Founder Factory a sell-out for Philly entrepreneurs

Blake Jennelle and his Philly Start-Up Leaders did something that many up-and-coming musicians hope to do every night–sell out World Café Live, the hip haven in University City, Philadelphia. The crowd, however, were eager entrepreneurs, and taking the stage last November were some of the region’s most accomplished entrepreneurs and business strategists.

The event, dubbed Founder Factory, was PSL’s biggest event, and should be just as big on Nov. 19, when World Café Live will play host once again to the “big fishbowl.”

“The goal is to inspire people,” says Jennelle, PSL’s founder and director of marketing for Philly start-up TicketLeap. “it’s like getting a shot of adrenaline, to come in and hear some of your role models telling their uncensored story, you leave there with the sense that not only can you do this too, but you can’t wait to get back to the office in the morning and get going.”

The event also features “fishbowl” companies who seek help on certain issues. They include motorcycle e-commerce firm RevZilla, allowance and rewards platform Kidzillions and language learning provider PlaySay.

Speakers include Doug Alexander, the president of Internet Capital Group; Geoff Cook, CEO of myYearbook; Gil Beyda, managing partner of Genacast Ventures; Jeremy J. Siegel of The Wharton School; and David Brussin, CEO of Monetate.

“The biggest lesson from last year was this is fantastic, don’t screw it up,” jokes Jennelle. “This year, World Café has said clearly, you can’t sell more than 200 tickets. We’re not sold out yet, but close.”

Source: Blake Jennelle, Philly Start-Up Leaders
Writer: Joe Petrucci