In early 2018 Francisco Garcia, Director of Business Development Innovation & Technology at the City of Philadelphia approached the Kauffman Foundation to bring 1 Million Cups (1MC) to Philadelphia. In May 2018, the first 1MC event took place. When asked why it’s essential to have programs like 1MC represent the entry point to the Philly startup community, Garcia shared, “I think the key is to make entrepreneurship more a part of the DNA of Philadelphia by bringing it down from its pedestal.”

“Don’t get me wrong, starting a business is extremely difficult, but the way it becomes inclusive of more communities is by making it easy for people to put themselves out there in an informal environment. It’s important to have programs like 1MC that don’t intimidate early-stage entrepreneurs from telling people what they’re working on and receiving constructive feedback.”

We at Philly Startup Leaders agree. As the lead organizer for 1MC Philadelphia, we aim to magnify the entry point to Philly’s startup ecosystem, and along with our organizing partners (representatives from Startup PHL, Drexel University, PromptWorks, Comcast, La Colombe, Switchboard Live and Cooley LLC.), offer a warm in-person welcome to new entrepreneurs seeking support from the thriving Philly startup community.

Meet The Companies 

Over the past year since 1MC came to Philadelphia, we have heard from 20 entrepreneurs, met up in 8 different venues hosted by organizations who have generously offered their space for us (Saxbys, La Colombe, PHL Innovation Lab, Comcast LIFT Labs, MakeOffices, 3675 Market St., Garfield Group, Vanguard Innovation Studio); and convened 300+ community members over many cups of coffee (thank you La Colombe, Saxbys, and Elixr). 1MC Philadelphia participants include:

Eoko inc. http://eokoapp.com

LincSphere http://www.lincsphere.com

RoundTrip http://www.rideroundtrip.com

Teamtrics https://www.teamtrics.com/

NuMoola http://www.numoola.com

TrekIT Health http://www.trekithealth.com

Social Detection, Inc. http://www.socialdetection.com

Vox Vinc3nt http://www.voxvinc3nt.com

My Bodega Online http://www.mybodega.online

Ippolito Media Arts http://ima314.com/

Swirl http://tryswirl.com

ZeroEyes http://www.zeroeyes.com

Vetd https://getvetd.com

Stem Lending https://www.stemlending.com/

Fulphil http://www.ful-phil.org

LucasPye BIO https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucaspye-bio-llc

Mel’s Butter Blends https://www.melsbutterblends.com

TYP Social Media http://www.typsocialmediaco.com

Nth Round https://www.nthround.com/

Pippy Sips https://www.pippysips.com/

For more about past presenters: https://www.1millioncups.com/philadelphia/events

The Inside Scoop

At these early morning meetups (8:30am – 10am every 3rd Wednesday of the month), each entrepreneur has six minutes to tell the community who they are, what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. “It’s not a sales pitch, and it’s not an investor pitch. The goal is to have people understand what you do and some of the challenges you have had in building your business,” advises the Kauffman Foundation, the organization that started this nationwide initiative. 

After the presentation, there is a 20-minute Q&A session that gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to connect with the audience, culminating to the million-dollar question: “What can we as a community do to support your growth?”

Why Present?

Companies that are less than five years old and open to community feedback can apply to present. Benefits include:

• Opportunity to refine your presentation and elevator pitch
• A network for support, including coaching from a 1 Million Cups organizer
• Access to online training programs designed to help you create a compelling presentation and master the Q&A portion
• Opportunity to pitch again and again—after you made significant changes, or received feedback in another city
• A diverse audience to engage with and learn from plus the opportunity for exposure to new markets 
• The potential to receive local, regional or national media coverage on your startup

Stay Connected

The next 1 Million Cups is on Wednesday, June 19th at Vanguard Innovation Studio. REGISTER TODAY!

Apply to present at a future 1MC here: https://www.1millioncups.com/present

Stay in the loop on all 1MC events follow @startupleaders and @1MillionCupsPHL , and visit the 1MC Philadelphia website.

1 MILLION CUPS, founded by the Kauffman Foundation, is a free, nationwide program designed to educate, engage and accelerate early-stage startups. 1MC believes in the notion that entrepreneurs can discover solutions and thrive when they collaborate over a million cups of coffee. Drop in on our community of innovators and entrepreneurship enthusiasts to connect and support Philadelphia’s local startups.

The post 1 Million Cups Philadelphia: A Year in Review appeared first on Philly Startup Leaders.

The 2019 Accelerator Companies on stage at PSL Pitch Night

2019 marks the 6th year of the PSL Accelerator; a program that equips early stage startups with the knowledge and tools they need to achieve long term success.

This 12 week program includes educational workshops; mentorship; and a dedicated effort to connect new founders to the powerful and generous startup ecosystem Philadelphia has to offer.

Over these past few months, we (the 12 companies, the mentors, our guest speakers and session leaders, and the PSL staff) have been on the rollercoaster that is entrepreneurship together.

The founders have attended weekly sessions covering content on business model refinement, storytelling, target market & customer discovery, financial projections, and fundraising; to name a few. They have been inundated with information, and received a wide variety of advice. They have grasped every opportunity to take this advice and their learnings and apply it to their businesses; all while seeking additional knowledge and feedback.

They’ve made decisions that not only affect their own futures but their families’ futures.

Some have balanced full-time jobs; some have left stable jobs to pursue entrepreneurship full time.

They have encouraged each other, challenged one another, but most of all they have inspired each other and everyone around them. We are incredibly proud of their progress and accomplishments during this time, and we can’t wait to see what’s next.

Hang Nguyen, Co-Founder of Leadovate at PSL Pitch Night

PSL Pitch Night, the culminating, celebratory event that gave each startup the opportunity to pitch their business to 250+ community supporters; marks only the beginning.

