PHILADELPHIA--(July 20, 2011) – The University City Science Center and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Philadelphia program office have teamed up to support young entrepreneurs in the Greater Philadelphia region through the Science Center’s new Quorum initiative. NFTE Philadelphia is the newest member of the Quorum Strategic Partner Alliance.
Launched in May 2011, Quorum is a strategic initiative of the University City Science Center that is designed to unite the region’s entrepreneurship and innovation communities through a central gathering space on the Science Center’s campus at 3711 Market Street in Philadelphia and related programs that enable idea generators to meet, share and learn, promoting the success of companies, individuals and the Philadelphia region.
As a Quorum Strategic Partner, NFTE Philadelphia joins 25 other organizations from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware that share the Science Center’s mission of supporting tech-based entrepreneurship and innovation. The Strategic Partner Alliance is designed to recognize and promote the groups and organizations that support entrepreneurship and innovation in Greater Philadelphia while building awareness of the individual organizations and the region’s innovation community.
“Quorum is designed to convene the different communities that make up Greater Philadelphia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem,” says Science Center President & CEO Stephen S. Tang, Ph.D., MBA. “We welcome NFTE Philadelphia to this diverse group that comprises the Quorum target audience of entrepreneurs, innovators, scientists, investors and resource organizations. NFTE’s participation is proof that you’re never too young to have a great idea that can blossom into a successful venture.”
“This strategic partnership with the Science Center’s Quorum initiative offers our students access to a robust network of entrepreneurs and visionaries that they otherwise would never realize,” said Sylvia Watts McKinney, Executive Director of NFTE Philadelphia. “Between the partnership alliance members, the great meeting space, the networking and educational events, and the high-technology capabilities, we believe the benefits will extend far beyond the classroom for our students. We thank the University City Science Center for developing such a prophetic initiative and look forward to fostering a mutually beneficial relationship with the Alliance.”
Quorum Strategic Partner Alliance Members: Alliance of Women Entrepreneurs, America-Israel Chamber of Commerce, Baiada Center for Entrepreneurship, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, BioAdvance, BioStrategy Partners, Campus Philly, Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Montgomery County Community College, Delaware BioScience Association, Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Greater Philadelphia Senior Executives Group, Health Innovation Partnership, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, New Jersey Technology Council, Penn Biotech Group, Pennsylvania Bio, Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technology, Philadelphia Institute of Neurodegenerative Disorders, Philly Startup Leaders, Select Greater Philadelphia, Technology Forum of Delaware, Temple University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute, Villanova University’s Center for Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship, Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs, World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia. CONTACT: Jeanne Mell University City Science Center 215-966-6029 302-345-8130 (cell) jmell@sciencecenter.org
About Quorum
Quorum is designed to strengthen the Greater Philadelphia region’s culture of technology innovation and entrepreneurship by facilitating connections and idea-sharing among entrepreneurs, innovators, scientists, investors and resource organizations. Quorum offers both a physical space on the Science Center’s campus at 3711 Market Street in Philadelphia and regional programming that directly supports entrepreneurs, providing them with access, guidance and networking opportunities. Quorum addresses a need highlighted in the CEO Council for Growth’s 2007 Accelerating Technology Transfer in the Greater Philadelphia Region study, which recommended the creation of a venue “to serve as the ‘clubhouse’ for innovation in the region and provide programming to attract researchers, entrepreneurs and investors.”
Quorum Sponsors
Leadership: University of Pennsylvania, Wexford Science + Technology Founding: The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, EisnerAmper, Endo Pharmaceuticals, ParenteBeard, Temple University Sustaining: Deloitte LLP, Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, Energy Plus, Fujirebio Diagnostics, Numoda Corporation, Scientific Search, TD Bank Innovation Zone: Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania, University of the Sciences, Thomas Jefferson University, The Wistar Institute Media Sponsor: WHYY Friends: Dr. Kenneth J. Blank
About The Science Center
The University City Science Center accelerates technology commercialization, regional economic development, and the market availability of life-enhancing scientific breakthroughs by bringing together innovations, scientists, entrepreneurs, funding, laboratory facilities, and business services. Established in 1963 and headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, the Science Center was the first, and remains the largest, urban research park in the United States. Graduate organizations and current residents of the University City Science Center’s Port business incubators have created more than 15,000 jobs that remain in the Greater Philadelphia region today and contribute more than $9 billion to the regional economy annually. For more information: www.sciencecenter.org.
About NFTE Philadelphia
Too many young people today drop out of school and struggle to break the cycle of poverty. Since 1987, the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) has been inspiring young people to pursue educational opportunities, start their own businesses, and succeed in life. By providing entrepreneurship education programs relevant to the real world, NFTE empowers students to own their education in and out of the classroom and to find their own path to success. The NFTE Philadelphia chapter was established in 2007 through initial donor support and seed funding from Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (NYSE: SFE) and Internet Capital Group (Nasdaq: ICGE). Specifically in the Greater Philadelphia area, NFTE has reached more than 1,900 students from more than 20 different schools. For more information about NFTE Philadelphia, please visit www.nfte.com/philadelphia or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NFTEphilly and Facebook at www.facebook.com/NFTEPhiladelphia. Read more
