Philly Startup Leaders is the largest and most active community of startup entrepreneurs in the Philadelphia region.

We connect technology-focused startups with the things they need most – information, inspiration and a community of their peers. We are run entirely by volunteer entrepreneurs who contribute their sweat and passion on top of 70+ hour workweeks at their startups.

We host dozens of events each year. Our members share advice, wisdom and startup humor on our vibrant e-mail listservs. We know how hard it is to get started so we’ve put together an uncensored resource page.

Our members are startup entrepreneurs and people who wish they were startup entrepreneurs (like technologists, investors and community leaders). Become a member.

Like our startups, we hate committees. Everything you see here was started by a member with an idea to improve PSL. Have an idea? Get involved.

Our Manifesto

“Because startup entrepreneurs need each other.”

Starting a company can be a long and lonely journey.

Each milestone is a small miracle—from idea to prototype, from first employee to first customer, from first revenues to first profits and eventually to a thriving, successful business.  Most startups fail along the way.

To survive this journey, startup entrepreneurs need many things. They need access to funding and talent.  They need support from their government and their community.  They need opportunities to educate themselves and their team.

But more than anything else, startup entrepreneurs need each other.

No one can truly understand the life of an entrepreneur but another entrepreneur—no matter how much time they might spend investing, teaching, consulting, servicing, or legislating in the world of startups.

Philly Startup Leaders is a community of startup entrepreneurs dedicated to helping each other on their entrepreneurial journeys.

We provide the kind of emotional and practical support that can only come from a fellow entrepreneur. Emotionally, we share wisdom, inspiration, and friendship. Practically, we share advice, connections, and resources.  We mentor each other and coach new entrepreneurs who are making the transition.

We often collaborate and connect with the larger ecosystem—with people and organizations who are not themselves entrepreneurial.

But what makes us so different and so effective is our focus on connecting entrepreneurs with each other.

We thrive because we understand that, above all else, startup entrepreneurs need each other.

Our Values

1.    We know our niche: startup entrepreneurs.
Our focus is our advantage.

2.    We are a community.
Starting a company alone is painful.  Along the way, our greatest need is the company and support of entrepreneurs like ourselves.

3.    Our community depends on deep, open and frequent communication.
This kind of communication is essential for our members to get to know and trust each other.  As an organization, we earn the trust and loyalty of our members by communicating with them in the same way.

4.    We believe in lean and flexible leadership.
Bureaucracy and hierarchy tend to stifle entrepreneurs.

5.    We don’t replicate other organizations and events in our ecosystem.
Instead, we support other organizations by partnering.  We produce only unique and complementary content.

6.    We encourage entrepreneurship within our organization.
Any member can champion a cause they believe in.  When they do, they have access to the same resources the leaders do.

7.    We believe that entrepreneurs of all experience levels should mentor one another.
We have all had great teachers, and it’s our responsibility to give back to our community.  This includes our fellow entrepreneurs and those who ought to be.

8.    We love our city and our region.
We walk the same streets as Benjamin Franklin, an entrepreneur whose inventions and institutions have survived for generations.  We are inspired by our history and proud to be writing its next chapter.

Our History

PSL began in September of 2007 as a handful of entrepreneurs meeting in the back of a neighborhood bar to trade war stories. After an incredible evening of sharing experiences and giving advice to our peers, we decided to meet again a few weeks later. Word soon spread that we had assembled a great group of ambitious young minds, and our ranks began to swell. Within a couple of months, our meetings outgrew the back room of the bar, and we knew that something special was happening.

Fast-forward just 4 months later and PSL had grown to well over 150 members. We saw an opportunity to turn our small group—itself a startup—into something more ambitious: a force for growth in our members’ lives and our members’ companies. We held our first leadership meeting in February of 2008. There, the group rallied around the problems that frustrated us most: lack of early stage funding, lack of mentors, difficulty finding the right support and resources, and lack of access to affordable talent.

Rather than look to others for solutions, we decided to take matters into our own hands. Leaders volunteered to tackle each problem. Out of their determination, our flagship initiatives were born, which continue today.

PSL is an all volunteer, grassroots organization. The success of our group lies in the hands of our members. In order to get the most out of PSL, it is imperative that members take an active role in planning events, contributing to workshops, and share their knowledge and expertise with other members.