None of this would have been possible without the support of the PSL Network. PSL is a small but mighty team, that relies heavily on the strength and quality of our network in order to achieve our mission.

We want to thank everyone who has dedicated their time to this year’s program.

Beginning with PSL’s board of directors who early on in this process gave their time to meet with these founders; Offering candid advice and words of encouragement invaluable to our new-to-the-scene entrepreneurs.

Rick Nucci, Co-Founder & CEO of Guru leading our Go-To Market & Customer Discovery Session

Then came our mentors. Who were carefully paired with each company and dove right into the trenches with the founders, pulling from their own entrepreneurial experiences, and tapping into their own networks to help in any way possible.

Our weekly workshops were held at various venues throughout the city. These venues included startups, co-working spaces, corporate innovation departments and various service providers all who offered a physical space for us to convene each week (and who fed us, which is always appreciated).

Finally, our weekly workshops were led by guest speakers, including some of our accelerator alumni; all who offered tangible takeaways and valuable insights into their own successes and failures.

Bruce Marable, Accelerator Alum and Founder of Employee Cycle leading our session on Competitive Edge

It is because of all of these individuals and that “been in your shoes before” type perspective that lends most to the personal and professional growth of our founders.

We envision Philadelphia to be a place where everyone can achieve their entrepreneurial potential as a part of a collaborative startup and innovative community. It is programs like this one that help us attain this, and as we look to the future we plan to grow these educational opportunities to continue to fulfill that vision.

Devon Logan and Shandy Perez, Founders of MILES at Pitch Night

Thank you to our program sponsor AT&T; and to our Pitch Night sponsors Linode and Comcast LIFT Labs for your continuous support!

Special thanks to everyone who made this program possible

Mentors

Todd Outten

Laurie Actman

PC Nguyen

Morgan Berman

Sean Darras

Dave Becker

Keith Gornish

Rudy J. Ellis

AJ Bruno

Sean Boyce

Bonnie Ravina

Ben Williams

Guest Speakers

Sean Boyce

Greg Sterndale

Hillary Rea

Erin Houston

Rick Nucci

Bruce Marable

Will Waggenspack

Rick Genzer

Jason Bannon

Omar Mencin

Margaret Bradley

John Prendergass

Jeff Lentensky

Christopher Power

John Ridgway

Michelle Berkoben

Tom Koenig

Orly Zeewy

Venue Hosts

First Round Capital

Vanguard Innovation Studio

Netrality

1900 WeWork

MakeOffices

Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld Law Offices

Cambridge Innovation Center

Instamed

Ben Franklin Technology Partners

1776

The post A Look Inside the 2019 PSL Accelerator + Pitch Night appeared first on Philly Startup Leaders.

Meet CJ Koch, the Philly Startup Leader committed to helping homebuilders and flippers connect with contractors who are right for the job.

CJ was born and raised in Philadelphia and decided to begin his career in real estate investing here, as well.

“It seemed like a no­-brainer because of all the real estate development going on in every section of the City.”

For the last 15 years, he has built, renovated and invested in property throughout Philly. It’s safe to say that Real estate is his passion. Ever since his first experience flipping a house in his early twenties, CJ knew that the industry needed a tool to improve the often-frustrating experience of securing contractors for home improvement projects.

“People who build or flip houses agree that one of the toughest, if not the toughest, things to account for when taking on a project is finding the right contractors when you need them, I decided to do something about it!”

In 2018, CJ launched his Manayunk-based company – DirectSubs, which connects people who build or flip houses with the subcontractors they need in real time and based off common sense parameters like area of expertise, location and availability.

“I hope to provide all Subcontractors with an equal opportunity with regards to connecting with new Builders and House Flippers.”

We Had to Ask…

What is the single ­most valuable habit or tool you’ve used to set yourself up for success?
“Being attentive to detail.”

What is something you struggle with?
“Staying positive throughout the process, I mean some days are like wtf and others are like ­’Alright, we’re getting there….’”

How do you manage your work/life balance?
“By setting time aside for exercising and spending time with the people that matter to me. I’m trying to get better, though, because it’s easy to get sucked right back in.”

Name your Top 3 personal interests or hobbies… outside of work.
“In no particular order; exercising, eating and watching certain shows on Netflix or Showtime…”

Where do you see your company in 5 years?
“Here, in Philly, and doing the same thing we’re attempting to do now except our app will be much cleaner and with additional value being provided to our users. I have ideas for future iterations that I can’t wait to roll out.”

Paying it forward is important. What skill, service, or expertise would you like to share with the PSL Community?
“If anyone is thinking about getting into real estate, building, flipping houses etc…. reach out!”

To get connected with CJ Koch – Founder & Owner, DirectSubs – visit:

Facebook | @DirectSubs
Instagram | @DirectSubs
www.directsubs.com

Do you want to be in the Startup Leader Spotlight? introduce yourself>>

Subscribe to PSL’s monthly newsletter to see what’s going on and coming up for the Philly startup community.

Philly Startup Leaders is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization on a mission to help current and future founders succeed – in Philadelphia, and beyond. Help support PSL by making a tax-deductible donation!
Contact engage@phillystartupleaders.org for more information.

The post Startup Leader Spotlight: CJ Koch appeared first on Philly Startup Leaders.

On Wednesday, May 8, 2019 – PSL will showcase 100+ companies at The Fillmore Philadelphia. 

Come discover the innovative energy flowing through Philadelphia and meet the companies behind some of the greatest tech our city has to offer!

New this year –

We’ve added a wellness lounge for your self-care needs. There will be chair massages, facials, VR meditation and more, to help rebalance your energy and keep you going.

Want to end the game of calendar tag you’ve been playing with a colleague? Invite them for a quick chat during the Entrepreneur Expo! We’ll have seating available on the mezzanine specifically for your meeting needs.

