Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 2, 2017

Also, investors from the super-hubs (Silicon Valley, New York, or Boston), won’t assume anyone outside their domain has the savvy and resources to make it happen. On the other hand, if you are into solar technologies, there is probably an advantage to being in Arizona or a similar location.

Silicon Valley 149

Silicon Valley Las Vegas Arizona Montana 149

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 7, 2013

Also, investors from the super-hubs (Silicon Valley, New York, or Boston), won’t assume anyone outside their domain has the savvy and resources to make it happen. On the other hand, if you are into solar technologies, there is probably an advantage to being in Phoenix or a similar location.

Silicon Valley 256

Silicon Valley Las Vegas Phoenix Montana 256

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 16, 2015

Also, investors from the super-hubs (Silicon Valley, New York, or Boston), won’t assume anyone outside their domain has the savvy and resources to make it happen. On the other hand, if you are into solar technologies, there is probably an advantage to being in Phoenix or a similar location.

Las Vegas 120

Las Vegas Silicon Valley Phoenix Montana 120

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 20, 2014

California (Silicon Valley), New York (NYC), and Massachusetts (Boston) are the places to be in the US for venture capital attention. In other locations, the trend was more equal, even somewhat reversed in New York and Boston. The significant findings include the following: Founders need to live in the right place. No surprises here.

Silicon Valley 271

Silicon Valley Venture Capital Massachusetts California 271

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2018

I found some eye-opening insights in the classic book, “ Rocket: Eight Lessons to Secure Infinite Growth ,” by The Boston Consulting Group. They outline the new rules for existing brands, but I believe that every entrepreneur who doesn’t yet have a brand yet should study these carefully, as paraphrased for startups below.

Boston 134

Boston Social Media Demand Security 134

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2013

California (Silicon Valley), New York (NYC), and Massachusetts (Boston) are the places to be in the US for venture capital attention. In other locations, the trend was more equal, even somewhat reversed in New York and Boston. The significant findings include the following: Founders need to live in the right place. No surprises here.

Venture Capital 238

Venture Capital Silicon Valley Massachusetts California 238

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 16, 2015

I found some eye-opening elements and insights in a new book, “ Rocket: Eight Lessons to Secure Infinite Growth ,” by The Boston Consulting Group. They outline the new rules for existing brands, but I believe that every entrepreneur who doesn’t yet have a brand yet should study these carefully, as paraphrased for startups below.

Startup 120

Startup Boston Social Media Demand 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 3, 2010

California (Silicon Valley), New York (NYC), and Massachusetts (Boston) are the places to be in the US for venture capital attention. In other locations, the trend was more equal, even somewhat reversed in New York and Boston. The significant findings include the following: Founders need to live in the right place. No surprises here.

Venture Capital 221

Venture Capital Massachusetts California New York 221

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

Maybe it’s time to consider relocating to one of the hubs for startups, like Silicon Valley, Boston, Seattle, or Austin. If you live in the middle of nowhere, your chances of finding the right co-founder for your new high-tech startup are poor. As soon as you find the partner, these are the places to find funding as well. Take your time.

Cofounder 239

Cofounder Silicon Valley Non-Compete Startup 239

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 8, 2012

Incubators I hear mentioned most often include YCombinator , led by Paul Graham in Silicon Valley, and TechStars , located in Boston, Boulder, New York City, and Seattle. Now they are coming back, and the best even provide networking, technical leadership, and seed funding, as well as investors waving money at graduates.

Incubator 215

Incubator Entrepreneur New York City Silicon Valley 215

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 18, 2013

California (Silicon Valley), Massachusetts (Boston), NY, Washington, and Texas held as the top 5 states for venture capital in 2012, but overall, 38 states got in on the action. Green Tech is still in a slump, with renewables leading the way. Yet these comprise much fertile territory for entrepreneurs. Top five states for venture capital.

