Bentley Systems: Exton-based infrastructure software company to open Philadelphia office

Update: Mayor Michael Nutter did cut the ribbon on Bentley’s new office space on the 16th floor at 1601 Cherry Street, according to the press release.

Bentley Systems, the international infrastructure modeling software company with headquarters in Exton, will open an office in Philadelphia that could grow to as many as 50 people in as quickly as two years.

Tomorrow evening, Mayor Michael Nutter is planned to welcome the suburban company, as well it’s top leadership, to the city proper by cutting the ribbon on the Center City office space and offering remarks. No specific timeline was provided in a press release, though more will surely come from this.

Following the Mayor, Bentley CEO Greg Bentley will comment on bringing Bentley to the city.

The company has locations in 45 countries, almost 3,000 employees, and brings in more than $500 million in annual revenues, according to a release. The new Philadelphia office will be the company’s second site in Pennsylvania and expect to employ about 50 staff over the course of the next two to three years, according to a Mayor’s office spokeswoman.

Update: The Inquirer’s Joe Distefano notes in the comments that he featured the initiative here.

Bentley is also simultaneously holding the Be Together: Bentley User Conference, which starts today at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and runs through Thursday.

Uber Philly: on-demand car service soft launches with ‘Rider Zero’ Josh Kopelman

First Round Capital managing partner Josh Kopelman, who invested in Uber Philly, is the service's first local rider today. Photo provided by Uber.

Fast-growing Uber, the on-demand car service that lets users nab rides using SMS or its mobile apps, has soft-launched in Philadelphia today.

To quietly kick off its local research mode — where it rolls out cars and finds a local charge rate for its dynamic pricing — the team had First Round Capital managing partner Josh Kopelman, who invested in the service, serve as its first local user. Philadelphia will be the ninth city.

Sign up here. Download the app here.

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Indy Hall 3.0: coworking community discusses plans to acquire storefront addition to Old City coworking space [VIDEO]

Alex Hillman leads a town hall meeting to discuss the future of Indy Hall

What about security?

That question dominated the discussion at the Indy Hall Town Hall where a group of about 30 community members gathered to discuss the expansion of the Old City coworking facility. The move would put coworking desks on the first floor storefront and second floor of its current at 20 North Third Street.

“The biggest problem is going to be more perception than reality. I think making people feel genuinely comfortable is part of what Indy Hall’s been good at so I’m confident that we can figure it out,” said cofounder Alex Hillman.

The solution, he says, will be two pronged. First, they’ll need to find a technical solution to ensure security. Second, Hillman says, will be addressing that perception problem by coming up with ways to “actually make people feel secure.”

Update 12:55 pm: Hillman wrote into clarify that focusing on the perception of security will be Indy Hall’s first priority. “Through that, we’ll determine the ideal technical solution.”

“The soft part is harder, but I also think it has a much deeper impact on how people perceive and interact in the space.” Hillman said.

But Thursday night, the ‘emergency’ town hall for members was meant to unveil the rumored expansion inside the North Third Street location they’ve held since last expanding majorly in 2009 and which also holds growing spinoff web product shop Wildbit. The more than four-year-old coworking space serves as something of a bellweather for the city’s creative community and its collaborative colocation community.

Interest beyond its current capacity has sustained for months and there is interest in having a more physical storefront presence, Hillman says. The bellweather is moving forward.

Hillman recapped the town hall here.

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Goldstar: California discount event ticket merchant launches in Philadelphia

Philadelphia is the next market for discount live-event ticket merchant Goldstar, launching this week months after selling its five millionth unit in April.

The free membership based service, first founded in 2002, operates on something of a daily deals-type mentality with weekly summaries of good seats made cheap by concert and sports venues itching to unload excess inventory. Goldstar takes a cut off service charges, rather than a fee from venues.

Visit the site HERE.

Philadelphia follows 20 other markets for the business, based in Altadena, Calif. outside of Los Angeles. Its two million members can access more than 1,200 half-priced tickets daily.