Here are a few things I told a Young Professionals Council

Last month, I was the featured speaker in a regular CEO series hosted by the Young Professionals Council of the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia.

More than 40 people kindly came out to hear me be interviewed. We talked about Technically Media, tech and impact trends and journalism. (Yes, there was an Amazon HQ2 question: I said I was betting on the D.C. market but thought Philadelphia had a strong enough offering that I refuse to be surprised if chosen).

Below I share a few other thoughts I shared, mostly prompted by audience Q&A.

Find some photos here.

  • Entrepreneurship energy is because we need more people creating jobs, not because we’re already thriving. (Because we’re not)
  • Impact investing is a way to influence and sustain local venture capital communities as other asset classes get interesting (interest rates go up). Lots of venture capital firms don’t make money.
  • Local journalism is entirely different than the national stuff. Right down to the business model. So don’t talk about the New York Times lessons for local news orgs.
  • “Companies will grow wherever the environment is rich. There are lessons to be shared across the corridor,” so competing with other cities is silly. It’s instead a battle for density.
  • For Amazon, I said my money is on northern Virginia but I was proud to say Philly has a genuinely strong case. I wouldn’t be shocked if it was philly

If you don’t care about where you live, you’re a trash human, I managed to say which got quite a laugh and lots of tweets.

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