Register to attend

Ad Tech & Digital Marketing

• Majux is an SEO, data and advertising agency that works with law firms, eCommerce websites, and companies.
• SocioSquares is a full-service digital marketing agency that helps brands create experiences, conversations, and magic.
• Zaploud turns your customers into your best marketers.

Agricultural Tech

• GrowFlux makes cloud-connected lighting and sensing technology to grow cannabis and food crops in greenhouses and indoor farms.

AR/VR

• ImmersiveXR brings the party with augmented reality, virtual reality, 360 videos, gamification, app development, live events, and other immersive experiences.
• Vizmoo is developing Groove Catcher, an innovative VR music game that gets players immersed in dancing and catching the music. Groove Catcher is aimed at a wide audience with a broad range of musical styles and feels, and varied intensity levels.
• Unified Web Media does immersive storytelling and panoramic virtual tours.

Data, Privacy, and IT Solutions

• Boxplot turns data into actionable insights and helps clients make smarter, data-driven decisions.
• Crossbeam is a collaborative data platform that helps companies build more valuable partnerships.
• Linode provides high-performance SSD Linux servers for all of your infrastructure needs.
• MongoDB is a document database with the scalability and flexibility that you want with the querying and indexing that you need.
• Privakey enables companies to implement consistent biometric identity confirmation at all customer touch points to improve the convenience of any secure interaction.
• Stimulus is a relationship intelligence suite software provider to help companies build better relationships – starting with suppliers and vendors.
• Stitch is a cloud-first, developer-focused platform for rapidly moving data.
• Topicbox is a new group email product from FastMail, is where teams share the knowledge they put into email every day.
• Tri-Force Inc provides innovative software application solutions to Government and Commercial Sectors.

E-Commerce

• Cotton Wars is an exclusive community of creatives competing in themed t-shirt design contests for significant prize money.
• ReturnLogic helps retailers optimize their product returns strategy.
• SideShare is a marketplace for peer to peer rentals of anything – tools, furniture, electronics, you name it!
• Plug App makes buying sneakers a happier and simpler experience than ever before.
• Truetone matches users to their perfect matches of makeup. And I would put the industry in e-commerce!
• Wearwell makes it effortless for women to find clothes that fit their style and their values through a tech-enabled personalized shopping experience.

EdTech (Educational Technology)

• ConsiderCode creates reliable software platforms to enhance skills and ease daily tasks.
• GLOBO is a B2B language services, tech and insights provider, leveraging proprietary technology to help people communicate when it matters most.
• Leadovate is a learning platform that provides personalized admissions guidance to college applicants to help increase their chances of acceptance and financial aid.
• Philly Tech Sistas aims to diversify the tech industry by empowering women of color with the skills and leadership tools needed to thrive in Philadelphia’s rich tech community.
• Play Pattern’s mission is to build communities of making and learning that support creativity and curiosity around technology.

FinTech (Financial Technology)

• 1Konto crypto and traditional asset brokerage – custom pairs at the best price.
• Bight is a payment processing company with a product that solves the problems of chargebacks and fraud in e-commerce.
• Drafthedge is a mobile app that allows users a cross between fantasy football and financial markets.
• Nth Round enables founders, family members, investors and key employees to buy or sell their shares at any time, with no worries or hassle.
• Plan Management Corp. (OptionTrax) is an easy-to-use SaaS platform for equity comp administration and cap table management.
• Tamman builds the inclusive web with digital experiences focus on function, style and performance.

Gaming

• Philly Esports organizes video game tournaments.
• Steem Monsters is a blockchain-based collectible card game.

Graphic Design & Creative Services

• Penji provides on-demand graphic design helping startups, agencies, and marketing teams achieve more.
• LRV produces videos and branded content to promote brands and ideas through visual storytelling.

Health & Wellness

• Airapy is an online behavioral health platform designed to increase access to behavioral health services while making therapy more affordable for both therapists and patients.
• Wodify is an all-in-one gym management platform.

Healthcare

• Bainbridge Health improves patient safety and reduces avoidable costs for hospitals by mitigating the risk of medication errors.
• Health Genie is an organizational app that helps manage your family’s healthcare.
• Indepence Blue Cross is the largest health insurance provider in Philadelphia.
• InstaMed powers a better healthcare payments experience on one platform that connects consumers, providers and payers for every healthcare payment transaction.
• Neuroflow enables remote monitoring and behavioral health integration across the continuum of care, including psychology, primary care, and pain management settings.
• RoundTrip drives better health outcomes by innovating patient transportation
• Wambi delivers a patient-driven healthcare employee performance and recognition platform that serves to create an improved experience for patients, families, and caregivers.

Hospitality & Travel

• Dineable lets users create a personal food profile and share it anywhere. Share when you travel, attend events, join a lunch meeting, eat at restaurants, or when getting together with friends. Use Dineable when hosting events and meetings to #getfoodright for important guests and clients.
• Hopskip provides hotel booking for group travelers.
• Live Philly is a mobile app connecting hyper-localized content to Philadelphia’s local events, brand experiences, and venues; giving people the ability to explore on their own terms.
• ROAR for Good (Always On) is a woman-led and mission-driven technology company dedicated to creating safer workplaces.

Human Resources & Employee Benefits

• Exude provides services all things related to your people including: HR consulting and outsourcing, Employee Benefits, Commercial Insurance and Retirement Plans for start-up businesses.
• Go2 streamlines back office support and customer service to help anyone take the startup path and grow.
• Justworks helps entrepreneurs and businesses grow with confidence by giving them access to big-company benefits, automated payroll, HR tools, and compliance support — all in one place.
• Sweat EquitE matches established professionals and students to “second time” opportunities at startups and non-profits.
• Swirl focuses on inclusive relationship building at work by connecting employees with similar interests and different backgrounds.

