Last night the Ithaca startup community held one of its periodic Tech Meetups. It was by far the best one yet in my mind for the simple reason that there were a lot of engaged people there! The energy in the room was incredible. My VC partner Jennifer and I are really proud that CVF sponsors these events. We were really thrilled with the conversations. The event put a big smile on my face.
The quality of the event meant many things, but one stands out – no one can argue the point that Ithaca is a startup haven and one that is growing. Yes, it could grow faster. Yes, we need a few more big exits. Yes, we need some more experienced entrepreneurs to transplant here (organic growth of top talent takes too long). But, Ithaca is awesome and a key part of the upstate New York startup scene. Ok, I am little biased.
Also, speaking of growing a startup community, the following posts recently published on Steve Blank’s blog are worth reading. For me, the comparison of Bend, Oregon to Ithaca is dramatic. Enjoy:
Early Stage Regional Venture Funds
Engineering a Regional Tech Cluster
And here is another one from Brad Feld: http://uvc.org/feld-formula-in-ithaca-ny/
ithaca VC 
I agree Zach, it’s great to see the community growing here. I don’t think there is a better time to be an entrepreneur in Ithaca than now!