April 27, 2018
An Interview with Technically Media, a Philadelphia based company that is riding their tech community niche and taking their offering National.
GrowthCurve Episode #4: Technically Media
From a few journalists out of Temple to a tech-focused media company with a footprint in half a dozen cities on the East Coast, Technically Media has evolved quite a bit over the last 10 years.
Before evolving into Technically Media, Chris Wink and Brian James Kirk ran TechnicallyPhilly.com, the upstart local blog that we depended on for anything Philly tech and startup scene related. They started amidst the recession of 2008-2009 and as Chris says, “2009 was a dark year”. They bootstrapped from 2009 to 2012, growing their audience and working on Technically Philly part time, waiting for the right time to go all in.
It’s been a pleasure to watch Technically Media grow somewhat in parallel with my own company, Brolik. So much of what Chris and Brian have been through over the last decade is familiar. We’ve kept in touch over the years, brainstormed on occasion, collaborated on a few projects and supported each others’ events. We were fighting many of the same battles… lacking the right business model for outside funding, diversifying offerings to include multiple revenue streams, leading somewhat slow and steady growth for our organizations and funding each chapter of the journey with our own cash flows.
What They Do
Technically Media is a niche media company covering the tech space and building communities through their journalism, events and services. They publish two niche news sites: Technical.ly, which focuses on local tech communities, and Generocity.org, which focuses on the social impact community of Philadelphia.
Founders
Chris Wink, Founder & CEO
Brian James Kirk, Founder & Chief Business Development Officer
Cities They Are In
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Delaware, Brooklyn
Status?
Preparing for this year’s Philly Tech Week, with 100+ exciting events over an 8 day span.
I’ve read hundreds of TechnicallyPhilly articles over the years, and watched writers come and go, but there was always forward progress.
I’m proud of what Chris and Brian have built and am glad to call them allies in the development of our great city of Philadelphia.
When thinking about the first 4 or 5 companies I wanted to feature on GrowthCurve, I will admit that Technically Media didn’t come into my mind. They aren’t a startup struggling to raise funding and dealing with the pain of fast growth, so in that way they didn’t fit the mold.
However, they have dedicated themselves to covering the entrepreneurial scene in Philadelphia over the last 10 years and part of GrowthCurve’s mission is to highlight the great stories of Philadelphia’s most exciting, impactful and passionate entrepreneurs. With the annual Philly Tech Week kicking off, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to turn the tables and put Chris Wink in the seat that he has sat across from for countless startup founders over the last decade.
Newsletter
Join the GrowthCurve community.
Stay connected with all things GrowthCurve
and get updates as new episodes launch.
