Last month, Keystone Edge reported on an online survey of robotic startups in Pennsylvania. Now, a young graphic designer with an entrepreneurial bent has undertaken a similar project with Represent PA, an online map of tech startups around the Commonwealth.
Jordan Coeyman created the interactive site as a way to draw attention to Pennsylvania as a startup location and, frankly, to himself. “My goal was to connect the PA startup community visually, and to spread my name across the Internet. I was looking to gain some credibility, as I get ready to launch my own startup, Crowd Engage.”
Crowd Engage, to launch in the next three months, is a web-based host for video-based reward business campaigns, Coeyman says, “a way for brands and businesses to engage their existing customers, get incredible content in return [and benefit from] the power of word-of-mouth advertising.”
Coeyman built Represent PA with the open source tool Represent Map, which also is responsible for Mapped in Israel and Represent LA. He spread the word on social media via posts on Hackernews, Reddit and Twitter, inviting companies to add themselves to the site. As of this writing, it counts 90 startups, three accelerators, five incubators, six co-working spaces, three investors and 18 consulting firms.
Coeyman is a recent graduate and a self-described “born entrepreneur.” One of the biggest challenges for young entrepreneurs, he says, is connecting with like-minded people, especially in rural parts of the state. “We built this map to connect and promote the tech startup community in our beloved Pennsylvania,” the site urges. “Let's put PA on the map together!”
Source: Jordan Coeyman , Represent PA
Writer: Elise Vider
