At #SuperMeetup17, a more robust tech scene finds itself

Super Meetup 2017 gave people a representation Monday night of that abstract notion we’ve come to know as the “Philadelphia tech community.” Over 1,000 attendees showed up.

For the keen observer, comparing last year’s shindig to this year’s yields the notion that the “scene” has been evolving. Maturing, if you will. Back then, young startups like Stitch, fresh into the game out of that RJMetrics acquisition/spinout combo were hanging out; now it’s a more established company that even poaches out-of-state talent.

Fresh, hype-y entrants to tech scene like Vidur Bhatnagar were also there last night, proudly pointing out the green dot on his nametag. In Super Meetup lingo, that meant he was hiring for his Penn spinout Keriton, which earlier this year raised $1 million to build out its team.

Anecdotally, companies were also looking to hire talent more on the senior side, pointing to an increase in product creation out of Philly companies. Entry level dev gigs were also present, as a symbol of Philly’s thirst for tech talent.

For Lehigh Valley IT student (and, full disclosure, a frequent volunteer at Technical.ly events) Fanella O’Brien, Super Meetup was a chance to hear about companies both new and old in Philly. It was also a chance to get connected to a company like JPMorgan, and its entry-level programs.

The meetups themselves, larger in numbers this year, also have been evolving and shifting with technology. Thirty-four meetup groups graced us with their presence last night, the biggest number so far.

“There were so many people there I did not know and wondered where they are throughout the year,” said Stimulus founder Tiffanie Stanard. “The attendees ranged from people not in tech but looking to add tech to their organizations to tech entrepreneurs to adults changing careers and learning to code. I wondered how was this event marketed because they did a good job with different career levels and careers in general — it wasn’t just tech folks.”

She did offer one piece of advice for next year’s, one that’s also telling of tech scene’s make up: “Of course, we could always use more diversity.”

We leave you with the ever-acclaimed Snapchat broadcast by Editor-in-Chief Zack Seward: