Innovation Philadelphia

Innovation Philadelphia, founded in 2001 by the City of Philadelphia and business and academic leaders, was originally charged with helping to grow the technology and knowledge industry sectors of Philadelphia's economy. In 2006, the organization adopted a strategic plan that targeted the growth of for-profit, creative industry sectors that are dri... ven by technology, including industries such as website design, graphic design, green technologies, software development and film and music production. Since then, Innovation Philadelphia has developed a wide variety of programs and resources for creative industry entrepreneurs, held creative industry conferences and job fairs, and hosted and participated in national and international conferences showcasing the Philadelphia region's blossoming creative economy. As a result, Innovation Philadelphia has become one of the leading innovative, new economy organizations in the United States with a strong record of accomplishments that include: Identifying the creative economy as a part of the knowledge industry with the potential for measurable growth; planning collaborative initiatives such as the 2006 and 2009 Global Creative Economy Convergence Summits, the Creative Entrepreneurial Expo, and the annual Creative Industries Career Fair; and establishing a reputation as an expert in creative industry growth by participating in national and international conferences to educate other economic development practitioners on strategies to grow the creative economy. Providing creative industry entrepreneurs with resources and expertise to grow their businesses by hosting workshops and panel discussions and providing entrepreneurs with forums to exchange ideas and with networking programs to generate new business opportunities. Developing a portfolio of venture capital investment funds, including the Creative Economy Investment Fund, which has invested a total aggregate $1.4 million and leveraged an additional investment of over $71 million in early seed funding to dozens of ...Read More