Startups

See Peter Thiel speak at this Arts + Business Council event Sept. 22

The event also features a panel of local tech leaders discussing the state of entrepreneurship in the Philadelphia region.

Peter Thiel. (Photo by Flickr user Steve Jurvetson, used under a Creative Commons license)

On Monday, Sept. 22, the Arts + Business Council of Greater Philadelphia will host PayPal cofounder and investor Peter Thiel at the Franklin Institute. The entrepreneur, “intellectual provocateur” (according to a recent Fortune profile) and author of the new Zero to One: Notes on Startups or How to Build the Future will be discussing the need for pioneering ventures.

Technical.ly Editor-in-Chief Zack Seward will be moderating a panel discussion featuring a handful of leaders from Philadelphia’s innovation ecosystem:

  • Ellen Weber (Executive Director, Robin Hood Ventures)
  • Richard Vague (Managing Partner, Gabriel Investments)
  • Jon Gosier (Founder, Market Atlas; Partner, Third Cohort Capital)
  • Mark Samuels (Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, SEI)

The panel will discuss the current state of the startup and entrepreneurial communities in Philadelphia: what’s still needed, what’s good and what has improved.

“It’s going to be very informative for folks,” said Vague.

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s in store:

Vague says the startup scene in Philadelphia is rapidly improving. “We’ve had a nice trend in funding compared to five years ago,” he said. “We’re nowhere where we need to be, but the trend is going in the right direction.”

Vague also notes the world-class education that Philadelphia universities provide for young entrepreneurs. Ellen Weber, who was recently tapped to lead entrepreneurship at Temple, agrees.

“The students are working hard to get connected with the entrepreneurial community,” said Weber, referencing the accessibility of the Blackstone Launchpad program, for example. “We’re starting to see density, we’re starting to see accelerators focused on specialty areas like media, edtech or healthcare.”

“We don’t have a lot of super success stories out of Philly, but we have enough that people are starting to pay attention,” said Jon Gosier, whose investing work we recently profiled. Still, he says, it’s the attitude among startups in Philly that set them apart. “There’s a feeling of camaraderie here. A sense that we’ve got something to prove,” Gosier said.

And let’s not forget about Peter Thiel.

“Peter is known for being candid, insightful and very entertaining,” said Vague. “People are going to enjoy that a great deal.”

You can read more about the Monday morning event and buy tickets (which come with a copy of the book) through the Arts + Business Council website.

Disclosure: Technical.ly is a media sponsor of the Peter Thiel event. Editor-in-Chief Zack Seward is moderating the panel discussion and an audience Q&A with Thiel.
Companies: Arts + Business Council of Greater Philadelphia

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

16 places to responsibly dispose of old electronics in Philadelphia

An interactive timeline of Philly’s tech ecosystem in 2024

How 5 orgs help local businesses achieve success

Expect high-speed internet at 100 Philly rec centers in 2025, Verizon says

Technically Media