IoT & Hardware

• Arke Aeronautics makes life-saving autonomous drone technology for first responders.
• Luxtech designs, engineers, and manufactures LED module solutions for lighting fixture manufacturers; all the while creating economic, environmental, and social impact.
• MachineQ delivers best-in-class LoRa ^® based hardware, enterprise grade software, and expertise to speed up innovation and reduce time to market.
• Plynth is a music streaming device that uses image recognition technology to let users play records (or any physical media) without a record player.
• The Connected Device Group (CDG) enables the next generation of medical device, industrial and consumer electronics companies to establish and grow their market presence with expedited product development cycles.

Marketing & Consumer Research

• Clutch transforms the data you collect into hyper-personalized, intelligent interactions that increase customer lifetime value.

Media & Press

• Comcast NBCUniversal is a global media amd technology company.
• Technical.ly is a local news and events publishing company; they also help people find jobs they love.

MedTech & BioTech (Medical & Biological Technology)

• Group K Diagnostics is revolutionizing patient care with accurate, fast, and affordable diagnoses.
• Info Robot uses Artificial Intelligence to predict clinical trial outcomes.
• RegDesk is a software platform for regulatory intelligence and submissions.
• Strados Labs helps clinical teams monitor real-time changes in lung health throughout the entire episode of care so they can work to reduce exacerbation risk and create a more activated patient experience.
• SunP Biotech is an advanced research and manufacturing company specializing in 3D bio-printing systems and their applications in the field of advanced drug discovery/testing, cancer research, and personalized tissue engineered products.

NonProfits & Networks Serving Entrepreneurs and Startups

• Ben Franklin Technology Partners‘ provides direct funding, business assistance and networking opportunities to early-stage and established technology firms throughout PA
• Fulphil provides entrepreneurship resources to college and high school students to discover their passion and purpose to pursue their careers.
• The Science Center turns bright ideas into businesses and nurtures a workforce to support a 21st-century economy.
• PACT (The Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technology) provides members with valuable content and connections to capital, coaching, customers, and talent that will accelerate their growth and success.
• The ITEM is the leading cloud computing (Amazon Web Services etc.) and DevOps training provider in the Greater Philadelphia area.
• Trajectify helps Founders become CEOs, offering business and leadership coaching and consulting.

Real Estate & Workspace

• 1776 is an entrepreneurial ecosystem for startups along the northeast corridor.
• CIC Philly is a workspace for science and technology companies.
• Dwell City is a web platform that helps landlords rent to low- and middle- income tenants with confidence.
• Industrious is a provider of premium shared and private office spaces offering flexible, all-inclusive memberships.
• MakeOffices is flexible, affordable coworking & shared office space in Philly
• WEach Seats transforms premier restaurants into daytime workspaces, providing professionals with a reliable network of inspiring and productive drop-in places to work.
• WeWork offers workspace from desks to offices and entire headquarters and creates environments for productivity, innovation, and connection.

Sales Solutions & Metric Tracking Platforms

• MobileLeads is a one-stop innovative mobile platform for leads management automation.
• QuotaPath is an easy-to-use software that redefines the way sales teams calculate their commissions.
• Vetd is a buying platform for B2B SaaS products.

Service Providers

• Baer Crossey is a boutique law firm catering to the startup community.
• Janney Montgomery Scott is a Philadelphia-based financial advice and services firm serving individuals, small businesses and corporations.
• Morgan Lewis is a law firm who sees its clients as partners.
• Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr a law firm with an emphasis on commitment to client service, industry experience, and collaboration.
• ScaleFactor is a smart finance software that is changing the way modern businesses operate by automating complex bookkeeping tasks and translating financial information into usable business insights.
• Wilftek provides technology, three intellectual property, and business law services
• Wipfli is a CPA and consulting firm.

Social Media & Connectivity Platforms

• Classibridge is the maker of CMMNTZ, the next generation of Online Commenting with revolutionary features for community engagement for all types of platforms.
• Nomo FOMO connects travelers in person with their networks so they can enjoy more experiences together.
• Silly Smoker is an app for expressing fun spoofs using animated smoke and fire.
• Squawkr is a user-generated live audio platform to stream companion commentary for televised sports.
• Switchboard Live provides live streamers and media production teams the power to simultaneously live stream video to social media platforms like Facebook Live, YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, custom sites and more.
• Three Day Rule is a modern matchmaking company, combining technology and intuition to help singles date intentionally.

Transportation, Ridesharing & Infrastructure

• DrayNow connects intermodal freight with drivers on the industry’s first platform and marketplace.
• Habitat Logistics powers delivery for restaurants.
• MILES is revolutionizing the way busy people get around the city through connecting public and private transportation.
• Trust and Go is an app and social network that will change the way busy parents transport their kids.

Web Development

• Arcweb Technologies builds custom software for healthcare, fintech, and technology companies.
• IT Hands partners with software companies, marketing agencies and web development departments to provide expert web and mobile app development.
• Openforge builds customized web and mobile applications with the latest technologies and methodologies
• Zivtech is a full-service digital agency that specializes in open-source web development.

Unique 

• LeagueSide is the nation’s leading youth sports sponsorship platform – they make it simple and effective for regional and national brands to reach families involved in youth sports.
• ME.mory offers a revolutionary way of remembering your life.
• Oat Foundry helps businesses develop the intellectual property into real and unique products and machines as their boots-on-the-ground engineering design and fabrication team.
• Package Post prevents package theft in Philadelphia.
• Slyce is a visual search that allows you to find products inspired by the objects you see out in the real world, in print catalogs or in photos.

Register to attend

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

The post These Companies will be at Philly Startup Leaders Entrepreneur Expo 2019 appeared first on Philly Startup Leaders.

Q: How many companies will be accepted into the program?
A: 10-12

Q: Do I have to give up any equity?
A: Nope.

