There seems to be a growing meme around the ascendence and acceleration of startup communities outside of the bay area.

This optimism isn’t new.

In 2001 I cut my teeth as a VC in Salt Lake City. Back then it was a deeply held belief that SLC was well on its way to becoming a central tech hub. Despite continually ranking highly as a hub for high growth companies SLC is still a far cry from becoming the next Silicon Valley. 

But, this local optimism seems to be taking on a new tone this time around. Rather than focusing energy on any region emerging as the next Silicon Valley, there’s a focus on the fundamental changes that have occurred which are open opportunities for smaller markets to flourish today in ways they haven’t in the past.

A few months back I had the chance to spend a couple days with my friend Brad Feld at his place in Keystone, CO. Prior to my visit he sent me a version of a book he was writing on lesson he’d learned building Boulder’s thriving startup community. The lessons are clear and applicable to anyone looking to build up the startup communities in their own regions and towns. 

This video is a Clif Notes version of Brad’s book. The lead-in related to the shift from hierarchical to networked structures is THE fundamental shift which has the potential for having things be different this time around.

I certainly hope he’s right.