A Recap of Founder Factory 2021
On November 17, 2021, the Philly Startup Leaders community gathered in person at the Quorum to network, learn, and overcome the obstacles that are in the way of individual and company-wide success. After two years of virtual programming, it was wonderful to see everyone interacting in person, and the ways in which connection can bring about success.
During the intimate, half-day event, the 80 guests networked with one another, learned from speakers’ own experiences, were granted a moment to focus on themselves and their own wellness, and were able to meet with area experts to solve their most pressing issues.
A panel of speakers (from left to right: Anna Greenwald, Nick Bayer, Adit Gupta, Kaela Blanks and Tom Falzani) is seated in front of a crowd, with a projected image that reads “Thank you to our sponsors” in the background.
After the networking breakfast sponsored by Saxbys, guests convened in the main room for the Leadershit Live panel discussion. The panel was honest and reflective in the good, bad and ugly sides of Leadership, and being a founder or executive of a growing organization. For more about that panel, read Paige Gross’ article in Technical.ly.
Next, Evan Harden, B.C.H, lead the attendees in a 20-minute guided hypnotherapy meditation.
Keynote speaker Evan Harden, B.C.H., is standing behind a podium as he leads the guests in a guided hypnotherapy meditation.
Next, it was time for the Overcoming Obstacles roundtable, where over 15 area experts answered questions from our founder guests across the stickiest areas in foundership: sales & marketing; strategic partnerships; pitch prep, fundraising and impact investing; talent acquisition and hiring; organizational development; accounting and financials; legal considerations and more. Finally, the day concluded with additional networking opportunities and lunch sponsored by Shake Shack University City.
Attendees enjoyed an intimate roundtable session with area experts during the Overcoming Obstacles Roundtable.
As with previous years, the attendees at Founder Factory varied in job title, stage, and the reasons they joined the event. In 2021, our goal was to support growth-stage founders as they continue to expand their business by offering not only high-level discussions, but specific advice, strategies and tactics to bring back to their teams.
This year, we are happy to say that 42.5% of our attendees identified themselves as a CXO, Founder or Co-Founder, which has increased 2% from 2019, followed by Analyst (5%), Senior Vice President and Executive Director (3.75%).
Below, you will find a list of companies who participated in Founder Factory 2021:
Image shows a list of companies who participated in Founder Factory 2021, including: A View From My Seat LLC, Asimblee, Axon Collective, BassForecast, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Bitter Sweet Saturday, Bow Tie Social, Capstone Group, Color Guru, CopyCat, Cozen O'Connor, Design Prosody, Food Collective, Founders First Capital Partners, Glenmede, Gopuff, Grativerse, GrowExpand, Grumbles, ITAccelerate, J.P. Morgan, Journal My Health, Journaya, Juno Search Partners, Juno Talent Solutions, KEVA Planks Education, Lula, Mindcracker Inc, Morgan Lewis, MVM Associates, National Bar League, O3 World, On the Goga, Osage Venture PArtners, Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, PatientWing, Pawsible, Plynth, Private Investor's Forum, Promptworks, Proud Ounces, Rego, REI Co-op, Path Ahead Ventures, Roundtrip, Saint Rocco's Treats, Saxbys, ShotCaller, Snyderman Law Group, Steminist Squad, Switchboard Live, Technical.ly, University City Science Center, Venture For America, Wawa, Weber Law, Wipfli LLP, Wodify, & Your Care Collective
Of course, our events would not possible without our sponsors. Founder Factory is no different! Thank you to our long-time partners at the Quorum for helping to make this event a reality; Saxbys and Shake Shack for providing meals; the speakers and experts for lending their time and expertise; and to our sponsors Gopuff, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, the City of Philadelphia, Comcast NBCUniversal LiftLabs, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, and 76 Forward.
We thank each of the attendees who dedicated time to learning and growing as entrepreneurs and leaders, and we hope to see you all at future PSL Events. To sign up for PSL’s Founded in Philly Graduation and Holiday Mixer, taking place on Tuesday December 14th at Leda and the Swan, follow the link below.
“That was the most productive 15 minutes of my whole year.”
What was your favorite part of #founderfactory? Tell us below or share it on social media and tag @startupleaders!