Austin360 blogs > Digital Savant > Archives > 2009 > March > 15 > Entry
Panel: Ditch the Valley, Run for the Hills
Date/Time: 10 a.m., Sunday
Panelists: John Erik Metcalf (Co-founder, Conjunctured, Austin), Penelope Trunk, (CEO, Brazen Careerist, Madison, Wisc.), Mike Maples, (Hyper9, Austin), Kaiser Kuo (Consultant Intl Business, Youku.com, Beijing), Robert Scoble, (Managing director, Fast Company TV, Silicon Valley).
The gist:Let’s immediately dispense with the obvious: Silicon Valley remains the capitol of tech startup activity. Places that have a pool of expertise, have an attitude that embraces (or at least accepts) failure and have local investment money will foster entrepreneurs. Others have it, including Austin, but no region has more than the Valley.
But the usual structures for startup investment are changing. And for entrepreneurs who care as much about their lives as their companies, the resources to start a successful company do exist. You just might have to adjust your outlook.
Quotes: “Think of me as Yoda.” — Maples, on being the panel’s elder statesman. “I’m now embracing my inner slacker.” — Kuo, on what he’s been up to lately. “All money is local, even on the venture capital level.” — Trunk, on how investors want their companies nearby. “The world is not flat. It’s really spiky.” — Kuo, on how some areas attract more entrepreneurial activity than others. “There’s tremendous opportunity, but it’s not the white guy” getting it. — Kuo, on how Chinese startups are getting the best of their home market. “At the end, it’s still a people business … a relationship business.” — Scoble, on why technology hasn’t helped break the close proximity of entrepreneurs and their investors.
Takeaways: Silicon Valley, Austin, Boston, Beijing - some places have the expertise, money and attitude to spawn tech startups (some than others, too). But how much should an entrepreneur let their business needs dictate their life? For some, the geek culture and buzz of the Valley has no substitute. Others dig Austin and build their business here. Still others want to stay around friends and family - and in a place not known as a high-tech locus.
Regardless, the success of your company will rely on how well you can exploit the local resources. Can you get local money so you’re not pressured to move? Can you find the workers and expertise to help your company expand? Will you be able to reach your customers? How big does your company need to be?
The Valley is not going to come to you - but then maybe you prefer it that way.
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