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Agreed on almost everything (as a Cambridge guy with entrepreneurial tendencies). It's worth knowing that the average house price in Cambridge itself is now hi

Agreed on almost everything (as a Cambridge guy with entrepreneurial tendencies). It's worth knowing that the average house price in Cambridge itself is now higher than the average in London, though, and that the local authorities are almost religiously anti-car, which makes the city centre area much less attractive (in a business sense). If I were planning a start-up with funding for significant numbers of staff, I would probably aim to be based on one of the business parks on the outskirts, or in one of the smaller towns/villages close by. That way, you're still within easy reach of the people, industry and support services, but day-to-day running costs and accessibility for local employees who don't want to walk/cycle in every day and for professional visitors driving to your premises are better.

blasdel 16y ago
Wow, you'd love Houston Texas! It seems a bit daft to be choosing a location based on the convenience of the hypothetical middle managers and mailroom employees you'll have in a successful future. Sure it's professional, but it isn't startup. Burn your business plan, remember?
- Chris_Newton 16y ago
  > It seems a bit daft to be choosing a location based on the convenience of the hypothetical middle managers and mailroom employees you'll have in a successful future. It's not just the middle managers and mailroom staff, though. Most people in Cambridge don't live near the city centre, because it's an old city and much of the space is taken by either the university or business premises. There are, however, many residential areas on the outskirts, and a whole string of surrounding villages. Plenty of tech companies have set up in the middle of Cambridge, but with the transport policies of the local authorities, car access and parking is absurdly difficult. That makes it awkward to host visitors if you need to, and it is a genuine recruitment issue in that not everyone is willing to walk, cycle, or rely on our less than stellar local bus service for routine commutes to work from the surrounding area. Setting up on one of the business parks -- which are still within cycling distance of the city centre for keen cyclists based there, but also easy to access by car and usually by bus as well -- seems to have all of the advantages of being in Cambridge, without the unnecessary travel limitations.

blasdel 16y ago

Wow, you'd love Houston Texas! It seems a bit daft to be choosing a location based on the convenience of the hypothetical middle managers and mailroom employees you'll have in a successful future. Sure it's professional, but it isn't startup. Burn your business plan, remember?

Chris_Newton 16y ago
> It seems a bit daft to be choosing a location based on the convenience of the hypothetical middle managers and mailroom employees you'll have in a successful future. It's not just the middle managers and mailroom staff, though. Most people in Cambridge don't live near the city centre, because it's an old city and much of the space is taken by either the university or business premises. There are, however, many residential areas on the outskirts, and a whole string of surrounding villages. Plenty of tech companies have set up in the middle of Cambridge, but with the transport policies of the local authorities, car access and parking is absurdly difficult. That makes it awkward to host visitors if you need to, and it is a genuine recruitment issue in that not everyone is willing to walk, cycle, or rely on our less than stellar local bus service for routine commutes to work from the surrounding area. Setting up on one of the business parks -- which are still within cycling distance of the city centre for keen cyclists based there, but also easy to access by car and usually by bus as well -- seems to have all of the advantages of being in Cambridge, without the unnecessary travel limitations.