Philly Startup Leaders taps tech veterans to lobby on policy, foster entrepreneurial ecosystem

Philly Startup Leaders has put together a team of local tech veterans to mentor entrepreneurs and advocate for policy amid the nonprofit's 15th anniversary.

The Legacy Leaders Council is co-chaired by Gloria Bell, the co-founder of the Women in Tech Summit and the Inspiring Tech Foundation, and Robin Hood Ventures Executive Director Ellen Weber. Bell and Weber said the group grew out of conversations with Philly Startup Leaders CEO Isabelle Kent about how to bridge the gap between young founders and longtime members of Philly Startup Leaders who have a wealth of connections across Philadelphia's tech ecosystem.

"[We wanted] to be able to bring some of that experience and wisdom and reconnect some of the people who've been with the organization awhile who've gone on to grow companies — some of them multiple companies — and just build this bridge between the experience and the wisdom of those of us who have been around while, and some of the newer people and everyone in between," Bell said.

Philly Startup Leaders offers mentorship, education and networking to local startups, with a goal of growing the number of entrepreneurs and startups in Greater Philadelphia.

Here is a look at the 10-person council, who will serve a 12-month term with an optional 12-month renewal:

Kent said that there has been "a massive influx" of new founders joining the Philly Startup Leaders community in 2023, outpacing new members in the previous two years. The 15-year anniversary gave the organization a chance to reflect, but also gave Kent, along with Weber and Bell, an opportunity to idealize what the future of Philly Startup Leaders will look like. The organization has always been a convener for Philadelphia's tech ecosystem, and now it has its eyes on being more of a changemaker as well.

"Looking forward, how do we pull together a consortium of startup leaders and ecosystem partners in the region, especially more grassroots ones, that we're also able to ensure that everyone's operating toward that same North Star?" Kent said. "Then how do we also leverage that collective power to ensure that we're informing tax policy and other policies that might affect entrepreneurship in the region?"

In addition to tax policy, Kent discussed goals like establishing grant funds or other public funding as ways the Legacy Leaders Council could help boost the startup ecosystem. The council is also a way to leverage the multitude of connections that the veteran group of entrepreneurs and investors have in the region. Kent said that Philadelphia's tech ecosystem has a tendency to have a reputation for being siloed, and this is a way for young entrepreneurs to traverse those silos.

Bell and Weber said planning programming for the Legacy Leaders Council is still in its early stages, though they plan to host three events before the end of the year centered on the 15th anniversary of Philly Startup Leaders. Beyond that, the guiding question for the council will be "what will the next 15 years after that look like?" Bell said.

For Kent, that could include scaling the model of a leadership council so startups can have resources and built-out networks in more specific areas of the region's startup ecosystem. Future councils could include an international innovation group to work together with ecosystems across the globe and an investor council.

"This will be a scalable model for us, where we're also able to segment out from these stakeholder groups to ensure that we're meeting on a regular basis and exchanging information and that will also help us strengthen our programming and the ways that we support our founders," Kent said.

The Legacy Leaders Council is a group who pervades all areas of Philadelphia's tech ecosystem and "can see trends and issues" young entrepreneurs may not realize, Weber said. Bringing what Bell called a "diversity of thought" will be one of the most influential resources for startup leaders, she said.

"All of us are coming from different perspectives, we're coming from very different stages, we're coming from different parts of the ecosystem and at different points we joined [Philly Startup Leaders,]" Bell said. "That diversity of thought, diversity of experience diversity of knowledge, diversity of networks. I think that is one of the most valuable things that we all can bring."