The Philly tech scene can feel disconnected, especially for those new to the scene, but leaders say consistent collaboration could bring people back together.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why Philly tech support org 1Philadelphia hosted the Ecosystem Assembly<\/a> last Wednesday and invited orgs to present their schedules for the fall. It was an opportunity for established leaders, new faces and everyone in between to get on the same page, Danae Mobley, executive director of 1Philadelphia, told Technical.ly.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPhiladelphia\u2019s tech community is unique in that when it is at its best, it is not monocultural.\u201d<\/p>\n Alex Hillman, Indy Hall<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes you don\u2019t know what\u2019s out there,\u201d Mobley said. \u201cBeing able to mix with people and bump into them organically \u2026 you can come away with a whole list of things to fill your fall calendar.\u201d<\/p>\n Those events range widely, from weekly meetups<\/a> to major conferences. Founders Alley plugged its second annual conference<\/a>, the city\u2019s Department of Commerce shared information about this year\u2019s Startup World Cup pitch competition<\/a> and Indy Hall explained its 20th anniversary plans<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Orgs like Ben Franklin Technology Partners and Wexford also presented, explaining how they hope to support programming this fall through their spaces.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite all the activity, these orgs all have unique audiences that don\u2019t always cross over. The disconnect between groups within the ecosystem mirrors the same divide we see in the city\u2019s neighborhoods, Alex Hillman, founder of Indy Hall, said. Once people find a place they fit into, they stay there and don\u2019t make as much effort to explore everything else.<\/p>\n Indy Hall is celebrating two decades of operation<\/a> this month, and a recent focus of the coworking space has been creating opportunities for community leaders across sectors to interact, Hillman said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Over the years, Hillman has seen the ecosystem struggle with coordination and collaboration, although he acknowledged that things have improved significantly post-pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPhiladelphia\u2019s tech community is unique in that when it is at its best, it is not monocultural,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s why the org is hosting twice-monthly Neighborhood Nights, after-hours coworking sessions for organizers and their members to come work on events or related projects. The goal is to create opportunities for cross-community meetings and collaborations.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy hope is that at these events \u2026 [people will] discover those similarities,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s so much more powerful when people can discover the similarities for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Collaboration as a catalyst<\/p>\n For some org leaders, encouraging collaboration is a strategy for lifting the whole ecosystem.\u00a0<\/p>\n After Erik Caputo\u2019s own experience struggling to break into the scene, he started Founders Alley<\/a> to highlight resources in Philly. That way, founders coming in can explore and decide what group they identify with, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBy centralizing all this under one roof, I hope to bring more cognition to what Philly\u2019s doing, and hopefully collaboration that comes after that,\u201d Caputo said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Leaders also hope that working together will inspire innovation. The purpose of meetup group Coffee and Code Philly<\/a> is to be a consistent place for engineers to come together and learn from each other, organizer Tony Siu said\u00a0<\/p>\n