What Technical.ly does

Technical.ly is a Philadelphia-headquartered independent technology news network founded in 2009 that operates a multi-region, multi-product media platform covering local innovation ecosystems across the Mid-Atlantic, Gulf South, and select Midwest markets including Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, DC, Virginia, Louisiana, Nebraska, and most recently Kansas City. Its core offering is original journalism and editorial coverage of founders, funders, and policies shaping regional tech economies, distributed via daily website publishing, free regional and national newsletters (including the flagship weekly briefings and the national Innovation Wire), a Slack community of approximately 35,000 members, the Builders Live podcast, an Innovation Ecosystems Map covering all 50 U.S. states, and the annual Builders Conference drawing 350+ ecosystem leaders from 35+ states.

The company monetizes through a diversified mix of philanthropic grants from foundations such as the Longwood Foundation ($250,000 catalyst grant, 2023) and the Lenfest Institute ($50,000, 2024), advertising and sponsored content, event sponsorship for the Builders Conference and regional programming, premium Builders Newsletter subscriptions targeted at decision-makers, B2B ecosystem storytelling and research services for economic development organizations and state-backed investors, and data products such as the RealLIST Startup Tracker. AI tooling is integrated into the newsroom workflow for headline optimization, data analysis, and story summarization under a publicly documented "Elements of AI" ethical framework, and the editorial team structures content (summaries, FAQs, structured data) to maximize discoverability and citation by AI systems. Owned distribution is centralized on the technical.ly website and Slack workspace, supplemented by social channels and the Builders Conference. The company is private, has 11-50 employees, and has not disclosed equity funding or material institutional capital beyond the disclosed grants and a 2021 acquisition of StartNow.

Name

Technical.ly

Legal name

Technical.ly

Website

https://technical.ly

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Technical.ly is an independent Philadelphia-based local technology news network founded in 2009 that publishes original journalism on regional tech ecosystems across multiple U.S. states, distributes via newsletters, podcasts, a 35,000-member Slack community, and an annual Builders Conference, and sells ecosystem storytelling, advertising, and data products to economic development organizations and foundation funders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Technology News & Media

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

News Agencies & Wire Services (General & Specialized) (MPAJADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Local tech journalism
• Innovation ecosystem reporting
• Regional startup news
• Ecosystem storytelling services
• Tech community events

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Technical.ly receives grant funding from foundations to support specific reporting initiatives. Received $50,000 from Lenfest Institute for local IT and tech policy coverage and $250,000 two-year catalyst grant from Longwood Foundation for Delaware journalism expansion.
2. Advertising: The company offers advertising opportunities to sponsors and partners, with sponsored articles and branded content featured on the platform. Advertisers include tech companies and ecosystem organizations.
3. Newsletter Subscriptions: Free weekly newsletters provide original reporting on local innovation, with regional editions and the national Innovation Wire newsletter. Subscription is free, monetizing through audience reach for advertisers.
4. Event Sponsorship: The annual Builders Conference and other events generate revenue through sponsorships. Partner organizations sponsor various aspects of the conference and related programming.
5. Ecosystem Storytelling Services: Professional services offering ecosystem storytelling, research, and editorial series to economic development organizations, state-backed investment firms, and regional partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Technical.ly operates a network of regional technology news websites covering innovation ecosystems across multiple U.S. markets. It publishes daily dedicated journalism, free regional and national newsletters, hosts the annual Builders Conference, produces the Builders Live podcast, and runs the Innovation Ecosystems Map, RealLIST Startup Tracker, and Careers Resource Hub. It also sells Ecosystem Storytelling Services and Research & Editorial Series to economic development organizations, state-backed investors, and foundations.