Q: What is the cost to participate?
A: We aim to keep our programs & events accessible to early-stage startups and founders. Payment plan options are available. Cost TBA.

Q: Will we receive any funding?
A: Not from the accelerator; however, you will develop strategies and tactics for pitching to investors. The program also includes a demo day where teams will meet with and pitch to local investors and potential customers.

Q: What type of curriculum will you cover in the program?
A: Goal-setting and Tracking Metrics, Market Research, Customer Discovery, Product Mapping & Design, Product Marketing & Launch, Business Modeling and Lean Thinking, Financial Modeling, Business Operations, Diversity and Inclusion, Traction and Growth, Team Building, Fundraising Pitch Preparation and Story-Telling…just to name a few?

Q: Will you sign an NDA? How do I know you won’t steal my idea?
A: Just like other accelerators and VC firms, we do not sign NDAs. We will respect the confidentiality of your venture / idea.

Q: We’ve been working on our startup for a while. Is the accelerator appropriate for us?
A: We are happy to work with more established startups. In fact, you are required to have a product or at least an MVP that’s ready to market and iterate on. Have additional thoughts on this question? Reach out to engage@phillystartupleaders.org.

Q: Do I have to be in the Philly area?
A: Yes, all of the programming will take place in Philly, and we don’t have a way for people to participate remotely.

Q: Does our company need to be incorporated?
A: Not yet!

Q: Where will the events take place?
A: Center City, Philadelphia

Q: Do I need co-founders?
A: If accepted, we allow up to two founders to participate. If it’s just you, that is okay too!

Q: What is the timeline of the program?
A: The application window is open for the month of September. October and November is application review, in-person interviews, and final company selections. Accepted companies will be introduced during our annual Founder Factory in early December. The program begins in February 2019.

Still have questions? No problem. Contact us at engage@phillystartupleaders.org.

The post PSL Accelerator FAQ’s appeared first on Philly Startup Leaders.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Kauffman Foundation, here’s some insight: Mr. K was a highly admired and highly successful pharmaceutical entrepreneur in the mid-60’s. So successful, in fact, that he created The Kauffman Foundation – an organization with ‘a mission to help individuals attain economic independence by advancing educational achievement and entrepreneurial success.’

With an asset base of approximately $2 billion, this non-profit is now among the largest private foundations in the United States.

The foundation works to achieve its mission through several programs. One nationwide initiative, 1 Million Cups, aims to bring entrepreneurial communities together every week (or month), to create a space for new entrepreneurs to pitch their business and receive real-time feedback from audience members. Through the power of volunteers, 1 Million Cups (1MC) has grown to more than 180 communities. 1MC launched in Philly last summer, thanks to the City of Philadelphia’s Commerce Department.

The City of Philadelphia and many passionate individuals in the Philly startup ecosystem were eager to support the program and jumped at the opportunity to volunteer on the organizing committee. Like 1MC, we all share a belief in the fundamental right to turn an idea into economic reality, regardless of who you are or where you’re from.

After a few months of 1MC events in Philly, the Kauffman Foundation HQ was hosting their annual 1MC Organizers’ Summit in Kansas City, and as PSL’s Head of Programs, I was offered the opportunity to attend. The conference created a space for 180+ organizing volunteers across the country a chance to meet in person, talk about their entrepreneurial communities, share triumphs, share struggles and create forward-thinking strategies to make our respective communities stronger, more inclusive and more successful.

The goal of the Summit was to listen, learn, and teach; to see where Philly falls on a national scale. I heard stories from small rural towns in Washington state that are just starting to create an entrepreneurship community out of coffee shop get-togethers; to stories from Fargo, ND where 500 people gather each week to show their support for rising entrepreneurs. 1MC organizers were prompted to use their experience to create playbooks to make 1MC as inspirational, educational and impactful as possible. It was an eye-opening experience to compare and contrast what Philadelphia has built over the last decade to other cities and towns across the country.

What set Philadelphia apart from most of these other places? Without hesitation: the foundation of our thriving startup ecosystem that supports entrepreneurs and exposes them to new resources every day.

Philly Startup Leaders is excited to share that we are the new lead organizer for the Philadelphia Chapter of 1 Million Cups. With support from the organizing committee: representatives from Startup PHL, Drexel University, PromptWorks, Comcast, La Colombe, Cooley LLC. and Switchboard Live; each month, Philadelphia’s startup ecosystem will convene to provide real-time and genuine feedback to the emerging entrepreneurs who need it most.

Why Philly Startup Leaders? PSL is considered the entry point for entrepreneurs or individuals looking to get started. We help people navigate the startup ecosystem, refer them to events and programs (our own and others), and introduce them to experienced founders who are looking to give back. We build the PSL network through emails, phone calls, PSL slack channels, the PSL Talk google group, and coffee meetings. Lots and lots of coffee meetings. What we do every day to promote and catalyze entrepreneurship in Philadelphia naturally aligns with 1MC.

The goal of 1MC is not just to add another event to your calendar, but to foster a supportive, consistent, learning community of entrepreneurs and the people that support them. Whether you are an experienced founder, a service provider, an investor, a government official, a university representative or a member of the media, these new entrepreneurs need your support and feedback.

As the lead organizer for 1MC Philadelphia moving forward, we hope to magnify the entry point into the startup ecosystem, and along with our partners, offer an in-person welcome to new entrepreneurs seeking the ever-growing and thriving Philly startup community. Stay tuned for our next 1MC event by following (@1MillionCupsPHL) on Twitter and visiting the 1MC Philadelphia website.

See you there!

Written by Jaclyn Allen, Head of Programs, Philly Startup Leaders

Founded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, 1 Million Cups is based on the notion that entrepreneurs connect and discover solutions over a million cups of coffee. The free, monthly gathering in Philadelphia helps to foster startup communities on a grassroots level. The 1 Million Cups model is consistent in each city: On Wednesday mornings, two early-stage startups present their companies to an audience of mentors, advisers and other entrepreneurs. Each founder presents for six minutes, followed by a 20-minute question-and-answer session with the audience.

