Philadelphia, we’ll guide them to trusted local partners and talent to ensure they’re engaging our local community in a way that aligns with the culture and context of Philly.
Global Identity
It’s no secret that there’s nowhere like Philadelphia.
Our residents are known for their rise-and-grind mentality and are self-directed problem solvers by nature; both traits are integral to success in startups and in business overall. Not only are we direct, aware, pragmatic, and energetic, but we live in one of the most historic, centrally-located geographies in the nation. Our global legacy runs deep - from the vibrant immigrant communities that shaped this city, to our bustling ports and airports that facilitate international trade, and the expansive acclaim earned by our academic institutions. In an increasingly digital world, it’s never been easier to do business and share ideas with the world.
At the same time, there is a potential here that has been left largely untapped--the potential to think on a global scale. Philly can hold its own on the world stage. In thinking globally, we aim to:
Create Net New Revenue Streams that bolster economic growth and wealth for all the region’s residents through trade, investment, and innovation
Invite Others to Join Us in the Journey toward Equity - Philly leads in diversity in STEM, but still has a long way to go to be truly equitable and representative. Let’s share what’s worked with other ecosystems and invite them to join us on the journey forward.
Scale our Potential - One of the best things about Philly is that it’s hyper-local and community-oriented, but sometimes that means our startups sell themselves short by not thinking in scale. By creating more visibility and access to global business, our entrepreneurs can share their ideas with the world and build big along the way.
Sharing a Unified Story of what makes Philly an incredible place to start, stay, grow, invest, and employ
Attract Viable New Jobs to our region by inviting growing companies to hire Philly talent while we continue to develop our entrepreneurial ecosystem, creating new jobs, new skill building opportunities, developing global networks, and providing higher income to local job seekers
Seek New Inspiration - By developing deeper relationships with other startup ecosystems, we can learn about effective approaches to complex social, civic, startup, and enterprise challenges that we can apply here to advance our city too.
Workforce Development
While we’re absolutely thrilled by the support from our sponsors to promote more diversity in entrepreneurship, true equity isn’t as simple as offering more funding. The barriers to equitable, representative entrepreneurship are systemic, intentional, and deep-seated.
There is ingenuity in every corner of this city, but many entrepreneurs are underestimated and excluded from accessible education, lucrative employment, business financing and investment, visibility in professional networks, and reliable resources. This systemic bias keeps many brilliant minds from developing industrial, social, and economic capital necessary to explore entrepreneurship. Underrepresented communities have the skill sets necessary to start a billion-dollar businesses and create generational wealth. Unfortunately, traditional workforce development programs fail to train talent into roles that offer economic mobility.
We propose a workforce development program that utilizes the spirit, resourcefulness, and resilience of talent in our city to prepare and place them in lucrative, valuable Go-To-Market roles in startups, tech companies, and digital brands.
By listening first, and developing the program alongside key strategic partners in community development, we:
Reframe and Repackage Cultural Capital, Soft Skills, and intrinsic motivators from non-scaling career paths, non-linear talent and those re-entering the workforce;
Create Pathways to Leadership Roles and Six-figure Incomes;
Develop Understanding of functional best practices, organizational hierarchies, industry jargon, and career advancement tactics
Collaborate with Local, State, Federal, and Private entities to create programs, tax incentives, and funding for training and placement
Place Talent with local and launchpad startups, scale ups, and enterprise partners that have demonstrated equitable environments and the abilities to continue developing non-linear talent
Promote Intrapreneurship and Entrepreneurship so talent can develop their skills, networks, and knowledge on the job, and over time, identify opportunities for innovation - either within their organization or through their own ventures
The program will work with hourly workers, Returning Citizens, Street Economy participants, hospitality industry veterans, and direct-to-workforce talent to create visibility, accessibility, networks of decision-makers, industrial capital, and financial literacy in preparation for entrepreneurship.
Fundraising
As a nonprofit, PSL would not exist without the continued support of our individual donors, alumni supporters, strategic partners, and generous annual sponsors. We understand that each individual and organization has a unique goal for joining our organization and we want to ensure that we are able to not only facilitate a return on your investment, but create long-term partnerships that uplift us collectively. We are excited to introduce new ways to support the organization:
With our Lead the Round campaign, we are looking to re-engage our Legacy Members and re-invigorate continuing support for PSL;
As our flagship events like Entrepreneur Expo and Founder Factory return, look out for opportunities to exhibit and sponsor (in-person events like this cost tens of thousands of dollars to produce - they can’t happen without you)
As a sponsor, invest in equitable entrepreneurship by donating to our Underserved Founder Fund that offers grant funding for Accelerator graduates.
Support our lean team and operating expenses (it’s just the two of us for now, and a pretty darn awesome board for this robust 12,000 member community!) through a monthly donation so we can expand our offerings and the team needed to make that happen
In-Kind Donations like space for events, food & beverages for events, volunteer hours, and other non-financial contributions are always welcome! Please let us know if we can consider you a partner in our planning.
For startups looking for support and advice during times of growth, we will be offering office hours and 1:1 consulting with experts in growth marketing, go-to-market strategy, legal services, accounting and more; and qualified introductions to the right agencies who can help you succeed. Reach out to us to host!
We are a 501c (3) Nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible.
Ongoing Events & Initiatives
After a long year without in-person events, we can’t wait to see you all again soon! Many of our well-known and beloved events are in the works for the fall and beyond, including Founder Factory, Entrepreneur Expo, an array of networking events, speaker panels, and a hybrid version of our MVP-stage Founded in Philly Series II accelerator. We have new collaborative programming in the works with several partners. We are continually committed to expanding our Underserved Founder Fund and meeting underrepresented entrepreneurs where they are, with a series of pop-up office hours in community and co-working spaces across the city this fall, and look forward to expanding our relationship with peer organizations and events committed to equitable diversity. Our list-serves and Slack channels will remain active throughout the year. The Startup Guide and Community Event Calendar will be updated and incorporated to our PSL Connect Platform. We’re presently reimagining the format for our idea-stage accelerator to support even more entrepreneurs and startups, including cannatech, social impact, healthtech, sustainability, and other emerging industries. Office hours will continue, and private consulting is available upon request.
Closing Thoughts
This community has been built by the village it serves. As an organization and an ecosystem, we are committed to the continued support and development of entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic growth in the Greater Philadelphia Region. As more investment, business, talent, and wealth is attracted to our area - through the work of our phenomenal peers, partners, investors, civic leaders, and entrepreneurs - it is imperative that this wealth benefits all Philadelphians and area residents equitably. As entrepreneurs, we achieve success not simply because we pull ourselves up by our bootstraps but because someone gave us a chance - to hear our idea, to invest in our growth, and to test out our solution. It is our collective responsibility as entrepreneurs and business leaders to pay that grace forward by lifting as we climb. Over the last year, it became more clear than ever that we need each other to survive, thrive, and advance together as a society.
We’ve got big dreams for this city and we know our community members do as well. Together, we can shout our stories all over the world, empower one another, and actualize the potential each and every one of us sees in Philadelphia. We hope you are equally excited and activated by these missions and visions for a more prosperous city. We look forward to taking this journey will you all!
Isabelle, Beth, and the PSL Board