When you’re starting a business, it’s important to carefully consider where you are going to base your new venture. Cities around America have been attracting entrepreneurs and startups for years now for a variety of reasons. Factors such as what industry you are in, your staffing needs, geographical requirements and infrastructure are all things that you need to consider. Of course, you will also need to give some serious thought as to where your customers are located so that you can best serve them.
Philadelphia is one city that has been proving to be increasingly popular with startups in recent years. Its strategic location provides business owners with easy access to other major business hubs such as New York City, Boston and Washington DC. However, it’s proximity to these cities, means that startups and entrepreneurs looking for a home for their new business often overlook Philadelphia. There are tons of great shared spaces in Philadelphia, a fantastic pool of local talent and amazing business networking opportunities, as well as a thriving startup scene to make your business feel right at home.
Let’s take a look at just a few reasons you should consider Philly for your startup.
A Huge Pool Of Talented And Well-Educated Individuals
Philadelphia is home to an abundance of premier colleges and universities that churn out a host of highly-educated graduates every year. Saint Joseph's University, the College of Philadelphia La Salle University, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia University and Villanova are all located in the, aptly named, University City district. Furthermore, these graduates are not leaving for greener pastures but instead they are sticking around looking for work in their hometown. In fact, Philly Magazine reported that between 2006 and 2014, Philly added 120,600 millennials into the city, creating an impressive growth rate of 41.2% in the process.
Never-Ending Networking Opportunities
Philly Tech Week is one of the largest and most important tech events in America. More than 25,000 people attend the event every year for a week packed with meetups, conference, workshops and loads more. There’s also TEDxPhiladelphia, the Forbes 30 Under 30 Conference and the WordCamp Conference to add to your networking calendar. Philly hosts some amazing networking events and the city has embraced the coworking culture with open arms, creating even more networking opportunities. If you want to build a business network of creative, motivated and successful individuals, Philadelphia is the place to do it from.
A Thriving Startup Scene
As a startup anywhere in the world, you want to be sure that you don’t have to go it alone. It’s reassuring to know that there are other startups that have had the success you want, in the location that you are working from. Philadelphia has been home to come hugely successful startups such as Seer Interactive, RJMetrics, DuckDuckGo, Whose Your Landlord, Benjamin’s desk and Linode, to name just a few. The market here is viable, allowing fledgeling businesses to get the positive start that they need. What’s more, the startup community in Philly is made up of a close, supportive and encouraging community that all want to see everyone succeed.
Philadelphia Could Be The Perfect Fit
As the fifth-largest city in the country and the sixth-largest metro region, Philadelphia has a huge amount to offer, endless opportunities to grow your business and n amazing startup community. There are more than 100 colleges and universities in the area and the 15 Fortune 500 companies call the city home. If you are looking for a city for your startup to call home, you need to give Philadelphia some serious consideration. As an up and coming startup hub, this amazing city can help to take your startup to new heights in no time.
