startup acceleration

Venture Café is always free and open to the public. Just show up! Programming is free to attend, all are welcome to join, and there is no required dress code beyond being yourself.

Pre-registration is not required, however, if you would like to complete our check-in survey in advance, click here.

The Science Center offers a suite of commercialization, convening and talent pipeline programs designed to help bright ideas grow into thriving businesses while nurturing a workforce that supports our 21st-century economy. Established in 1963, we’ve supported promising research and early-stage companies for close to 60 years but the mechanism in which we do so has evolved with the changing needs of startups and Philadelphia. That evolution includes partnerships with those that we think are best in class.

When we moved into 3675 Market in 2018, so did our partners at CIC who offer state-of-the-art collaborative workspace including wet labs, private and shared offices, a coworking center, conference rooms, fully-stocked kitchens, and flexible 30-day terms.

CIC doesn’t just share a roof with us and they didn’t just swoop in and open up shop. We had many meetings, logged many hours on flights between Philly and Boston and spent a lot of time thinking about how we’d more than coexist, but offer distinct and complementary resources to the startup community. Many of the companies the Science Center supports through our commercialization programs take space at CIC. CIC clients serve as mentors for our FirstHand program. We do joint programming together. We make referrals to each other all the time. We meet regularly to discuss how we can work together to be a mega-resource for the startup community. Venture Café was originally established by CIC in Cambridge, MA. The Philadelphia outpost of the Global initiative is run by the Science Center. Quorum is also operated by the Science Center as an event space and drop-in lounge for the community.

We’re always looking for an extra hand at our weekly Thursday gatherings! If you want to give back to the community or support entrepreneurship, become a Venture Café ambassador. We are also proud to source speakers from a variety of places in our community! Speaking opportunities are open to all.

See other ways to get involved.

Venture Café Philadelphia is a program of the Science Center, which is a 501c3 nonprofit. We get our funding from sponsorships and corporate giving, public and private grants and individual donations.

CIC and the Science Center felt that given our roots in the region and experience with programming, it made sense for us to manage the program. All that said, CIC is an active partner, contributor and an essential part of the programming.

Venture Café started in 2010 at the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) in Cambridge, Massachusetts as a social space with the goal of connecting innovators to make things happen. Since 2010, Venture Café has expanded to nine other cities globally. For more information on other Venture Café locations, click here.

Venture Café Philadelphia is operated by the Science Center. We have a team dedicated to its programming.

Venture Café Philadelphia’s mission is “Connecting innovators to make things happen.” We were founded with the goal of increasing opportunities and access for entrepreneurs, innovators, and community members. We host free networking & weekly programming that encompasses a diverse range of topics and speakers.