About PhilaCon Valley
A free tech community, built by Philly.
Once a month we meet in person and build real projects together. No fee, no application, no experience needed.
Why this exists
“I needed the cohort back.”
I finished a coding bootcamp in December 2024. Resilient Coders. On Demo Day I showed an app I'd built from nothing, in a room full of people who had been in it with me every day for months.
Then it ended, and I went home, and the room was gone. Where are the friends I made?
That's the whole reason this exists. Philly has no shortage of tech events. I went to them. You hand out a card, you listen to a talk, you go home with nobody. I didn't need another audience. I needed the cohort back.
So I built one that doesn't graduate. We meet, we build real things, and the people around the table are still there next month.
The name is on purpose. Silicon Valley decided who counted as a tech person. We're deciding that here.
I got here late and sideways. Most of us did.
What we hold to
Six things we don't bend on.
Belonging
Everyone who walks through the door belongs here.
Curiosity
We ask questions without shame and explore ideas without needing all the answers first.
Craft
We care about the quality of what we make.
Generosity
We share what we know.
Accountability
We own our mistakes.
Joy
Tech can be joyful.
These come from our Community Handbook. It belongs to the community, and anyone can suggest a change.
Read our valuesRead our community guidelinesHow we keep it free
Free for you. Paid for by our work.
For the community
Free, forever, for us.
Labs, workshops and community projects, with no application, no fee and no prerequisite.
493 people on our Luma calendar so far.
For Philly organizations
Hire us. Fund the flock.
We design and build sites, apps and software for Philly nonprofits and community orgs. Your project pays for the free nights.
Show up before you feel ready.
You don't need a bootcamp, a degree or a plan. Come to one night and meet the room.