The post PSL to Lead the Kauffman Foundation’s 1 Million Cups Philadelphia appeared first on Philly Startup Leaders.

The program concludes with Pitch Night, a celebratory event that gives each startup the opportunity to tell their story, pitch their business, and share what’s next for building their companies in Philadelphia. While Pitch Night is the culmination event to our annual Accelerator, it is only the beginning for these passionate founders and their promising startups.

These founders identified a problem and created a solution. Read on to learn more about what inspired our 2019 Accelerator companies to start-up.

“I have worked on the front lines of the public transportation industry in Philadelphia for nearly a decade. Each day I have noticed a major problem: the poor interconnectivity of public and private transportation. We believe that MILES’ approach is far more valuable to public transit companies than Uber’s simple offering of price and time comparisons.”

MILES seamlessly integrates public and private transportation options to solve infrastructure problems for public transit agencies.

Founders: Devon Logan and Shandy Perez

“We want to help save lives. The quicker we can get this technology in the hands of first responders, the faster we can do that.”

Arke Aeronautics enables first responders to arrive faster and respond more effectively than ever before possible by providing 360-degree situational awareness on-scene before they arrive.

Founders: Brandon Graham, Jon Penera and Sherman Hartman

“We were inspired to found WEach Seats after our son was born and lost our home office to his nursery. We discovered that there were many underutilized spaces throughout the city that could (and wanted to) be transformed into inspiring workspaces.”

WEach Seats is transforming premier restaurants into a network of daytime workspaces so professionals can enjoy their remote work freedom.

Founders: Matt Weaver and Sarina Chernock

“I’ve always loved education (my mom was a teacher) and helping others so NuMoola really brings those two passions together in way that not only helps families talk about money in the here and now but addresses a longer-term impact on savings rates, debt and a healthier relationship with money. My own kids inspire me each day because I see how excited they get when we talk about money in broad terms, not just what they can buy with their money but what it means to save it, give it away and even the idea of budgeting.”

NuMoola is a fun and engaging educational tool to help the next generation build financial wealth.

Founder: Eric Redline

“A person’s identity should not limit their career opportunity. Yet, it can, and it does. This is detrimental to the person, their company, and the economy at large. Swirl represents my passion to shift that paradigm.”

Swirl facilitates inclusive relationship building at work by connecting employees with similar interests and different backgrounds. 

Founder: Munir Pathak

“We saw a problem and we wanted to create a solution.”

Hopskip simplifies the way groups book hotel rooms.

Founders: Sean Whalin, Dave Santoli

“I love health care. I love helping people, and I love problem-solving. After working in healthcare for many years, it became apparent to me that it is a challenge for families to manage their healthcare and that there should be an easier way to simplify family health.”

Health Genie is an organizational app that helps manage your family’s healthcare.

Founder: Linda Donoho

“The founding team lived and breathed the challenges of the B2B buying process for years. Our experience buying and selling B2B software gives us a unique insight into why it is so difficult to buy today and how we can make the process better for everyone.”

Vetd makes buying B2B software incredibly simple by eliminating the worst parts of the sales process.

Founder: Andrew Hoagland and Zach Shapiro

“As a busy working mom of three active kids, it has been a challenge to find fast, trusted rides. The more I surveyed parents in my community, the more I realized that this need was real.  I want to change how parents find trusted rides for their kids, making it a seamless experience they can count on.”

Trust and Go provides immediate access to a trusted network of friends who will always help your kids get where they need to go.

Founder: Kari Kurtz

“We are inspired everyday to achieve our mission to level the college admissions playing field. We want to provide affordable and convenient means of receiving quality direction. We want to redefine an industry and to increase educational equality. We know it won’t be easy, but it will be special.”

Leadovate provides guidance counselors and college applicants with a solution to improve the holistic factors that impact admission results.

Founders: Lucas del Priore and Hang Nguyen

“I used to travel 40-50 weeks a year for work, and honestly, I got sick of spending time in locations alone. I’d often discover after the fact that most of these times I had friends, colleagues or people from my network who were in the same location as me that I could have met up with, if only we’d known it. I tried multiple tools to coordinate meetups and make the best use of my travel time, but other approaches were time consuming and inaccurate. That is why I founded Nomo Fomo and am on a mission to make it easier for people to get together outside of their hometowns and daily routines.”Nomo FOMO is a social travel app that allows frequent business travelers to share their travel plans with others. This allows travelers to then simply coordinate meetups with friends and colleagues who happen to be in the same place, at the same time.

Founder: Jeffrey Walsh

“I have always had a passion for creativity and design. My inspiration for starting Cotton Wars came from my general interest in t-shirt design and wanting to integrate myself into the creative aspect both personally and professionally.”

Cotton Wars is the first competition forum for talented designers.

Founder: James Gallagher

The 2019 PSL Pitches event will take place on the evening of Tuesday, April 23rd at Punchline Philly.

The post Meet the 2019 PSL Accelerator Companies appeared first on Philly Startup Leaders.

Meet Amberlee Venti, the Philly Startup Leader on a mission to reduce logistical barriers for breastfeeding and pumping women.

“The constant of my career has been serving people with limited means or mental illness (often both).  I’ve always been passionate about problem solving and advocating for others. …. Helping women to reduce stress about breastfeeding and pumping may be much different than mental health/social work but directly ties into my desire to help others.”

Pippy Sips was founded and built with these ideals in mind.

