PHILLY TECH WEEK

BY MICHAEL BRADLEY

PHILLY TECH WEEK

Vincent Better

10 TURNS TEN

When Philly Tech Week launched 10 years ago, its mission was to bring people together.

“We wanted to convene and connect,” Vincent Better says. A decade later, there is plenty of that going on, so much so that the series of events has ballooned into a city-wide phenomenon that has brought together so many different constituencies that it seems to be “convening and connecting” the whole darn region. “It has grown a lot,” Better says. That’s an understatement. Thanks to the desires of many different organizations to be part of Philly Tech Week, there are now more than 100 separate components to the nineday “week,” and the menu goes well beyond technology to include the arts, gaming and professional development across a variety of professions. For the past five years, Better has been the VP of Technical.ly Media in Philadelphia, which covers the local tech community and stages the event. Technical.ly has offices in Philly, Baltimore, D.C. and Delaware and covers the tech community “from a lot of different angles,” according to Better. “We look at who is emerging, who is getting funding, who is merging and who is closing,” Better says. “We run the full gamut in the start-up space, but it’s not all tech-related.” That’s true. There is some basic job-search information, as well as tips for small companies looking to hire and retain talent. Local entrepreneurs are highlighted, as are broader business stories, such as the appointing of larger company CEOs, like DuPont’s Ed Breen. Technical.ly was founded in 2009 by a pair of Temple University grads with backgrounds in journalism. Although Better wasn’t present for the genesis of the week, he has seen it grow considerably, to the point where people from all over the country want to benefit from what has become a signature part of the Philadelphia calendar. Although Technical.ly only sponsors four keystones of the week, others

have been eager to join in. “They have been asking how they can be involved,” Better says. “They are forwardthinking and trying to figure out how to align themselves with the mission of what we have going on for this week.”

This is not the usual assembling of geeks. Although there is plenty to keep the STEM crowd happy and occupied, Better reports there is plenty for people whose savvy in that area doesn’t extend much beyond proper use of an iPhone. For instance, the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival has decided to get in on the critical mass by moving to May 6-9, after being

held in April or June for several years. Since the Technical.ly-sponsored events will be held in Old City this year—a nod to creating more attention for the 10th anniversary—the Film Festival felt it was a good idea to shift its timing. “They said there was a lot of value around the attention for Philly Tech Week and decided to move the event,” Better says.

THE WHOLE THING BEGINS May 1 with the Kickoff Festival. The free event serves as a way to set a lighter tone for the proceedings and includes some interactive activities, food and drink. It’s a bit low-key, but it is a fun way to get the whole thing underway. The event

coincides with the 27th annual First Friday celebration and should serve the dual purpose of allowing Philly Tech Week to gain some broader notice while also adding another layer of interest to First Friday. As Better says, the goal is not just to serve the techies but also to demonstrate the value of creative solutions and advancement across a variety of fields and platforms.

While the kickoff is a come-one, come-all affair, the other Technical.ly-sponsored portions of the program require tickets, but they are worth the extra trouble. The first is the Developers Conference on Monday, May 4, from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. The day of professional growth opportunities is divided into two segments— three, if you count the happy hour. The first is a collection of morning workshops on a

variety of different topics that are designed to allow for skill improvement in various applica- tions and languages at all levels. “In the afternoon, there is a series of talks by thought leaders, heads of companies and investors sharing their information,” Better says. “It’s a tremendous classroom environ- ment in the morning and a more open frame- work in the afternoon.”

That relatively loose format continues Thursday, May 7, at “Introduced by Technical.ly,” which aims to bring people, ideas and opportunities together to build stronger companies. More than 500 entrepre- neurs, C-level executives, HR professionals, operations leaders and corporate innovators will gather for a day of presentations, conver- sations and themed meetings. The day focuses on three key parts of business success: clients, employees and hometowns. like donning their party clothes with perhaps a cape or a lightsaber. Heck, you can dress up as a stormtrooper, if you want. Technical.ly de- scribes the event as a “cocktail reception meet- ing an interactive local technology expo.” That sounds pretty interesting. Afterward, revelers can keep things going at the after-party at The Post, which is near Cira Center. “It’s a networking event that has open food and open bar that wraps up the week,” Bet- ter says. “There is no program or speaker or panels. It’s just a good, old time. It’s sort of to celebrate the fact that we survived the week.” Although Technical.ly doesn’t directly spon- sor the Journey Summit on May 5, Philly Tech Week attendees would be wise to grab a spot at the event to see guest speaker Adam Grant. Grant, who has been the top-rated professor at Penn’s Wharton School for seven consecutive years, is an organizational psychologist and an author whose books have appeared on the

The diversity of events demonstrates just how much Philly Tech Week has grown and become part of the Philadelphia fabric.

There is a strong list of speakers, includ- ing Josh Kopleman, a founding partner at First Round Capital, a seed-stage technology venture fund, who has been an investor in Internet companies since the early ‘90s; Nick Mosby, a member of Maryland’s House of Delegates; Cerron Cade, Delaware’s Secre- tary of Labor and someone with plenty of experience aiding businesses; Jamie Sears, Executive Director, Head of Community Af- fairs and Corporate Responsibility for Ameri- cas UBS AG; and Gene Marks, a writer who has authored five books on business man- agement—with an emphasis on small and medium-sized firms—and has contributed to The New York Times, Washington Post, Phila- delphia Inquirer, Forbes and Inc. He has also appeared on MSNBC and Fox News. “We want to allow people to meet others and gain ideas that will help them build bet- ter companies for employees, clients and the community at large,” Better says. “It’s a user conference for people who are interdependent in the community who want to learn more and connect with each other so that they can scale their businesses.” Technical.ly closes things out Friday, May 8 with Philly’s Nerd Met Gala at Cira Green in University City. It’s a celebration for those who have participated—and anybody else who feels New York Times bestseller’s list and have sold more than two million copies. He will discuss management strategies that can lead to greater productivity and more professional and per- sonal fulfillment. There are plenty of other interesting events throughout the week, including the Data Com- petition on May 1-2, sponsored by PhillyTalent, that will bring together contestants who will vie for 18 hours to win prizes in modeling and AI-powered apps. On Tuesday, May 5, Deafi- nitely Philly will aim to promote diversity in the workforce by bringing together employees and those with hearing deficiencies. And on Saturday, May 9, dozens of brave competitors will take part in the 15th Kensington Derby and Arts Festival, which features a three-mile course that features a variety of obstacles and other challenges. There are also food trucks, art demonstrations and inventors that combine to make this a true urban pageant. The diversity of events demonstrates just how much Philly Tech Week has grown and become part of the Philadelphia fabric. “People have a much better understanding of the impact tech has,” Better says. “Some people think it’s just about bytes and bits and zeroes and ones. There is wider-ranging con- tent, and the events [in Philly Tech Week] rep- resent that.” n