Friends in PSL,

We’d like to announce the first big PSL event of the new year: Demo Day 2009, coming this March.

Think of it as Techcrunch 50 meets the Science Fair — but with a cash bar.

It will be a great opportunity to show off your product, your company, or that hairbrained project you’ve been working on late into the night. As a city, Demo Day will showcase the innovation and entrepreneurship that’s becoming a signature part of the Philadelphia region.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

This event will kick ass, but only if you get involved as a volunteer. We’ll need all kinds of help–including recruiting companies to exhibit, arranging the space, and getting as much of the ecosystem invovled as possible. As a volunteer, you will make a big impact on the community and have a blast doing it.

Interested in volunteering?

Join the Demo Day Team for our first team meeting: Jan 21 at 6:30pm at the Science Center (3701 Market Street, 4th Floor). Please send us a quick RSVP (info@phillystartupleaders.org).

What about the happy hours and the fishbowls?

Nothing has changed! We’re still having them every month, starting with a fishbowl tomorrow and a happy hour next Weds. Demo Day is only the first big event of 2009, but hardly the first event.

We hope you’re as excited for 2009 as we are!

Still fired up from the Founder Factory? Keep the momentum going!

Please join us for our next happy hour: Weds Dec 10 at 7:30pm.

NEW LOCATION (Just for December):
Noche bar (1901 Chestnut Street)

We look forward to seeing you there!

Philly Startup Leaders is happy to lend our support to the 2008 MAC Conference. This event tends to be very well attended by leading angels and VCs, and it’s a great opportunity to make investor contacts.

They offer a significant discount for the first 200 entrepreneurs to register — $200 to attend the conference.

2008 MAC Conference
December 2 & 3
PA Convention Center and the Crystal Tea Room

I had to pinch myself this morning to make sure that no, I wasn’t dreaming.  Yesterday’s Founder Factory really was as amazing as I remember it.

The Founder Factory exceeded all of our expectations:

• * We sold out at over 230 attendees.
• * Over half of the attendees stayed for the full 8+ hours of content, including many incredibly busy people.
• * Andy Altman, the Deputy Mayor, made a surprise visit and caught the contagious excitement of the day.
• * Our speakers gave riveting presentations, which I can’t wait to see online courtesy of Neil Kleinman from UArts.
• * The Fishbowl panels, an experiment in on-stage entrepreneurship, were extremely popular.
• * Dave Speers and Bart Mroz live-blogged from the event.
• * Twitter was exploding with Founder Factory coverage.

Even when we thought we goofed–for example, by setting up the Fishbowl chairs so the panelists couldn’t see the projection screen–we ended up with a remarkable moment we never could have planned.  See Josh Kopelman, Steve Barsh, and Bob Bickel stretching out on the floor as they watched Gabriel Weinberg present Duck Duck Go.

Thank you to the MAC Alliance, our sponsors, speakers, and panelists, and the many of you who volunteered to help bring this event to life.  You know who you are.

If you are feeling fired up and ready to help make Philadelphia the next great entrepreneurial city, we want your help.  Stay tuned for more information on how you can volunteer and get involved.

Next PSL event: Our happy hour on Dec 10 at 7:30pm.  I’ll send out the location as soon as we figure it out.  Our usual location at Rae Restaurant is not available that night.

Thank you all for giving me so many reasons for hope and optimism.

Founder Factory is set to inspire Philadelphia’s entrepreneurs, their mentors and advisers and angel and venture capital investors through real life case studies, examples and success stories.

Join Lucinda Holt , Steve Goodman, Gil Beyda and Josh Kopelman as they share their stories with our audience.

Besides these stores, these successful entrepreneurs will advise three startups in a Fishbowl setting in topics such as go-to market strategies, value proposition, risks, funding and other topics that each start up goes through. This will be a chance for companies at all stages to learn about what to consider as they build each of their businesses.

For more information, visit: www.founderfactory.com

FOUNDER FACTORY SELLS OUT, SELECTS FINAL FISHBOWL COMPANY

Over 200 tickets sold, venue pushed to capacity

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – The all-new Founder Factory (www.founderfactory.com), a one-day conference where wisdom from world-class Philadelphia-area business leaders is shared with the next generation of local entrepreneurs, sells out its inaugural event, which will be held at World Cafe Live on Thursday, November 13, 2008, from 8:30 AM—5:00 PM.

While attendee registration is now closed, the media is invited to attend the Founder Factory as our guest. Contact us to arrange for interviews with the Founder Factory team, speakers, panelists, or fishbowl companies.

Update: GoBYO (www.gobyo.com) added as third and final fishbowl company.

Press Contacts:

Tracey Welson-Rossman: twr@chariotsolutions.com
Aaron Haydn McLean: amclean@eight-eleven.com

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

– Please join the Philly Startup Leaders and MAC Alliance for the all-new Founder Factory (www.founderfactory.com) program, a one-day conference where wisdom from world-class Philadelphia-area business leaders is shared with the next generation of local entrepreneurs. The event will be held at World Cafe Live on Thursday, November 13, 2008, from 8:30 AM—5:00 PM.

The media is invited to attend The Founder Factory as we believe it is one of the first events to expose a growing and motivated Philadelphia underground business startup movement, now emerging into the limelight and public eye. If interested in one of our speakers or panelists, the media may contact us to arrange for a personal interview. Plus, we’ll send our colleagues home with a limited edition Founder Factory t-shirt.

Founder Factory attendees will enjoy inspirational and motivational recollections of successes from world-class, local-area entrepreneurs, such as Josh Kopelman, founder of Half.com and First Round Capital and Bob Bickel, founder of Bluestone Software, JBoss and Board Member of and investor in Ringside Networks, Metaverse and Hyperic.

Also, dispersed throughout the speaker presentations, will be a series of Philly Startup Leaders’ Fishbowls, where local startups will present their business, marketing and product strategies to an elite panel of successful entrepreneurs, including the Founder Factory speakers, for interactive and constructive criticism and guidance.

WHO:        Philly Startup Leaders,  MAC Alliance, Event Attendees (business founders and students)

Speakers: Lucinda Holt, Gil Beyda, Steve Goodman, Josh Kopelman, Bob BickelSpeakers: Lucinda Holt, Gil Beyda, Steve Goodman, Josh Kopelman, Bob Bickel

Panelists: Steve Barsh, Colin Evans, Vadim Telyatnikov

Sponsors: Morgan Lewis, Chariot Solutions, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Safeguard Scientifics, First Round Capital, Eight Eleven Inc.

WHAT:    The Founder Factory Inaugural Conference

WHEN:    Thursday, November 13, 2008

8:30—9:00 AM: Introduction
9:00—9:45 AM: Keynote on Entrepreneurial Ecosystem by Steve Goodman
10:00—10:45 AM: Josh Kopelman Presentation
10:45—11:45 AM: Fishbowl #1 – [Company TBD]
12:45—1:30 PM: Gil Beyda Presentation
1:30—2:15 PM: Fishbowl #2 – DropCard
2:30—3:15 PM: Lucinda Holt Presentation
3:15—4:15 PM: Fishbowl #3 – CityRyde
4:15—5:00 PM: Bob Bickel Presentation

WHERE:    World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street in Philadelphia, PA

For more information on the event, to arrange for an interview or special press coverage, please contact Tracey Welson-Rossman at 215-358-1780 ext. 456.