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Nutter Aide Lands Gig With Philly Tech Startup
After more than nine years with the former mayor, Luke Butler looks to the future.
Luke Butler with Mayor Michael Nutter. (Photo courtesy of Luke Butler. Copyright City of Philadelphia. Photograph by Kait Privitera.)
With the Michael Nutter administration officially coming to a close on Monday, one of his top aids has landed a new gig.
Luke Butler served as the chief of staff to the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development since April 2012 and was with the Nutter administration for its entire eight-year tenure. On Monday, Butler announced that he’s joining Curalate — a Center City based digital marketing company. He’ll serve as strategy and operations manager.
It certainly seems like a natural fit, since Butler would frequently work to bridge connections between the City of Philadelphia and its burgeoning startup companies during his time in government. Not a native Philadelphian, Butler often billed himself as an Englishman fighting off a Philly accent.
“I knew for a while now that I wanted to leave at the end of this administration,” said Butler in an interview on Tuesday. “It was time to do something different.”
Curalate is just three years old, but has quickly becoming the go-to place for businesses hoping to tell their stories, connect with customers and make sales through visual digital platforms like Pinterest. The company was the first to make Instagram shoppable, via its “Like2Buy” button and has grown by 75 percent in the past year. BizPhilly named it one of the 20 Coolest Companies in 2015.
“Curalate is one of the most exciting companies in the city at the moment. It’s grown so quickly and now has about 100 people in New York, Philly and Seattle. “In Apu Gupta, they have a leader who has driven company from the beginning and has a strong vision. I’m honored to be part of the team.”