Massachusetts 249

Massachusetts Silicon Valley Venture Capital California 249

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 5, 2014

Every region has its own culture (Silicon Valley, Boston, Austin), so travel is well worth the cost and time. You can learn more from peers about how to run a business than you can from books, and they are much more likely to help you if they know you in person, versus emails and text messages. Your business team may be small but distributed.

Small Business 251

Small Business Advisory Board Silicon Valley Boston 251

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 24, 2011

Incubators I hear mentioned most often include YCombinator , led by Paul Graham in Silicon Valley, and TechStars , located in Boston, Boulder, New York City, and Seattle. Now they are coming back, and the best even provide networking, technical leadership, and seed funding, as well as investors waving money at graduates.

Incubator 234

Incubator New York City Silicon Valley Startup 234

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 26, 2016

The words can be simple, like “I was meeting with a customer in Boston,” or “When my home was devastated by a tornado.” A memorable story needs to start with location specifics to make it real. Stories relay events, and these events have to happen somewhere. It’s even acceptable to make up a place with a “what if.”

Elevator Pitch 120

Elevator Pitch Boston Entrepreneur Sales 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 15, 2011

Maybe it’s time to consider relocating to one of the hubs for startups, like Silicon Valley, Boston, Seattle, or Austin. If you live in the middle of nowhere, your chances of finding the right co-founder for your new high-tech startup are poor. As soon as you find the partner, these are the places to find funding as well. Take your time.

Partner 231

Partner Cofounder Silicon Valley Non-Compete 231

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2011

In fact, most of the most active investment firms are located there, although NY now has moved solidly into second place (ahead of Boston). Back to VCs, Silicon Valley venture capital firms are still the most active. That doesn’t mean that you have to live in one of these places to be considered, but it helps.

Venture Capital 233

Venture Capital Revenue Elevator Pitch Silicon Valley 233

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 17, 2010

With modest variations on Paul’s pattern, this new class of mentors-plus-capital programs has grown to include TechStars operating in Boston, Boulder, and Seattle, Austin Capital Factory , deep in the heart of Texas, LaunchBox in the DC area, and a number of others.

Incubator 201

Incubator Programming Virginia DC 201

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 17, 2010

Maybe it’s time to consider relocating to one of the hubs for startups, like Silicon Valley, Boston, Seattle, or Austin. If you live in the middle of nowhere, your chances of finding the right co-founder for your new high-tech startup are poor. As soon as you find the partner, these are the places to find funding as well. Take your time.

Cofounder 135

Cofounder Founder Silicon Valley Startup 135

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 1, 2023

There’s a reason that Silicon Valley and Boston are hubs for high-tech startups. Use caution to avoid employer conflicts of interest and non-compete clauses. Relocate to a more likely geography. Finding a high-tech co-founder in the middle of Kansas may be a long search. Explore candidate common interests outside of work.

Partner 249

Partner Cofounder Silicon Valley Kansas 249

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2018

There’s a reason that Silicon Valley and Boston are hubs for high-tech startups. Use caution to avoid employer conflicts of interest and non-compete clauses. Relocate to a more lucrative geography. Finding a high-tech co-founder in the middle of Kansas may be a long search. Explore candidate values and goals outside of work.

Partner 139

Partner Cofounder Silicon Valley Kansas 139

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 21, 2020

Startup neighborhoods develop more readily in larger cities, like Boston, New York, London, or the San Francisco Bay Area. People look to entrepreneurship as a viable career path, with a supportive view, an understanding of risk and reward, and a tolerance for failure. Physical capital – infrastructure, density, place quality.

Community 329

Community San Francisco Silicon Valley Startup 329

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 17, 2021

There’s a reason that Silicon Valley and Boston are hubs for high-tech startups. Use caution to avoid employer conflicts of interest and non-compete clauses. Relocate to a more likely geography. Finding a high-tech co-founder in the middle of Kansas may be a long search. Explore candidate common interests outside of work.

