Technically Philly is a news site covering technology, startups and venture capital in Philadelphia.
According to PBJ, Comcast has a great workplace. Do you?
Maybe it’s because we spend too much time working from home, but Technically Philly has seen some wonderful offices as we cover this community. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Business Journal disagrees.
Our pals at PBJ have compiled a list of the 56 best places to work in the city and unfortunately, not many technology companies made the list.
Philadelphia Magazine’s September cover story by Richard Rys documents an Old City in transition—and not a pretty one. A neighborhood once thriving with artists, entertainment and prominent restaurateurs turns into a bad episode of Jersey Shore on weekends, the writer contends.
But that’s not the Old City we know. By day, the historic neighborhood has become something of a Web development and technology startup haven. Earlier this year, as city technology leaders prepared Philadelphia’s bid for Google’s ultra high-speed broadband Internet pilot, it was Old City that was chosen as one of the city’s potential technology hubs, for the diverse technologists that live and work there.
Here’s our look at what still sparkles in Old City…
As any techie knows, the South by Southwest Interactive conference in Austin is like Woodstock for the tech world and getting your own panel at the event is sure sign that you’ve “made it.”
Philly has been well-represented at the trend-setting event as the city even had its own session in 2010, led by the founders of Independents Hall.
However, SXSW panels don’t just happen overnight, they are subject to a six-month long process where the selection committee sifts though thousands of proposed panels to choose the lucky few that get time at the conference. The first part of that panel section process involves a “panel picker” where the community can vote on the panels they’d most like to see, and some local Philadelphians need your help to make it to the big stage next March.
After the jump, see the panels that have been submitted by locals and throw a vote their way to help Philly continue its strong presence in Austin for SXSW 2011. Oh, and you better hurry. Voting closes on the 27th at 1 p.m.
Hayward West likes to say that he’ll work with anyone from the classroom to the boardroom.
“I wanna expose as many kids in our areas as we can to career opportunities in tech,” says West, president of the Philly chapter of the Black Data Processing Associates. The BDPA, founded in 1975 in Philadelphia, is a national organization with over 4000 members that aims to increase the diversity in technology careers through a mix of community service and career coaching.
“We’re one of the best kept secrets,” says West, “and I’m tying not to be a secret anymore.”
Great news for all the iPhone-addicts out there: Philly’s ever-increasing number of techies has been up to more than just taking up all the seats at your favorite Wi-Fi café. They’ve been busy developing truly Philly-centric apps, from the genius (SETPA travel, local concert information and traffic reports) to the just-for-fun (zombie braining and saving kittens).
Some of these Philly finds may take a little digging through the app store, and with tens of thousands of apps to choose from, who has time for all that? Well, we do! Get those downloading fingers ready for these 12 awesome iPhone apps by Philadelphians, for Philadelphians.
Disclosure: Trainboard, an app on the list is one of Technically Philly’s sponsors.
The crowd disperses after the conclusion of Demo Day.
Sitting in the front row, Technically Philly took lots of photos and video that didn’t quit make it into our post yesterday.
After the jump, see over 40 more photos and seven presentation videos.
DreamIt Partner Steve Welch introduces Mind Snacks
This was no ordinary graduation.
Their summer over, the 14 companies incubated in DreamIt Ventures no longer have the luxury of seed money, free office space and daily mentorship and must now strike out on their own. Despite the celebratory nature of Demo Day, the work of the 2010 Dreamit Ventures graduates has only just begun (read more about each company in our three-part Demo Day Preview series).
But first, each company was given seven minutes to present its business models, team and funding needs to a packed house of investors, entrepreneurs, lawyers and others with the hopes of netting investment, more customers or advisers. Each company then fielded a small number of questions before handing the microphone over to the company next in line, making the presentations move like DreamIt itself: quickly and efficiently .
A chart detailing which DreamIt companies are at revenue (click to enlarge)
If there is a theme to DreamIt’s class of 2010, it’s the use of social media to add transparency to industries that badly need it. Giveloop adds accountability to donations, Vozeeme helps truckers fulfill inventory through an open bidding process and Easel uses the web to connect tutors to students, to name a few.
But with 14 companies, it can be tough to keep track of all of the presentations. So, as per tradition, Technically Philly has a few awards to hand out. After the jump, see who had the face the toughest crowd, which company necessitated ”your mom” jokes and, of course, our pick for best company.
A worker learns how to retrofit a home at the Knight Training Center.
Thanks to a recent federal block grant and a $500,000 award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the Philly green building industry is gearing up for a huge boom, meaning new jobs, an increase in manufacturing and a boost in the local economy.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors gave $500K from the Wal-Mart Foundation in June for the Philly Gears Up for the Green Economy program, designed to prepare high school students and incumbent workers to enter the green workforce.
Walter Yakabosky (photo credit: The Philadelphia Business Journal)
In collaboration with the Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA), training will be provided by the James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Center in Fairhill, which is already one of the region’s leading trainers in weatherization and retrofitting, energy auditing and construction safety.
The city was awarded millions of stimulus dollars last year through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program that, among other things, will provide monetary incentives to property-owners looking to retrofit for increased energy efficiency.
These big incentive bucks will translate to an explosion in demand for certified workers, and certification will be much more attainable for many workers thanks to the Wal-Mart Foundation award.
“We are going to see a scramble for certified workers,” says Walter Yakabosky, Director of Training at the James L. Knight Green Jobs Training Center. “I just met with a contractor today who has expanded his business. He has to get his current work-force certified, and he needs to hire and train 15 additional people.”
If you have ever purchased a business or design magazine, it’s likely that you have run across one of 1and1.com’s print ads – some as large as 15 pages.
All of the promotion is paying off as the company is one of the web’s largest hosting companies with a strong presence in Europe offering telecom and consumer Internet services.
However, in America, the German-based company is still making inroads and it’s starting with the Philly area.
If you have ever been to one of the dozen weekly technology events around Philadelphia, you likely have quickly noticed that the room is often largely filled with men.
“I’ve been in tech for 15 years and I’ve never been in a room full of women,” says Techgirlz co-founder Anita Garimella.
To help bridge the gap, a handful of local women have created Techgirlz, a new organization that hopes to solve the gender gap in Philadelphia’s technology community. According to Techgirlz, most girls begin to dial back the pursuit of subjects like math and science in middle school. Technology jobs are often viewed as only involving computers or programming, something the group says turns off many young women.
Disclosure: Welson-Rossman works for Chariot Solutions, a former Technically Philly advertiser.
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