I think it would largely depend on what sort of company you wanted to start - I would agree that a traditional SV-style startup is probably going to spectacular

I think it would largely depend on what sort of company you wanted to start - I would agree that a traditional SV-style startup is probably going to spectacularly fail. However, my experience with starting a small bootstrapped company was very positive, especially given the lower cost of living. It wasn't anything that was gonna make me rich but it was definitely doable. Honestly, I think the idea that anywhere other than SV is gonna be come SV is silly - but I also do want to help dispel the notion that the Midwest has no technical talent or is unfriendly to tech. We have a lot of tech talent - a large portion of it just ends up leaving for the coasts for better networking rather than setting up shop here, or working for large established companies for steady pay.