Cofounder 315

Cofounder Startup Silicon Valley Kansas 315

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 6, 2022

The best known ones, like YCombinator , started by Paul Graham in Silicon Valley, and TechStars , located in Boston, provide excellent networking to investors, and on-site technical leadership, which can make your investment less risky. Do your homework before investing.

Liquidity Event 300

Liquidity Event Angel Investor SEC Accredited Investor 300

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

The best known ones, like YCombinator , started by Paul Graham in Silicon Valley, and TechStars , located in Boston, provide excellent networking to investors, and on-site technical leadership, which can make your investment less risky. Do your homework before investing.

Liquidity Event 224

Liquidity Event SEC Entrepreneur Accredited Investor 224

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 16, 2017

The best known ones, like YCombinator , led by Paul Graham in Silicon Valley, and TechStars , located in Boston, provide excellent networking to investors, and on-site technical leadership, which can make your investment less risky. Do your homework before investing.

Liquidity Event 184

Liquidity Event SEC Accredited Investor Angel Investor 184

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 6, 2015

There’s a reason that Silicon Valley and Boston are hubs for high-tech startups. Use caution to avoid employer conflicts of interest and non-compete clauses. Relocate to a more likely geography. Finding a high-tech co-founder in the middle of Kansas may be a long search. Explore candidate common interests outside of work.

Cofounder 120

Cofounder Founder Silicon Valley Startup 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 12, 2013

If there is no one in your area interested or experienced in your type of business, you may have to move to Silicon Valley or Boston, or wherever the right Angels for your domain congregate. It won’t help your case or your workload to do an email blast and follow-up with all eight million accredited investors in the US.

Angel Investor 252

Angel Investor Accredited Investor Silicon Valley Venture Capital 252

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 1, 2013

The best known ones, like YCombinator , led by Paul Graham in Silicon Valley, and TechStars , located in Boston, provide excellent networking to investors, and on-site technical leadership, which can make your investment less risky. Do your homework before investing.

Accredited Investor 219

Accredited Investor Liquidity Event Stock SEC 219

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2012

If there is no one in your area interested or experienced in your type of business, you may have to move to Silicon Valley or Boston, or wherever the right angels for your domain congregate. It won’t help your case or your workload to do an email blast and follow-up with 60,000 investors around the world.

Angel Investor 245

Angel Investor Silicon Valley Exit Strategy Boston 245

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 24, 2012

The best known ones, like YCombinator , led by Paul Graham in Silicon Valley, and TechStars , located in Boston, provide excellent networking to investors, and on-site technical leadership, which can make your investment less risky. Do your homework before investing.

Portfolio 228

Portfolio Accredited Investor Liquidity Event SEC 228

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 19, 2010

Here are some recommendations I have heard from the experts: Move your company to Silicon Valley or Boston. So what can you do to optimize your chances of getting a chunk of the money? VCs have pulled closer to home and hunkered down. Like angels, they like to touch and feel their investments.

Venture Capital 225

Venture Capital Silicon Valley Startup United States 225

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 6, 2015

The best known ones, like YCombinator, led by Paul Graham in Silicon Valley, and TechStars , located in Boston, provide excellent networking to investors, and on-site technical leadership, which can make your investment less risky. Do your homework before investing.

Accredited Investor 120

Accredited Investor Liquidity Event SEC Entrepreneur 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 28, 2011

If there is no one in your area interested or experienced in your type of business, you may have to move to Silicon Valley or Boston, or wherever the right angels for your domain congregate. It won’t help your case or your workload to do an email blast and follow-up with 60,000 investors around the world.

Angel Investor 244

Angel Investor Silicon Valley Entrepreneur Exit Strategy 244

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 14, 2010

In fact, nine of the ten most active investment firms are located there (with one in Boston). Your friends and family are becoming more and more important. Back to VCs, Silicon Valley venture capital firms are still the most active. Massachusetts and NY states also have high numbers.

Venture Capital 123

Venture Capital Elevator Pitch Silicon Valley Massachusetts 123