Our Volunteers

Board of Directors

Blake Jennelle, President, Co-founder

Blake led Philly Startup Leaders from a twinkle in his eye to the thriving community it is today. Now, he wears many hats: President, chief evangelist and the guy who knows everybody.

By day, he is the Director of Marketing at Philadelphia’s own TicketLeap, the fastest growing web-based ticketing company.

Jameson Detweiler, Membership Director

Jameson recently joined Philly Startup Leaders to take over membership director responsibilities, acting as the day-to-day contact between PSL and its members. Jameson is the founder of GreenKonnect (www.greenkonnect.com), a human-powered search engine for the green building industry. More info on Jameson can be found at: http://jamesondetweiler.com.

Christopher D. Cera, Technology Director, Co-founder

Chris co-founded Vuzit where he is the CTO.  Vuzit is a B2B software company that sells online document publishing products.  Prior to Vuzit, Chris held development positions at Drakontas, Traffic.com, and GlaxoSmithKline.  He has co-authored patent applications, and published over 15 peer-reviewed publications.  Chris holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science from Drexel.

Aaron Haydn McLean, Marketing & PR Director, Co-founder

Aaron and his Marketing & PR Team are responsible for the out-ward facing identity, brand and communications for Philly Startup Leaders and its initiatives.

In 2007, Aaron co-founded Eight Eleven Inc. (www.eight-eleven.com), a Philly Metro based branding, creative and strategic marketing, advertising, Web / Interactive and public relations agency, where he is now the Creative Director and Executive Vice President. His company has seen over 100% growth in the first year of operation and continues to grow its client base both regionally and internationally. Aaron is also the co-founder of www.eflexcms.com.

Doug Bellenger, Operations Director, Co-founder

Doug is the co-founder and COO of PhindMe Mobile. He has diverse background in leading product design, engineering and development teams in package engineering, medical device development, and software engineering. He has a degree in Package Engineering from RIT, Technology Management from Drexel University and is trained in Six Sigma and Process Excellence through his career in Pharma and Biotech. Doug has been a PSL leader since 2007 and has been involved in the Founder Factory, fishbowls and many other PSL events and initiatives.

Tracey Welson-Rossman, Events Director, Co-founder

Tracey Welson-Rossman has been an active member of PSL since early 2008. After her stint as co-chair of the first Founder Factory, she was appointed as director of events at PSL.

Tracey is Director of Sales and Marketing, and one of the founders of Chariot Solutions. Chariot is a leader in providing architecture and design in Java and open source development in the mid-Atlantic region.  Chariot, now headed into its seventh year, has seen grown into a leader in the industry.

Colin M. Evans, member of the Board

Colin M. Evans is the Founder and Managing Partner of Sandwith Ventures, LLC, a San Francisco based investment firm founded in 2007, focusing on angel and Series A investments in consumer oriented e-commerce and marketplace businesses. Prior to launching Sandwith Ventures, Colin was on the Founding Management Team and Vice President of Sales and Business Development at StubHub.com, a successful online ticket exchange founded in 2000 and sold to eBay in early 2007.

Colin sits on the Board of CommunityLend, Bonobos and TicketLeap.  Colin is an official advisor to over ten additional internet companies primarily concentrated in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York and Philadelphia Regions.  Portfolio companies and/or companies Colin consults with include Bounty Jobs, SkyGrid, Rich Relevance, Marin Software, Shop it to Me, Invite Media, ModCloth, eRealInvestor, Zwaggle, KaDoink, 4INFO, Waterfall Mobile, RentJuice and Stitcher.

Neil Kleinman, member of the Board

Neil is a senior fellow in the Corzo Center for the Creative Economy and professor of Media and Communication at the University of the Arts, where, until recently, he served as dean of the College of Media & Communication.  His role on the board: to represent non-entrepreneurs, especially those in colleges and universities.

Over the years, he has busied himself thinking about the way media changes our world.  He’s developed programs in media, communication and entrepreneurship; edited books, magazines, and newspapers; and taught literature, writing, design, the digital economy, and marketing.  He’s also the co-author of a book on German propaganda and the editor of a book on mime.  He has a JD from the University of Pennsylvania and a PhD in English from the University of Connecticut.