Venti is a mother of two. As she returned to work after the births of her daughters, it was important to her that she continue feeding them breastmilk. While Venti was able to pump at her job,  the process invited a number of issues and she was often exasperated thinking about everything that she needed to pack (pump, battery pack, flanges, hoses, milk bottles, cooling apparatus – to name a few), and all of the potential pitfalls she might encounter that day.

“Had I remembered all of the bottles, or was one still drying on the counter? Would I have to carry milk-filled bottles through a crowded conference room to get to the office refrigerator?  Was I going to be off-site, without access to the fridge? If so, did I remember the cooler and ice pack? Were those products going to keep the milk at the right temperature all day? What if my return home were delayed for some reason?”

Venti’s biggest concern centered around how to make storing and cooling breastmilk easier, and she was certain that she wasn’t the only woman experiencing this problem. When she learned that some women stop breastfeeding by 6 months because of a “lack of support”, she became driven to make a product for all breastfeeding and pumping women.

On December 7, 2018, Pippy Sips filed a provisional utility patent application for their first product: Maia – an all-in-one storing and cooling system for breastmilk. Venti is now working to raise enough funds to do Pippy Sips first round of manufacturing and bring Maia to market.

“We are hoping to raise $35,000 via our crowdfunding campaign on iFundWomen (a crowdfunding platform for women-led businesses).”

The Maia crowdfund went live in January 2019, will close in March, and has had 100+ backers contribute to the initiative to date. Learn more about Maia (or contribute to the campaign!) at ifundwomen.com/projects/maia.

We Had to Ask…

Where do you see your company in 5 years?
“My hope is that Pippy Sips is a successful business here in Philadelphia.  The city of brotherly loves wants breastfeeding and pumping to be accessible to all women and we want Pippy Sips to be a part of that mission.”

What is your favorite thing about doing business in Philadelphia?
“I love how people want to connect authentically in Philly.  I think it’s no coincidence that the Flyers’ mascot Gritty is so popular in this city.  This city has true grit and grit is needed for starting a business. Also, Philadelphia is a breastfeeding friendly city which motivates me even more!  Here are just a few examples of the great breastfeeding accomplishments of Philadelphia: the “Philly loves breastfeeding” campaign showing women breastfeeding on billboards and at bus-stops throughout the city; being the first city to have a law to protect women breastfeeding in public, and instituting two laws supporting breastfeeding and pumping women in the work environment; and there being 5 “baby-friendly” hospitals in the city, meaning that they promote and support breastfeeding.”

How do you manage your work/life balance?
“I am a huge advocate of “self-care” which comes straight from my mental health background.  I love yoga, long baths, reading, listening to podcasts about self-care (Forever 35!!!) and binging on Netflix (self-care in my eyes).  Lastly, I love trying new things! I took a concrete-planter building workshop (at Nextfab) and made candles (at Wax+Wine) this past year and loved it because it got me out of my comfort zone and forced me to be absolutely present.”

Ask | Give

ASK: If you could connect with just ONE expert on ONE thing you need help with right now, who/what would it be?

A woman who has started a small business here in Philly, and has manufactured a product and brought it to market.

GIVE: Paying it forward is important. What skill, service, or expertise would you like to share with the PSL Community?

Mentoring.  I am new at starting a business but would love to mentor any young women here in Philadelphia trying to find their path in life (career).  I have supervised interns and employees in the past and love making and maintaining these connections.

To get connected with Amberlee Venti – CEO and CoFounder of PippySips – visit:

Twitter | @PippySips
Facebook | @PippySips
Website | www.pippysips.com

Do you want to be in the Startup Leader Spotlight? introduce yourself>>

Subscribe to PSL’s monthly newsletter to see what’s going on and coming up for the Philly startup community.

“Every time I receive the [PSL] newsletter, I get to hear about other people in my own city taking positive risks and creating new and better products and services.  It’s inspiring and continues to drive me to do the work that I do!”
– Amberlee Venti | CEO and CoFounder, PippySips

The post Startup Leader Spotlight: Amberlee Venti appeared first on Philly Startup Leaders.

For as long as I can remember, I grew up wanting to be an attorney. Unlike other kids, I never waffled between being an astronaut one year and being a firefighter the next. I had blinders on to achieve a single mission. To that end, I graduated from college in three years to go straight to law school. Upon graduation from law school in 2007, I landed my dream job at a prestigious law firm founded in 1890. I finally made it – or so I thought. I was a lawyer!

The financial crisis in 2008 shifted the world dramatically. I was fortunate to still have my full-time job as a commercial litigator with an amazing firm, but many of my friends, attorneys and otherwise, were not so lucky. Many of my friends and former colleagues were forced into starting their own companies, which in hindsight many believe to now be a blessing in disguise. Over the next few years, my eyes began to open as I was slowly brought into the emerging entrepreneurial ecosystem of Philadelphia.

I attended my first Philly Startup Leaders (PSL) happy hour in 2010 and met an amazing group of young and seasoned entrepreneurs. We opened our doors to Benjamin’s Desk (now 1776) in late 2012 and I witnessed first hand the beginning of Philadelphia to put itself on the map as a place for growth entrepreneurs. As my company grew, we were able to serve more and more entrepreneurs in the Greater Philadelphia area and I slowly shifted away from being a practicing attorney, finally leaving my law firm in 2016.

Like many entrepreneurs, I often reflect and ponder the age-old thought of wishing I knew then what I know now. I personally believe everything happens for a reason and don’t believe in regrets, but this does not mean I can’t have reflection on past events.

Being singularly focused on becoming an attorney and not considering other options set me back. I never took a business or finance class so everything has been self-taught. To this day, I still devour blogs, podcasts, and books on business or entrepreneurship. Partially because I am a self-proclaimed super nerd, but also because I needed to close my self perceived gap in relation to my peers.

As the new PSL President, I am humbled, privileged, and honored to continue to serve the entrepreneurs of Philadelphia. To me, this means current and future entrepreneurs. I want to provide a level of exposure to future entrepreneurs that I never had. PSL achieved this in part by introducing Founders 101 and hosting a fantastic Diversity Dinner (did you know half the event attendees at Diversity Dinner had never attended a PSL event before?), but PSL has even bigger plans for 2019 and beyond. I truly believe that it will only be through this exposure that will allow us to inevitably achieve greater success and diversity in entrepreneurship.

So now that you know my story, I would love to hear more about yours and how PSL can support your goals. Email me at jennifer@phillystartupleaders.org so we can set up a time to chat!

The post Meet PSL’s New Board President Jennifer Maher appeared first on Philly Startup Leaders.

Twitter: @weneedmomentum | @phonerepairphl
Instagram: @needmomentum | @phonerepairphilly
Facebook: @momentumdigitalagency | @phonerepairphilly
LinkedIn: @momentum-digital | @phone-repair-philly

Meet Mac Frederick, the Philly Startup Leader who started two companies in Philadelphia after being fired from his dream job at Google.

At the time, Frederick was living and working in Ann Arbor, Michigan and – as many first-time founders do – he had been toeing the line between his full-time job and starting a business on the side. After being let go for creating an agency on the side, he decided to go all in on his new venture.

“It was the worst thing that had ever happened to me, but it forced me to make some serious life decisions.”

He had to choose between moving to either Southern California where he could be closer to his co-founder, or to Philadelphia, where he could be closer to friends and family. Philly won.

“PSL has been a catalyst for a lot of my connections and friends. I met people at PSL events that I talk to daily at this point. When I moved to the city I didn’t know many people so I constantly was networking. Now I have a lot of friends and connections.”

Frederick started Phone Repair Philly and Momentum Digital out of Philly’s own Venture Forth co-working space. Despite experiencing difficulty scaling, and going through the many growing pains that many entrepreneurs experience, Momentum Digital now employs a team of 15 and Phone Repair Philly has 4 locations and was rated Best Smartphone Repair Shop by Best of Philly in 2018.

In college, Frederick discovered his passion for small business and entrepreneurship and started his own club to help impact younger entrepreneurs. Now, he runs Small Business Saturday – a free initiative through Momentum Digital which highlights small, local, unique businesses. “These are the companies that get left behind because they can’t afford the latest technologies, and don’t have massive marketing budgets. Most of these companies can’t even afford our agency, and yet small businesses are the backbone to the economy, employing over 50% of the workforce.” 

In 2019, Frederick plans to start building a program with educational leaders in the digital marketing space to help empower a younger generation of entrepreneurs to be their own boss through mentorship and training.

We Had to Ask…

Name your Top 3 personal interests or hobbies… outside of work.
1. Traveling to new places or around the country to visit and stay with friends.
2. Working out and playing sports.
3. Learning – through reading books, listening to podcasts, and watching videos.

What’s your favorite thing about doing business in Philadelphia?
“Really it’s how we get a big city feel with a small city vibe. We all sort of know each other within the entrepreneurship realm here. The city becomes a lot smaller than you imagine it to be once you really put yourself out there and network and meet other people. There are so many good things going on here now, especially with real estate, healthcare and pharma. Philly gets a bad rep, but there really are a lot of friendly amazing people here.”

What is something you struggle with?
“I think in this day and age a lot of us struggle with anxiety and depression. A lot of this comes from social media and social status, and comparing ourselves to others. I fall victim to this often, and mostly because I have high expectations of myself. As entrepreneurs it’s also very lonely; we get sad and lonely and it can feel like it’s us against the world. It’s nice to have communities like PSL where we can share together.”

What is the single-most valuable habit or tool you’ve used to set yourself up for success?
“Putting myself in a position where my back is against the wall. I think doing things that are really difficult or uncomfortable is what allows entrepreneurs to separate themselves and learn and grow.”

What is your current work/life balance VS. your GOAL work/life balance?
“My current work life balance is non existent. Work isn’t always work to me though. I do what I love but sometimes it’s exhausting. I like to workout at night and go out every other weekend. I used to travel more when I had a small team but haven’t been able to as much recently. I work probably 70-80 hours per week, some more, some less.

My goal is to work only 40-50 hours per week. I don’t want to really drink or go out as often, since I’m getting older, but would rather travel and experience new people and places.”

How do you manage your work/life balance?
“I try to set time for myself and give my late nights towards working out or going out to eat or maybe an event. The weekends I either work, travel or relax (usually not relax). It’s all about planning, scheduling and making time for the things you care about. I definitely work too much, but I don’t dislike working.”

Ask | Give

ASK: If you could connect with just ONE expert on ONE thing you need help with right now, who/what would it be?
“What I need is an operating partner for one of my companies who wants the chance to step into a profitable company to take over day to day management and operations. I need to free up my time to focus on myself, sales, and business development.”

GIVE: Paying it forward is important. What skill, service, or expertise would you like to share with the PSL Community? 
“I enjoy talking about anything related to Google: Adwords, SEO, and Local Search. I can also talk all day about cell phone repairs and iPhones! The area I can really help grow the small business community is with our [Momentum Digital] free initiative called Small Business Saturday. Here is a video for more information: https://youtu.be/qv78ou466KY”

To get connected with Mac Frederick – Founder & CEO of Momentum Digital and Phone Repair Philly – visit:

LinkedIn | @macfrederick

Instagram | @macfrederick

Twitter | @macfrederickceo

Facebook | @mjfrederick334

Do you want to be in the Startup Leader Spotlight? introduce yourself>>

Subscribe to PSL’s monthly newsletter to see what’s going on and coming up for the Philly startup community.

Philly Startup Leaders is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization on a mission to help current and future founders succeed – in Philadelphia, and beyond.

The post Startup Leader Spotlight: Mac Frederick appeared first on Philly Startup Leaders.