Lightship Foundation's Startup Train heads to Philadelphia during Philly Tech Week Event sponsored by the City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce and Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs

CINCINNATI, May 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Startup Train, the inclusion focused US tech ecosystem tour launched by Lightship Foundation to reach and connect entrepreneurs and ecosystems across the country, will be hosted in Philadelphia and sponsored by the City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce and Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs. Scheduled to arrive in the city on Wednesday, May 3, public events planned for the Philadelphia stop include Lightship's Workflow Wednesday meetup and Philly Startup Leaders DiversiTech Fest Welcome Wagon.

"When we were in the process of determining which cities would make our inaugural Startup Train schedule, Philadelphia was at the top of our list." says Brian Brackeen, Investor in Residence, Lightship Foundation. "As a Philadelphia native I am proud of the work that The City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce and Comcast have done to make Philadelphia one of the fastest growing tech ecosystems in the country, and Lightship is thrilled to be partnering with them to introduce our programming to the city through Startup Train. Also, Go Birds!."

Startup Train's Philadelphia stop will take place inside LIFT Labs, a branch of Comcast NBCUniversal's Startup Engagement team focused on connecting startup founders to their network of mentors, businesses, and corporate partners. LIFT Labs is located on the 4th floor of the Comcast Technology Center. Other local organizations, including 1Philadelphia, support the Startup Train initiative that will expand the entire duration of Philly Tech Week.

"Philadelphia is a world-class destination filled with passionate and innovative people of multicultural backgrounds. The City is committed to advancing economic mobility, representation and accessibility for residents and entrepreneurs within world-class industry sectors. That includes positioning Philadelphia as one of the top— and most diverse—tech hubs in the nation," said Tempest Carter, Director of Strategic Tech Initiatives, Department of Commerce Office of Business Development and Workforce Solutions. "Alongside our partners, we are committed to fueling the inclusive growth of tech workforce skills, entrepreneurs and tech-based companies across the city.

Startup Train is one of many in-person events planned for 2023 by Lightship Foundation. Black Tech Week, an inclusive ecosystem-building experience driven by community and corporate collaboration will return to Cincinnati, OH in July, while Lightship Bootcamp and Lightship Accelerator continue to be facilitated throughout the year in cities including Tulsa, Ok, Columbus, Oh, Miami, FL and more.

Find information and sponsorship opportunities for Startup Train here

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About Lightship Foundation

Lightship Foundation is an impact-driven organization serving remarkable entrepreneurs & ecosystems across the US. By leveraging corporate partnerships, specialized programming, and capital investments Lightship drives sustainable growth within the minority innovation economy. Since 2017, the organization has guided over 200 companies led by women, FOC (Founders of Color), and those representing the LGBTIQ and disabled communities to more than $120M in venture funding across the US.

About City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce

The Department of Commerce is the economic catalyst for the City of Philadelphia, working to help all businesses thrive. Commerce creates equitable wealth-building opportunities through strategic investments and ecosystem partnerships to grow quality jobs, build capacity in underserved communities, and make it easier to operate a successful business in Philadelphia. Staff provides one-on-one customer service, access to citywide resources, financial support, outreach, and education to business owners. Commerce works to ensure that Philadelphia is a globally competitive city to which employers flock, entrepreneurs thrive and innovation abounds. For more information, visit us at phila.gov/commerce and @PHLCommerce on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

About Startup Train

Startup Train is a multi-city startup ecosystem tour leveraging locomotive travel to connect remarkable founders and ecosystem partners across the country. The Lightship Foundation team will be in one city per day for five consecutive days, with investors and founders from each city along the route welcomed and encouraged to join the journey. The Startup Train tour features founder focused events planned for each city including a press conference, investor meetup and founder/startup showcase.

SOURCE Lightship Foundation

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