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 ###

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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PHILADELPHIA ENTREPRENEURS FORGE 21ST CENTURY EVENT TO INSPIRE AND EDUCATE FUTURE BUSINESS FOUNDERS World-class local entrepreneurs set to speak at Founder Factory event; answer call to step-up, coach next generation of business startup leaders. Philadelphia, PA–October 14, 2008–Twelve months ago, entrepreneurs starting a new company in metro Philadelphia had no choice but to operate in a vacuum. In the fall of 2007, they banded together and built Philly Startup Leaders (“PSL”), with the goal of supporting one another and helping their companies grow. In less than a year, PSL grew to 300 members. And yet, that was not enough. Business founders cried out–they wanted to lasso successful local-area entrepreneurs and investors, corral them in a room, and soak-up their business lessons. In response, PSL leaders, along with partner MAC Alliance, took it upon themselves to build The Founder Factory—www.FounderFactory.com, a unique one-day conference and networking event coming to Philadelphia on November 13, 2008, where wisdom from world-class Philadelphia-area business leaders is shared with the next generation of local entrepreneurs. Josh Kopelman, Managing Partner of First Round Capital, Lucinda Holt, Ernst & Young Philadelphia Entrepreneur of the Year, and many more all-stars have lined up to speak and lead panel discussions. "I'm excited to sponsor and speak at The Founder Factory. The emergence of programs like The Founder Factory, PSL and DreamIt are important indicators of the vibrancy of Philadelphia's entrepreneurial community." says Josh Kopelman. "It is programs like these that will help inspire a new generation of start-up founders." Recognizing the importance of The Founder Factory, heavy hitters MAC Alliance, Morgan Lewis, Chariot Solutions, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, First Round Capital, Safeguard and Eight Eleven Inc. enthusiastically sponsor the program. "The Founder Factory leaders took it on themselves to build this program, even while running their own businesses. It's a collaborative effort that clearly shows the current vitality and future potential of Philadelphia's entrepreneurial arena," said Tom Balderston, CEO of the MAC Alliance. "It is this great energy in our startup community that bodes well for strong growth for our startup ecosystem. And, the MAC Alliance is happy to support the Founder Factory team with this tremendous program." The Founder Factory will run on Thursday, November 13, 2008 from 8:00am-5:30pm at World Café Live in Philadelphia, followed by a 5:30pm-8:00pm networking event. The day’s sessions include motivational and educational tell-all speeches and panel-guided, interactive business plan reviews coined “Fishbowls” by PSL, lead by successful entrepreneurs such as: Gil Beyda of Genacast Ventures, Steve Goodman of Morgan Lewis, Bob Bickel of Ringside Networks, Metaverse and Hyperic, as well as Josh Kopelman and Lucinda Holt. Tickets for the entire day, including the evening’s networking event are $25 for startup businesses or students, and $50 for the general public. Those who wish to attend only the networking event in the evening may buy tickets for $25. For those who contemplate starting a business, or are in the process of starting one and want to connect with other like-minded entrepreneurs and investors, register for The Founder Factory at www.FounderFactory.com or join Philly Startup Leaders at www.PhillyStartupLeaders.org. About PSL: Philly Startup Leaders unites isolated entrepreneurs into a network of ambitious leaders who inspire, energize and empower each other. PSL was founded in September, 2007, by a group of entrepreneurs and exists as an active network of more than 300 business founders and executives, venture capitalists, angel investors, college and university professors and executives and city officials. PSL can be found making history in Historic Philadelphia everyday, at www.PhillyStartUpLeaders.org. About MAC Alliance: MAC Alliance's vision is to be the catalyst organization promoting the Greater Philadelphia region as one of North America's top private equity markets—from venture to buyout. The MAC Alliance's mission is to cultivate a vibrant private equity and entrepreneurial community by providing compelling programming that engages the community; superior networking and visibility that stimulates deal and capital flow; and relevant metrics that reflect our unique strengths as a region. For more information visit www.MACalliance.com. # # # Press Contacts: Tracey Welson-Rossman Philly Startup Leaders TWR@chariotsolutions.com Aaron Haydn McLean, Marketing & PR Director Philly Startup Leaders amclean@eight-eleven.com www.FounderFactory.com

Just a note that this month's happy hour is on a Tuesday instead of the typical Weds, which is the Jewish holiday. Philly Startup Leaders — Happy Hour Tues October 7 @ 7:30 PM Location: Sent via E-mail to Members

Philly Startup Leaders — Happy Hour Weds September 10 @ 7:30 PM Location: Sent via E-mail to Members

Join us for the August Happy Hour. Philly Startup Leaders — Happy Hour Weds August 13 @ 7:30 PM Location: Sent via E-mail to Members