January 1, 2013.
The unanimous Declaration of the one-hundred-plus start-up companies in and near, America’s original start-up city, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for a business person to disconnect from traditional employment in favor of a new opportunity, a start-up company is the result.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, in general and in regard to those start-ups established in our historically innovative region of the world: that all opportunities begin as equal; that certain talents, good fortune, and hard work result in success; that work accomplished by the many, in concert and collaboration with one another, offers greater potential benefit to all; and that the region encompassing eleven great counties, inclusive of the city whose historical innovation includes the Declaration of Independence, America’s first business plan, that began the great American experiment, stands ready to carry on the splendid tradition of building new companies that can and will succeed in a substantive and instructive manner.

 

In the joint pursuit of funding, customer growth and scalability, the innovative community of this region seeks and shall find these assets, these resources so essential for the success of our region, and we shall, individually, and collectively, make them our own:

The entrepreneurs necessary to build a world class economy that grows as a result of the hard-working, well-educated people among us;

The people necessary to build, manage, and occupy all necessary positions within these companies, with considerable preference paid to those whose education comes as a result of the good offices of our local universities, colleges, and other institutions;
The government necessary to nurture, encourage, finance, gently tax, pass appropriate and productive laws, manage, and set a high standard for innovation in this twenty-first century;

The collaborative office spaces necessary to encourage considerable and unfettered interaction among the many who wish to build careers and establish lives in the region;

The companies that will make use of these resources, and will establish roots for long-term growth for the benefit of their employees, investors, shareholders, and the many others in the startup community who shall rely upon their success, their growth and their stability.

With our own free will, with intent to profit with abundant fortune, with the greatest hopes and commitment to our community, we mutually pledge to each other, by signing this document, the express intent of establishing the region of Philadelphia as a significant global center of innovation and startup growth for the 21st century.