Philadelphia is bursting with builders: founders launching companies, developers creating technology, artists and creatives turning ideas into businesses, universities pushing innovation, investors backing entrepreneurs.
On Oct. 20, Founders Alley Philly: Our City in Motion will bring those worlds together at Pennovation Works for a full day built around one idea: give everyone building something an opportunity to be seen, make connections and represent their community.
I stepped into this work because I’ve spent years alongside founders watching brilliant ideas stall out, not for lack of talent, but for lack of the right room.
This year, we’re showcasing entrepreneurship as a whole, not just venture-backed startups, but developers, artists, designers, musicians, small businesses, universities, investors and the organizations supporting all of them.
“I hear people ask all the time, ‘What’s happening in Philadelphia?’” Founders Alley cofounder Erik Caputo said. “‘Our City in Motion’ is our answer.”
Connecting founders with capital and infrastructure
The people building the future are already staying in Philadelphia. In my view, what hasn’t fully caught up is the capital, mentorship and visibility to match them: the reason too many still look to San Francisco or New York to raise money, instead of building the next round right here.
Founders Alley Capital, led by Barrett Powell, aims to close that gap by connecting builders directly to capital relationships.
“Conviction is not something you sell,” Powell said. “It matures, over time, out of curiosity, and creating that curiosity is our job. We are not here to convince anyone or lean on relationships to fund a founder.”
Powell described the goal as finding investors whose interests align with a founder’s work, with founders in turn supporting those who come after them.
“Founders resource themselves by pursuing their passion; we are resourced by serving that pursuit, and the founder shows up for the next one,” Powell said.
That spirit of building for everyone, not just the well-connected, also informs our approach to the AI era. Laser Light Communications, a Founders Alley strategic partner, is developing AI Corridors, a model for AI infrastructure designed to extend access to universities, research institutions and communities at the edge of legacy networks.
Vincent Perez, founding chief of the Global AI Bureau at Laser Light Holdings and chairman of Founders Alley Holdings, sees a connection between the two organizations’ work.
“Through Founders Alley, that means expanding access to relationships, capital and entrepreneurial opportunity, creating greater economic freedom and agency,” Perez said. “Through Laser Light, it means expanding access to the responsible digital infrastructure and emerging technologies that will increasingly shape the AI economy.”
From Cherry Street Pier to Pennovation Works
A year ago, Founders Alley took its first public shape at Cherry Street Pier, built by a small coalition of Philly founders who believed capital, creativity and community belonged in the same room. What started as a $25, one-day gathering has grown into something bigger.
Founders Alley has since taken that model to San Diego, where the event leaned into the city’s film, media and creative industries. Miami is next, anchored in tech, health and wellness. Each city brings its own industries and its own story.
In Philadelphia, the day includes a Founder Showcase, startup pitch competition, investor networking, fireside conversations, educational programming, product demos, live art and community activities. Founders Forge will be a dedicated space for the developer communities helping Philadelphia companies grow.
We’re not trying to replace the work already happening across this city. We want to connect it.
This year marks 250 years since Philadelphia helped give the world a new idea of what was possible. That same spirit is alive in the city’s entrepreneurial community today: a belief that the future gets built by whoever’s willing to show up and do the work.
Instead of people asking what’s happening in Philadelphia, we want them to leave saying they had no idea this much was happening here.
“We’re bringing the founders, investors, creatives, developers, universities and community leaders moving this city forward under one roof,” Caputo said, “and giving everyone an equal opportunity to be seen.”
Founders Alley Philly: Our City in Motion takes place Oct. 20 at Pennovation Works. Tickets are available on Luma. To secure a table or represent a startup, organization or community, visit foundersalley.org.
