PHILLY
BUILDS
AI

The alliance uniting Greater Philadelphia's founders, enterprises, capital, and universities around the region's greatest economic opportunity.

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The Opportunity

$355B

Regional Economy

Greater Philadelphia's GDP makes it one of the largest economic regions in North America and one of the most underutilized.

$108B

N. American EDS Market

Enterprise Digital Solutions is the fastest-growing tradeable sector in the country and Philadelphia is perfectly positioned to lead it.

23.5%

EDS Job Growth

Over the last decade, Enterprise AI and digital solutions roles have grown faster than any other high-wage sector in North America.

Counties. One Strategy.

Chester, Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, Philadelphia. Five counties. Coordinated for the first time around a single economic opportunity.

40%

of US GDP Within 4 Hours

No metro in America has a larger addressable enterprise market within a short flight or drive. That's the Philly advantage.

The Reality Check

Strong Assets.
Underperforming
Economy.

Philadelphia's $355B regional economy punches below its weight. With a $48K wage gap between tradeable and non-tradeable sectors (export goods out of region versus local only), we're sitting on enormous upside if we move together.

42nd

Productivity Rank

Out of 50 metros

50th

Upward Mobility

Last in the nation

104K

Jobs Lost to Peer Regions

Due to slower tradeable-sector growth

The Gaps

What We Must Close

Tradeable Growth 3x Slower

High-value sectors lagged behind service industries for a decade.

Talent Pipeline Gaps

Skills don't yet match enterprise AI demands across the region.

Regional Fragmentation

Disconnected organizations dilute our collective impact. Five counties need one strategy.

Translation Gap

World-class R&D exists but hasn't been translated into commercial enterprise AI at scale.

The Opportunity

Enterprise AI is Philly's Wedge into the Next Economy

23.5%

Job Growth

EDS sector, last decade

80%

Quality Jobs

Good or promising roles

11.6%

Annual Growth

North America

$108B

Market Size

North American EDS

Brookings Institution names Enterprise Digital Solutions (Enterprise AI) as Priority Sector #1 for Southeastern Pennsylvania and Philadelphia's anchor industries are the perfect customer base.

The Philadelphia Advantage

Your capital goes
30-40% further
here than NYC or SF

See exactly how salary, office costs, and total burn compare across 10 major U.S. markets and how much extra runway you gain by building in Philadelphia.

Open the Calculator →

5-person team · $150K salary · $3K/mo office

Philadelphia$789KBASELINE

New York City$1.14M+$354K

San Francisco$1.22M+$432K

Boston$1.02M+$234K

Washington DC$994K+$205K

Annual total cost · Adjust inputs in the full calculator

Our Assets

Why Philly Is Built for This Moment

The differentiator isn't assets it's translation. Denver and San Diego show the playbook. Philadelphia is positioned to run it bigger, with a $355B economy, the region's highest upside, and 40% of US GDP within four hours.

🏥

Deep Regulated Industries

Finance, insurance, healthcare, pharma the perfect enterprise AI customers, right here.

🎓

World-Class Research

Penn, Drexel, Temple, and CHOP top-tier R&D engines anchored in the region.

🤖

AI & Robotics Anchor

Penn's GRASP Lab is one of the world's leading robotics and AI research centers.

📍

Affordable + Strategic

40% of US GDP within 4 hours. Lower costs than NYC, Boston, or DC.

⚙️

Operational Expertise

Enterprise-ready talent with deep industry domain knowledge that AI builders need.

What to Build

Philadelphia's Anchor Industries Are the Market

Enterprise AI is the product. These four verticals represent the highest-leverage opportunities for founders building in the Greater Philadelphia region sectors where we have both deep expertise and massive enterprise demand.

VERTICAL 01

Health & Life Science AI

Drug discovery, clinical ops, and patient outcomes Philly's biggest sector, AI-ready. CHOP, Penn Medicine, Jefferson Health are global leaders waiting for the right partners.

VERTICAL 02

Compliance & Risk AI

Regulated industries need AI that understands the rules. We have the domain expertise to build it and the customers who desperately need it.

VERTICAL 03

Financial & Insurance Ops AI

Automate underwriting, claims, and back-office operations for the region's largest employers. Massive scale, clear ROI, proven enterprise buyer.

VERTICAL 04

Industrial & Supply Chain AI

Predictive maintenance, quality control, and logistics intelligence for the mid-Atlantic corridor. The manufacturing base is here. The opportunity is now.

Programs

Our Initiatives

Enterprise Labs

Connecting Philadelphia's leading corporates with curated, enterprise-ready AI startups structured pilots that prove value fast and create lasting partnerships.

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Philly Builds

Elevating Philadelphia's tech stories founders, companies, and breakthroughs onto the national and global stage. Building the narrative that makes Philly a destination for talent and capital.

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Founder Resources

A curated, founder-vetted guide to the tools, capital, legal counsel, and community programs that matter most for building a company in Greater Philadelphia.

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The Alliance

Our Ecosystem

Strength comes from the diverse network of organizations collaborating to advance Enterprise AI across Greater Philadelphia five counties, one coordinated strategy.

Startup & Community

The Foundry Coffee & Code PhilaCon Valley AI Collective 1Philadelphia

Investors & Capital

VC Village Robin Hood Ventures Ben Franklin Tech Partners

Corporate & Industry

PACT SIM Comcast Boomi UE Labs Chamber of Commerce i2n

Academic & Government

Penn Drexel Temple Philadelphia Commerce Dept PA Economic Development

PHILLY BUILDS AI

Strong Assets.UnderperformingEconomy.