Tech Company Moves to Old City

Tech company Linode was one of the innovators of “the cloud,” a service that today has been dominated by industry giants like Amazon and Google. Linode was there first, offering affordable storage plans to consumers. The company was founded by Christopher Aker on the Jersey Shore, but now Linode will be moving to Philadelphia’s Old City.

The old bank at 249 Arch Street was formerly used as a filming site for MTV’s ‘The Real World.’

The company will be moving into 249 Arch Street, a 15,000-square-foot, three story building that was last owned by convicted felon Michael Yaron, who was imprisoned for his role in an eight-year contract kickback deal. Aker apparently tried to buy the building directly from Yaron last year, but the deal fell through and the building foreclosed. Aker was able to strike a deal with the bank to become the building’s new owner. The property is an old bank that dates back to 1902. It was used by MTV as the site for a season of ‘The Real World’ in 2004.

Aker says that he plans on improving the building, which should help revitalize the surrounding community. He bought the building and an adjacent parcel for $5 million, and plans to spend more money to make the building suitable for a tech company.

Linode was entirely built from the ground up by Aker. It was established in Galloway, N.J., but had been temporarily operating from Kings Hall, a Haddonfield co-working space. Aker plans on hiring between fifty and seventy new employees over the next few years to staff the new Philadelphia headquarters. Aker says that he is excited to be working out of Philadelphia, closer to other tech companies and that the New Jersey location was too remote.