Philly tech thrives on collaboration, but it’s not yet a regional game

Philly’s tech scene leads in its partnership efforts, but it’s still trying to improve — and turn it into more opportunities for residents. 

On Thursday, some of Technical.ly’s 2024 RealLIST Connectors, the most connected and collaborative people among the ecosystem, gathered for an in-person happy hour at Accenture. The event featured longtime tech leaders and newer faces interested in learning from each other over drinks and appetizers. 

While the Connectors came from various backgrounds, many agreed on one thing: It’s joint efforts within the community that makes the city strongest. 

“We are intentional around knowing what our competitors, our neighbors, our partners are doing and trying to collaborate as best as possible,” said Hope Foy, assistant director of programs and partners at CIC Philadelphia, a lab and office space for life sciences companies. 

CIC, also known as Cambridge Innovation Center, has had a space at the University City Science Center since 2018. CIC works with the Science Center and other local life science orgs to bring resources and programming to its residents, such as the vendor showcase it hosted this spring that brought resources directly to CIC companies. 

Across sectors, new orgs pop up to support collaboration 

Specifically, Philly does cross industry and sector partnership well, Foy said. Organizations know how to work together to benefit the companies and founders who need it, she said. 

Collaboration can range from fields with seemingly little crossover, like researchers and local government, to orgs that already exist in the same sector.

For example, the Keystone LifeSci Collaborative launched this spring, and brings together stakeholders in the region’s life sciences industry to promote workforce development, work on talent retention and provide funding opportunities. Local companies like Integral Molecular and workforce development orgs like the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative are all involved. 

In the digital equity sphere, nonprofits and the city work together to build a community around the topic, said Andy Stutzman, executive director of national digital equity org Next Century Cities. 

The City of Philadelphia’s Commerce Department launched the Most Diverse Tech Hub Initiative in 2020 as a way to bring together tech stakeholders across sectors and create opportunities for diverse Philadelphians. 

The digital navigator program, which provides tech support and digital resources for Philadelphians, is also run by the city, and partners with local community organizations like Drexel University’s ExCITe Center and the adult literacy org Beyond Literacy. 

The navigators work within these orgs to have a more direct connection with community members who need digital services. 

“[Philly has] grown that community to the point where they’re very supportive of each other and they can easily understand each other’s needs,” Stutzman said. 

Untapped opportunities to work together in DE, NJ

Philadelphia is making progress with collaboration outside of city limits, but there’s still work to do. 

The Philadelphia region includes parts of southern New Jersey and northern Delaware. It seems like it would be easy to bring everyone together, but the region still falters, said Jason Bannon, senior vice president of marketing and communications for the Chamber of Commerce. 

“We in this region don’t appreciate how complicated it is to get three states, 11 counties, multiple municipalities with a top 10 city in the middle [together],” Bannon said. 

It can be difficult to figure out the logistics of bringing stakeholders from all three states together, he said. 

Still, there are some efforts in place. Over the last year, leaders in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware worked together on an EDA Tech Hubs proposal to win funding as a precision medicine hub. While the region wasn’t selected for funding this time, all of the project’s partners are still committed to keep working together. 

Foy, from CIC Philadelphia, said she isn’t sure what partnerships could look like specifically for New Jersey or Delaware, but Philadelphia can look to their past mistakes and successful initiatives to continue learning.

Every technologist has a role to play in building the ecosystem 

Beyond just bringing organizations together for collaboration, individual people play a role in advancing the region. 

Individuals aren’t just the backbone of these orgs, but they also bring unique strengths to contribute, said Calan Wilson, art director/manager at tech company support organization Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA. 

Those people, and the orgs they commit to, make up a web of connections that help each niche scene find their next need-to-know colleague. 

“We’re able to identify who we are, what we bring,” Wilson said. “So that we can collaborate better together.”