Philly founder proves the maxim ‘Your net worth is your network’

Simone Ammons built software startup QuneUp with about $140,000 from a side gig. Now, she’s growing it through the power of community.

Ammons launched her company with funds she made from working as a technical writer. Still bootstrapped, Ammons mostly relies on her strong network to keep it growing. That goes hand in hand with her dedication to uplifting others along the way, she told reporter Sarah Huffman on Technical.ly Speaking, our monthly segment on WURD Radio’s “Reality Check” hosted by Tonya Pendleton. 

“Everything about QuneUp … was partnered with somebody else in the community that looked like me,” Ammons said, referencing how she connected with the “fraction of a percent” of other Black women in the business community. 

Philly-based QuneUp, started in 2022, began with Ammon’s personal frustration at work. As an engineer, every time equipment broke down, she got the call to fix it. The equipment often lacked vital information, like the vendor or when it was installed. 

In response, she developed a QR code sticker that takes the technician to the equipment landing page with all the information needed for repairs. 

Featured as an honorable mention in Technical.ly’s 2025 RealLIST Startups, QuneUp has also been recognized with valuable support from other respected institutions, including at two pitch competitions supported by the Philadelphia Department of Commerce. 

In 2024, QuneUp came in third place, taking home a $2,000 prize and the year prior, it was a finalist in Philly’s Most Diverse Tech Hub Pitch Competition. It was also a member of the December 2023 Capital Readiness Program session run by the University City Science Center and, most recently, selected for the inaugural cohort of biotech accelerator HiveBio.

Those connections also gave her the platform to find new customers, Ammons said, crediting the Department of Commerce for helping her land two pilots. 

Plus, it acted as a “mini MBA” to learn how to run a business beyond just building the software, Ammons said. 

“What I realized in business is that your net worth is your network,” Ammons said. Being a part of the community means she’s just “10 conversations away from somebody who is interested in investing in a company like mine.”