When Jim Cecere talks about today’s inaugural Entrepreneur Expo, presented by Philly Start-Up Leaders, he describes an ecosystem in need of support. More than an environmental Freudian slip, it’s significant in that the Expo, the first of its kind in the region, addresses the entrepreneur as the center of the economic lifecycle.
“I’ve certainly been to these types of events, but most have been at investor’s conferences,” says Cecere, a Philadelphia-based entrepreneur himself in the process of starting an asset management firm. “Our vantage point highlights the entrepreneur.”
That approach has caught fire–more than 400 attendees are pre-registered (Cecere expected 250) and 50 exhibitors are signed up (Cecere had to turn others away), making today’s Expo at the University City Science Center not only a hot ticket, but a must for area entrepreneurs.
Lawyers, investors, economic development agencies, bankers, and students will mix with entrepreneurs to help, as Cecere says, “create tomorrow’s somebodys.” Start-ups like Okwagon, a peer-oriented social network that helps move projects forward, and Classlet, an online connection for students and teachers, will have a prime networking opportunity. As Cecere himself knows–he only left his job a little more than a year ago–the road to starting one’s own company can be a long and lonely one. The Expo, however, gives attendees the chance to seek out like-minded entrepreneurs to leverage their experiences.
“I hope people come here and walk away meeting five people they didn’t know before,” Cecere says. “People need to make sure when they walk out of this event, they get what they want out of it.”
Source: Jim Cecere, Philly Start-Up Leaders
Writer: Joe Petrucci
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