5 ms·

I may be wrong about this, but I sense that Seattle's startup scene is definitely lacking something important. I can't put my finger on it, but I think it's the

by stevenj 15y ago

I may be wrong about this, but I sense that Seattle's startup scene is definitely lacking something important. I can't put my finger on it, but I think it's there. In my opinion, people here seem pretty risk-averse (ie few want to jump and do a startup, especially people in their twenties). It kind of seems like people lack the drive to "change the world". Instead, people seem pretty laid back here. It's almost as if they get too comfortable here.

daveschappell 15y ago
No, I don't think that's it (having lived here for 13 years). I think it's just more that people are focused on their own thing, by and large, vs. getting out with a small % of their time and building a community for the greater good. This 'problem' is so fixable; we just need another catalyst (like what www.GeneralAssemb.ly and New Work City are doing in NYC... and what TechStars did in Boulder, Seattle, Boston and NYC, and many other examples). We're just a few nudges away, and there's no doubt we'll get there -- we just need to keep focusing on the good stuff, and it's going to happen.
- yakshaving 15y ago
  That's exactly what we're looking for -- Something like GeneralAssemb.ly in New York. We're a startup working out of an architecture firm right now. The space is relatively inexpensive, it would be stellar if there were other startups around who are interested in putting together something similar with programming around design and technology. If you're intersted, reach out to me via twitter (@ashbhoopathy) or email, ash@bettr.at. I'll also email Seattle Tech Startups about it.
- stevenj 15y ago
  >I think it's just more that people are focused on their own thing, by and large, vs. getting out with a small % of their time and building a community for the greater good. Ya, they're not enough "crazy" people. I think Seattle needs a big consumer-based (2.0 or 3.0) hit. It needs a Facebook, a Groupon, a Twitter, a Skype, a LinkedIn, an Etsy, a Dropbox.
  - daveschappell 15y ago
    you mean, like an Amazon? or a Starbucks? :-) or, if you want to be cynical that Amazon's a long time ago... how about like an AWS, or a Kindle? The innovation's here -- we just need to get more commingling going on it's going to happen -- if you're in town, reach out, please -- would love to have you help
    - kenjackson 15y ago
      And there's the fastest selling consumer electronics product in history... the Kinect.
    - tesseract 15y ago
      For what it's worth, Lab126 (the Kindle-designing branch of Amazon) is in Cupertino, not Seattle.
      - adpowers 15y ago
        But many of the backend services powering Kindle are based in Seattle.
    - potatolicious 15y ago
      Amazon was a long time ago, and AWS/Kindle, while being great products, did not contain really an element of risk the way a scrappy startup does. I think parent poster has a point - there aren't a lot of recent examples of taking the risk and having it pay off, which may lead to some risk aversion in the community.
      - kenjackson 15y ago
        There are some. For example Big Fish Games. There's also Tableau Software (although not consumer). Neither large compared to Skype, but both ~$100M revenue companies founded about the time of Skype. UPDATE: After I wrote this I realized what is different about Seattle than the Bay Area, which is something a previous poster put in parentheticals... (web 2.0/3.0). Look at this list: Facebook, a Groupon, a Twitter, a Skype, a LinkedIn, an Etsy, a Dropbox These companies, except maybe Dropbox, are about connecting users together. Not about product. Seattle tends to be more focused on providing product. Is it the case that you are less likely to see a Tableau or Mathematica come out of the Bay Area?
- tomfakes 15y ago
  I wonder if the problem is that the music scene is so good here in Seattle that the recently graduated want to participate in that area, both as producers and consumers, and not so much in the tech area?
mechazoidal 15y ago
Possibly the Seattle Freeze? http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2005/0213/cover.html http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2005/0213/cover.h... In the 5 years after college that I lived in the city proper, the only tech group I managed to hang around was Seattle.RB, and only a few meeting at that.
- rubyrescue 15y ago
  actually... as a perfect example ... seattle.rb is one of the most unfriendly tech groups i've ever visited - and I know a number of others who would say the same thing.
- gerner 15y ago
  There is a ton of casual tech stuff going on in Seattle. check out http://www.seattletechcalendar.com http://www.seattletechcalendar.com, or (disclosure: my blog) http://fourthirtysix.com/tech-sci/ http://fourthirtysix.com/tech-sci/ We're not lacking the meetups, the events (Seattle 2.0 awards tonight!) We're lacking the leadership and super-stars participation in the community. While I see Dave Schappell at Hops and Chops, I don't feel like others mingling with us casual masses without it being self promotional. I want to go to some event (and Hops and Chops seems like a good venue), have a real conversation with the CTO of a startup about solving some tech or product challenge. Or I want to hear about how some CEO got started over a beer. And I want to meet another super-star who's actively looking for help.
  - vertr 15y ago
    I agree. The Seattle startup culture reflects the city's passive agressive and cold nature. CEO's and other execs stick to their small circles.
- gills 15y ago
  In my 31 years of Seattle I guess I've found that friendships here are made and kept by doing active stuff together. Like camping, or boating, or cycling. There's not a lot of interest in "hey, want to loaf around together for a couple hours?" A lot of folks I know seem to tolerate the Seattle weather only because the summers and activities are great; killing time as bumps on a log is kind of silly. Or maybe I'm just a poster-child for Pemco ads. I am wearing sandals and gore-tex and typing this from a Starbucks...