Product overview

Technical.ly is a local technology news network that provides daily dedicated coverage and events focused on innovation issues in communities across the U.S. The company operates a multi-product portfolio centered on regional tech journalism, including its flagship news coverage, the annual Builders Conference, newsletters (Weekly Briefing, Innovation Wire, and the premium Builders newsletter), the Innovation Ecosystems Map and Innovation Index research products, the RealLIST Startup Tracker, and ecosystem storytelling services for economic development organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Weekly Regional Newsletter Free weekly email newsletter providing original reporting on founders, funders, and policies shaping local tech and entrepreneurship ecosystems, with regional editions covering Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Delaware, Louisiana, Virginia, DC, and Omaha.
• Innovation Wire Free national-overview newsletter providing a weekly briefing on the U.S. tech and startup ecosystem landscape.
• Builders Newsletter Premium newsletter and live interview series for ecosystem decision-makers, part of the broader Builders brand that also includes the annual Builders Conference and Builders Live podcast.
• Innovation Ecosystems Map Comprehensive interactive map of startup ecosystems covering all 50 U.S. states, providing state snapshots with strengths, weaknesses, community connectors, and data points such as startup creation rates and R&D expenditures. Data sources include the U.S. Census Bureau, the Economic Innovation Group, and Technical.ly's Storytelling Score.
• Builders Conference Annual in-person conference in Philadelphia bringing together 350+ ecosystem leaders from 35+ U.S. states to discuss storytelling strategy for place-based economic development, featuring sessions, live interviews, podcast recordings, and interactive workshops.
• RealLIST Startup Tracker Beta startup tracker produced by Technical.ly and presented by Comcast NBCUniversal and LIFT Labs, designed to track companies' growth potential and impact on their communities.
• Careers Resource Hub Careers resource hub providing job listings, career success stories, and tech training program guides to help professionals find opportunities in regional tech ecosystems.
• Ecosystem Storytelling Services Professional services combining journalistic storytelling with data, trends, and research to help economic development organizations, state-backed investment firms, and regional partnerships build shared understanding and visibility for their ecosystems.
• Research & Editorial Series Periodic research publications, including the annual Innovation Index and studies on the economic returns of storytelling investment in regional ecosystems, offered to economic development partners.
• Builders Live Podcast Monthly podcast featuring conversations with ecosystem builders, entrepreneurs, and economic development leaders, distributed via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

Quantifiable outcome

• Regions receive 58% more follow-on media coverage within 5-7 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability7 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hypepotamus: Atlanta-based tech and startup media outlet with a focus on Southeast ecosystems. Closely mirrors Technical.ly's model of regional tech news, community events, and ecosystem storytelling for a defined metro.
• BetaKit: Canadian tech media outlet covering startups, innovation, and ecosystem development. Directly comparable as an independent regional tech news and community publisher with events and research.
• Refresh Miami: Miami-focused tech community and news platform covering startups, events, and ecosystem builders. Comparable to Technical.ly in its hyper-local tech journalism and community-building orientation.
• GeekWire: Seattle-based independent tech news outlet covering startups, innovation, and regional tech community events. Directly comparable to Technical.ly in its mix of local tech journalism, newsletters, events, and community building.
• Built In: Operator of city-specific tech publications and jobs platform (formerly Built In Chicago, Boston, etc.). Closely comparable to Technical.ly in its regional tech content model, employer branding sponsorships, and event programming.
• AlleyWatch: NYC-focused tech media outlet covering startups, funding, and ecosystem news. Comparable to Technical.ly as a city-specific tech news and community platform monetized through advertising and events.

Broad incumbents

• Crunchbase News: Editorial arm of Crunchbase covering startup and venture ecosystem news nationally. Overlaps with Technical.ly's ecosystem coverage and research products but operates at a much larger scale with proprietary data.
• American Inno: National network of city-specific tech news sites operated by American City Business Journals. Comparable to Technical.ly as a regional tech media operator, but with substantially larger parent-company resources and a templated multi-market rollout.
• VentureBeat: Long-standing tech media outlet covering enterprise tech, AI, and startup news. Comparable to Technical.ly in news coverage and event programming (e.g., Transform) but operates at a broader national/international scale.

Others

• Technical.ly (Brightcove legacy site): Note: original 'Technically' brand was associated with Brightcove; current Technical.ly is the independent Philadelphia-based news network described in this brief. Included to flag potential brand-confusion risk rather than as a true peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/technicallyPHL
• Facebookfacebook.com/352278284885698
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/technical-ly
• Instagraminstagram.com/technical_ly

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Technical.ly