15-07-2025
What Philly can gain from a closer look at Chicago's tech growth
I can't tell if it's confirmation bias or the algorithms at work, but lately I've been seeing a ton of Philly friends post pics from Chicago.
That's unusual. Chicago and Philadelphia have a kind of weird relationship. They show up in the same breath as examples of 'other big US cities,' but have never really had a deep kinship or persistent rivalry. It feels kind of like siblings that don't speak, or influencers at a brand event trying to avoid one another in their shots. But maybe that's changing.
My Philly artist friend was in Chicago to create a new installation. My Philly chef friend was there to host a collab dinner with a local restaurant. These cross-metro connections are multiplying, at least in my world.
Truth is these two American metros have a lot in common, and a lot to learn from one another. Figuring out how they can better share wins is why I'm visiting this fall.
I'll be in Chicago because of GPLEX, the long-running Philly-based leadership conference, which in September brings a couple hundred mid-Atlantic leaders to the Midwest. (Applications to join are open through July 21; financial assistance is available.)
One of the themes of the conference is public perception, and how to turn it into a driving factor for regional economic growth — instead of the opposite.
Anyone involved in thinking about either city's future knows that's an uphill battle. In the late 1800s, Chicago and Philadelphia were trying to outdo one another by hosting the best world's fair or gaining enough population to be known as America's ' second city.' But modern similarities include surges in gun violence, persistent racial wealth gaps and disinvestment/gentrification in formerly redlined neighborhoods.
Yet each has made strides in these and other areas. And each has a booming tech economy. But if you don't live or work in either place, you might not know it.
That's where public perception — and journalism and storytelling in general — come in.
'Stories about places aren't just passive reflections, they're active drivers of economic and social decisions,' my colleague Chris Wink recently noted, citing new research out of Germany.
Philadelphia just earned its highest-ever spot on the Startup Genome global rankings. Led by biotech, medtech and a maturing founder base, the Philly region is now considered the world's 13th best place to launch a startup.
Chicago, meanwhile, has a more established scene. It's home to 1871, one of the top startup incubators globally. Google is working to build a sustainable office campus downtown. A growing quantum cluster is taking root. And civic organizations like P33 — led by serial entrepreneur Chris Gladwin, who'll speak GPLEX — are pushing hard on inclusive growth, combining frontier tech with workforce programs in historically disinvested neighborhoods.
Yet Chicago's calculated ' ecosystem value ' is $55 billion compared to the Philly region's $76 billion. It clocks in at No. 16 in the Startup Genome rankings this year, three spots below Philadelphia.
It's not like things are dragging. Projects on Chicago's West and South Sides are especially worth watching. GPLEX will take Philly leaders on a tour of The Hatchery, a food entrepreneurship hub built with community financing that's pledging to create hundreds of jobs. We'll also visit The Polsky Center, which operates the Inclusive Innovation Fund to give local founders commercialization support and free coworking.
So why doesn't Chicago get more cred? Back to the public perception thing.
Civic leaders in Chicago are trying to shift the narrative by aligning their messaging across tourism, tech and government. It's the kind of cross-sector storytelling Philadelphia has been working on.
Enter GPLEX. This year brings the 20th anniversary of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia's escapades to other cities, which are useful for gaining knowledge of what else is out there, but also for connecting with engaged people back home.
The conference goes down Sept. 25-28. The investment in time and funds isn't trivial, but if you're interested in being part of this changemaking crew, the commitment could be worth your while.
Stay tuned for my turn to be that Philly friend making people curious with all my Chicago pics.
