3 ms·

This article is hilarious. "Did you know that there are smart people in this place called the Midwest that can also code and find product / market fit? Who knew

This article is hilarious. "Did you know that there are smart people in this place called the Midwest that can also code and find product / market fit? Who knew!?" The tone, though positive, is quite patronizing to midwestern ears. If you're not investing here, you're missing a huge opportunity.

cloudjacker 10y ago
Can you elaborate? I can't see any clear revenue path or exit for any tech investment out there, you couldn't even invest in a weed business out there like in Canada or the coasts of the US What are huge opportunities we are missing?
- joshmanders 10y ago
  > Everywhere we looked, the data supported our conclusion that today entrepreneurs are building more billion-dollar companies in the Midwest than in the last 50 years combined. That's a pretty big incentive.
  - cloudjacker 10y ago
    > California is the eighth largest economy in the world. The Midwest is the fifth. What metric is that? On what scale is "The Midwest" an economic union? I read the article now and I won't dismiss the notion, but that still doesn't answer where they are going to get their exits from, and what the bounds of the midwest economic region actually are, to former Sequoia partners.
    - joshmanders 10y ago
      I don't know, I'm a programmer in the Midwest and not a investor. But judging by Sequoia's track record, if they think my area is a good place to start investing, I'm gonna accept their notions as pretty accurate over mine.
    - sailfast 10y ago
      You keep mentioning exits - are you talking about being close to a network of partners that will BUY your portfolio companies, or being close to companies that can exit / go public / etc? A large number of exits have occurred in the Midwest over the past few years. Payments, Enterprise Software, Aerospace, finance, etc. What concern is there about a shortage of exits or exit source? It sounds like I'm missing a very valid concern. Note: I also disagree with people lumping the entire Midwest together as a thing. Chicago != Milwaukee != Cleveland != Minneapolis != Detroit, but neither does SF = LA, so not sure how best to aggregate.
tomcam 10y ago
I think the author is satirizing Silicon Valley provincialism.

cloudjacker 10y ago

Can you elaborate? I can't see any clear revenue path or exit for any tech investment out there, you couldn't even invest in a weed business out there like in Canada or the coasts of the US What are huge opportunities we are missing?

joshmanders 10y ago
> Everywhere we looked, the data supported our conclusion that today entrepreneurs are building more billion-dollar companies in the Midwest than in the last 50 years combined. That's a pretty big incentive.
- cloudjacker 10y ago
  > California is the eighth largest economy in the world. The Midwest is the fifth. What metric is that? On what scale is "The Midwest" an economic union? I read the article now and I won't dismiss the notion, but that still doesn't answer where they are going to get their exits from, and what the bounds of the midwest economic region actually are, to former Sequoia partners.
  - joshmanders 10y ago
    I don't know, I'm a programmer in the Midwest and not a investor. But judging by Sequoia's track record, if they think my area is a good place to start investing, I'm gonna accept their notions as pretty accurate over mine.
  - sailfast 10y ago
    You keep mentioning exits - are you talking about being close to a network of partners that will BUY your portfolio companies, or being close to companies that can exit / go public / etc? A large number of exits have occurred in the Midwest over the past few years. Payments, Enterprise Software, Aerospace, finance, etc. What concern is there about a shortage of exits or exit source? It sounds like I'm missing a very valid concern. Note: I also disagree with people lumping the entire Midwest together as a thing. Chicago != Milwaukee != Cleveland != Minneapolis != Detroit, but neither does SF = LA, so not sure how best to aggregate.

tomcam 10y ago

I think the author is satirizing Silicon Valley provincialism.