Start-up businesses thriving in Philadelphia, Nutter says

Just before Mayor Nutter addressed the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce at its annual luncheon Tuesday, he celebrated the new office space of a Philadelphia start-up company that nearly doubled in size in the last year.

RJ Metrics, a tech firm that helps businesses analyze their data and has more than 250 clients including Hootsuite and Threadless, is an example of a company that can "start in Philly, grow in Philly and stay in Philly," Nutter said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Dozens of young professionals mingled around a fancy breakfast spread at the top of the Weidner Building on Broad and Chestnut Tuesday – RJ Metric's new home to fit its 46 employee base and more – as RJ Metric's CEO Bob Moore offered remarks alongside the mayor.

Moore, who cofounded the firm with Jake Stein in 2009, called the Philadelphia start-up scene a "rekindling of the entrepreneurial spirit of the city."

While Nutter's Chamber of Commerce speech mostly focused on pushing for state education funding, he also touted the increase of tech start-up companies coming into the city. A result, he says, of the investment the city has made in startup seed money and investment programs.

"Small businesses with innovative approaches are thriving here in Philadelphia," he said at the Chamber luncheon.  RJ Metrics along with Revzilla were two examples Nutter used Tuesday of the "forward-thinking businesses in our impressive technology and innovation sector."

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