January 3, 2017

Since its earliest days, Philadelphia has embraced and encouraged the entrepreneurial spirit. Over the past years, the "City of Firsts" has steadily developed a flourishing ecosystem for the innovative and creative. The unique assets this city offers has drawn starters from across the world to launch their business here.

Philadelphia's long-standing love of entrepreneurship propels the city's economy and has received recognition on a national level. In mid-January, Philadelphia will welcome the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE), the largest independent, professional, academic organization in the world dedicated to advancing the discipline of entrepreneurship. In honor of this occasion, Mayor Jim Kenney declared January 19 Entreprepreneurship Education Day to make residents aware of the advancements our city's entrepreneurs have provided.

The City of Firsts is also home of Drexel University's Close School of Entrepreneurship. Within the Close School, we develop specialized curricula focused on empowering undergrad starters to become leaders. Our annual Startup Day takes place in November. During this day-long event, entrepreneurship is celebrated by up-and-coming starters and established entrepreneurs alike.

Aside from networking and learning professional skills from prominent speakers, Drexel students have the opportunity to compete for incubator space for their startup, earn thousands of dollars in funding, and receive mentorship from some of the city's most experienced professionals.

It's not hard to find like-minded people in this city. In this ever-growing entrepreneurship community, starters can attend meetups at Philly Junto, Benjamin's Desk, We Work, and more. At these event meetings, starters can exchange ideas, network, and gain new insight in a city that encourages innovative minds to network, learn, and launch something new.

What are you waiting for? Get started today.

Sarah Temple, Communications, Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship