Power Moves is a recurring series where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, gig or promotion? Email us at philly@technical.ly.

The Philadelphia region, and Pennsylvania at large, is spreading the word about the opportunities in its tech and innovation ecosystem. 

1Philadelphia launched a new fund to help founders expand their reach at national conferences and events. These founders aim to build on the region’s existing tech reputation, including Philly’s recent ranking as a top 25 market for tech talent, according to CBRE’s annual Scoring Tech Talent report. 

Plus, the statewide nonprofit Team PA released a roadmap for energy and AI in the commonwealth, outlining goals for Pennsylvania in those sectors. 

Check out all the details and more power moves below the chart, where we look at job posting trends in the Philadelphia region. 

1Philadelphia starts Incline Fund for founder exposure

1Philadelphia launched the Incline Fund in August, which will provide funds for local founders and technologists to attend conferences, events and pitch competitions. The goal of the program is to help founders gain exposure and ultimately raise funding, Danae Mobley, executive director of 1Philadelphia, told Technical.ly.

“Too often, promising entrepreneurs in Philadelphia lack access to the visibility and networks available to their peers in other markets,” Mobley said. “The Incline Fund changes that — helping Philly founders step into the rooms where capital is raised and opportunities for scale take root.” 

Eventually, the hope is that momentum will bring more investment to Philadelphia, rather than founders having to go elsewhere for money, she said.

Applications for a specific event or for a 1Philadelphia cohort opportunity are currently open.

Philly ranks No. 23 for tech talent in North America

Philadelphia is a top 25 market for tech talent, according to real estate services firm CBRE’s 2025 Scoring Tech Talent report. The region rose one spot from last year, coming in at No. 23 in the latest report. Philly ranked No. 22 in 2023.

CBRE credits Philly’s slight boost to an increase in tech graduates and growth of its tech labor force. Philadelphia produced 7,946 tech degrees in 2023, growing 30% from the same period of time in 2020, according to the report. The city’s average wage for tech workers was up 15.5% over the past three years at $119,871.

“Philadelphia’s strong educational institutions, diverse talent pool and vibrant startup culture create a fertile ground for innovation and growth,” Scott Miller, executive vice president at CBRE, told Technical.ly.  “By tapping into the existing workforce and fostering an environment of continuous learning and collaboration, tech companies here can drive further expansion and success.” 

This report analyzes labor conditions in 75 markets across North America, ranking the top 50 in the US and Canada. Philadelphia’s overall tech workforce consists of 104,610 people, ranking No. 14 in size compared to other markets. 

Team PA outlines AI and energy roadmap 

Earlier this month, Team PA released an AI roadmap, outlining six strategic goals for the commonwealth to accomplish over the next decade, with few details on how it plans to make that happen.

Team Pennsylvania’s Energy, Data Center and Artificial Intelligence Roadmap 2035 strategic goals

  • Lead the nation in AI-applied and next-generation energy system transformation.
  • Lead the nation in AI and next-generation technology commercialization.
  • Deploy scalable, firm energy generation — target of 10–12 GW.
  • Establish three to five innovation corridors.
  • Modernize grid infrastructure and permitting.
  • Set a strategic target for Pennsylvania-based sourcing to reach 20% of total spend.

Team PA focuses on building cross-sector partnerships in Pennsylvania and gets its funding from private donors, among other sources. It worked with tech and energy companies, universities such as Carnegie Mellon University, and government agencies like Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development, to put together the roadmap. Some big tech names like Amazon and Google are also included on its list of participating organizations. 

The goals of the roadmap include: turning PA into a national leader in energy system transformation, technology commercialization, establishing innovation corridors in the state, modernizing grid infrastructure and getting PA-based companies to invest in the data center and grid infrastructure work happening here. 

The org’s immediate next steps are focused on three initiatives: a statewide AI/robotics chain value analysis, an AI manufacturing scaling initiative and a nuclear summit in Pittsburgh in October. 

When asked about how the roadmap will be funded, Lisa Riggs, senior managing director of economic growth strategy and partnerships, told Technical.ly that Team PA would use some of its own funds for some initiatives and raise funds for others. Some pieces — and it’s unclear which ones — will be handled by outside orgs and their funding sources, she said. 

“What we were intending to do is set this framework, set it in a tone that showed that we as a state have a chance to win, if you will, and that we could do that through real collaborative endeavors,” Riggs said, “but not to suggest that this is 10 years’ worth of project activity, and that there’s any budget behind it.” 

When it comes to specific initiatives the commonwealth might commit to from the roadmap, “that remains to be seen,” Rachel Phillips, senior vice president of impact and innovation, said. 

More power moves:

  • Cell and gene therapy company Minaris Advanced Therapies appointed Orla Cloak as its new CEO. 
  • Gun detection technology company Zeroeyes announced a new partnership with Singlewire Software. The integration of its platform will enable the company to distribute alerts to more devices. The pair’s first joint customer is Glassboro Public School District. 
  • Global financial services company SEI promoted Sanjay Sharma to CEO of SEI International, leading the company’s work outside of North America. SEI also announced that Robert Hum joined the company as the new Head of Investment Product Development and Activation.
  • Kidas, which developed an online gaming safety system to prevent cyberbullying, won the 2025 AI Breakthrough Award for Best Overall Use of AI in Gaming. 
  • Founding director of Mural Arts Jane Golden announced she would be stepping down from her role in July 2026, WHYY reported. 
  • The Wistar Institute announced the opening of its Center for Advanced Therapeutics. Also, Simon Chu joined the research center this summer as a Caspar Wistar Fellow in the Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program. His work is focused on genomics data analysis. 
  • Biotech company Aro Biotherapeutics announced it closed enrollment for its clinical trial testing a treatment for Pompe disease, which causes loss of muscle function. 
  • Wexford Science and Technology is partnering with the Artist and Researcher Exhibition to pair professional artists and scientific researchers for a new program at UCity Square. 
  • FullThrottle Technologies launched its new platform with tools to support digital advertising for small and mid-size companies.