Author Archives: Kristen Fitch
Kristen has over 15 years of experience planning, launching, and promoting key initiatives designed to strengthen Philadelphia’s startup ecosystem. As Senior Director of Marketing at the Science Center, a Philadelphia-based innovation intermediary focused on advancing healthcare innovation, Kristen is responsible for executing a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy supporting the organization's enterprise initiatives.
Kristen was a key player in the launch of Quorum including oversight of the first major fundraising campaign in the Science Center's history, raising $1M toward the initiative. She was involved with the launch of Venture Café Philadelphia which, together with Quorum, have collectively convened over 100,000 entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders. Kristen oversaw the rebrand and launch of FirstHand, the Science Center’s nationally recognized STEM education program for middle and high school students. In partnership with Wexford Science + Technology, Kristen played an integral role in rebranding the Science Center’s physical campus to uCity Square, a 27-acre, 6.5M square foot mixed-use real estate development home to 200 companies and 10,000 workers. Kristen also worked closely with Boston-based CIC as the global coworking operator planned and launched its Philadelphia expansion at uCity Square.
Previously, Kristen was responsible for the University City Keystone Innovation Zone (UC KIZ), an initiative of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania providing tax credits and technical support to startups in the life sciences and tech sectors. Under her leadership the UC KIZ grew in geography, industry focus, and impact on the entrepreneurial ecosystem with $14 million in tax credits leveraged by over 100 Philadelphia startups.
Kristen has a bachelor's degree from Penn State University and a Marketing Certificate from the Executive Education Program at The Wharton School. She received the 2019 Rad Award for Connector of the Year and was recognized as a 2019 Technical.ly RealLIST Connector. Kristen serves on the Board of Directors of Amplify Philly and The Resource Exchange.
When Kristen isn't working, you can find her listening to too many podcasts, exploring the region's outdoor public spaces, longing for the day the Buffalo Bills return to the Super Bowl (while simultaneously rooting for the Eagles), and traveling as much as possible.
