A decades-old Philly tech company is doubling down on its city presence, betting a physical office can attract talent and bring the tech community together.
Earlier this month, infrastructure engineering software company Bentley Systems opened its Old City office, a move away from a smaller Cherry Street location. The company’s 2024 acquisition of Cesium meant it needed room for more employees working in person, and the startup’s former Old City HQ inspired the choice of neighborhood.
Now, it’s looking to fill up the space. Currently at about 70 employees, the office has room for 50 more people. The company is continuously hiring, especially in product, engineering and leadership positions, Patrick Cozzi, chief platform officer of Bentley Systems, told Technical.ly.
“Having people collaborate physically together and spend time together, it’s really good for innovation,” he said. “Good for coming up with new ideas, and really having people understand that they’re part of something.”
Headquartered in Exton, Bentley opened its first Philly office in 2012. It acquired Cesium two years ago, bringing together two software companies with deep regional ties. Cesium spun out of another Exton-based software company, Analytical Graphics, in 2019. Cesium moved from the suburbs to the city and has maintained various Philly offices over the years.
Another driver for this office was having a space where it could hold events from other groups in the ecosystem, Cozzi said. Located in the Curtis Building, the 22,000-square-foot space features an open floor plan, event space, a gym, conference rooms and various nods to the company’s Philly footprint, such as rooms named after the locations of former offices.
Since moving in at the end of June, the company has already hosted meetup groups and tech education orgs like Launchpad.
“A huge part of picking a space was to make sure that we could have an awesome event space to host our events, but also to provide for the local community to host events, and at no cost,” Cozzi said.
Renewed enthusiasm for the office
Bentley Systems’ new space exemplifies another wave of enthusiasm toward physical offices after excitement died down during the pandemic.
In the 2010s, an office in Center City signaled success. Companies wanted to be in the city to attract talent.
During the pandemic and the switch to remote work, it became less important to a lot of companies, especially young startups focused on other areas of growth. Remote work meant that they could source talent and partnerships from anywhere in the world.
Over the last few years, startups seem to be more interested in strengthening their ties to the city to support the local ecosystem. Philly’s affordability also makes it a place where people stay for a while, making it a good market to find employees who will commit, Cozzi said.
Some younger startups are taking action. Govtech startup FSH Tech opened its new Center City office in August.
Founder Lilly Chen said that working in person from an office makes her team more creative and collaborative, and allows them to have face time with clients, she told Technical.ly.
But it also matters to her to have a physical presence in a city she believes is building meaningful tech.
“I really value that community,” Chen said. “It’s really important that I stay connected to place.”