by stevenj 15y ago

daveschappell 15y ago

No, I don't think that's it (having lived here for 13 years). I think it's just more that people are focused on their own thing, by and large, vs. getting out with a small % of their time and building a community for the greater good. This 'problem' is so fixable; we just need another catalyst (like what www.GeneralAssemb.ly and New Work City are doing in NYC... and what TechStars did in Boulder, Seattle, Boston and NYC, and many other examples). We're just a few nudges away, and there's no doubt we'll get there -- we just need to keep focusing on the good stuff, and it's going to happen.

yakshaving 15y ago
That's exactly what we're looking for -- Something like GeneralAssemb.ly in New York. We're a startup working out of an architecture firm right now. The space is relatively inexpensive, it would be stellar if there were other startups around who are interested in putting together something similar with programming around design and technology. If you're intersted, reach out to me via twitter (@ashbhoopathy) or email, ash@bettr.at. I'll also email Seattle Tech Startups about it.
stevenj 15y ago
>I think it's just more that people are focused on their own thing, by and large, vs. getting out with a small % of their time and building a community for the greater good. Ya, they're not enough "crazy" people. I think Seattle needs a big consumer-based (2.0 or 3.0) hit. It needs a Facebook, a Groupon, a Twitter, a Skype, a LinkedIn, an Etsy, a Dropbox.
- daveschappell 15y ago
  you mean, like an Amazon? or a Starbucks? :-) or, if you want to be cynical that Amazon's a long time ago... how about like an AWS, or a Kindle? The innovation's here -- we just need to get more commingling going on it's going to happen -- if you're in town, reach out, please -- would love to have you help
  - kenjackson 15y ago
    And there's the fastest selling consumer electronics product in history... the Kinect.
  - tesseract 15y ago
    For what it's worth, Lab126 (the Kindle-designing branch of Amazon) is in Cupertino, not Seattle.
    - adpowers 15y ago
      But many of the backend services powering Kindle are based in Seattle.
  - potatolicious 15y ago
    Amazon was a long time ago, and AWS/Kindle, while being great products, did not contain really an element of risk the way a scrappy startup does. I think parent poster has a point - there aren't a lot of recent examples of taking the risk and having it pay off, which may lead to some risk aversion in the community.
    - kenjackson 15y ago
      There are some. For example Big Fish Games. There's also Tableau Software (although not consumer). Neither large compared to Skype, but both ~$100M revenue companies founded about the time of Skype. UPDATE: After I wrote this I realized what is different about Seattle than the Bay Area, which is something a previous poster put in parentheticals... (web 2.0/3.0). Look at this list: Facebook, a Groupon, a Twitter, a Skype, a LinkedIn, an Etsy, a Dropbox These companies, except maybe Dropbox, are about connecting users together. Not about product. Seattle tends to be more focused on providing product. Is it the case that you are less likely to see a Tableau or Mathematica come out of the Bay Area?
tomfakes 15y ago
I wonder if the problem is that the music scene is so good here in Seattle that the recently graduated want to participate in that area, both as producers and consumers, and not so much in the tech area?

mechazoidal 15y ago

Possibly the Seattle Freeze? http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2005/0213/cover.html http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2005/0213/cover.h... In the 5 years after college that I lived in the city proper, the only tech group I managed to hang around was Seattle.RB, and only a few meeting at that.

rubyrescue 15y ago
actually... as a perfect example ... seattle.rb is one of the most unfriendly tech groups i've ever visited - and I know a number of others who would say the same thing.
gerner 15y ago
There is a ton of casual tech stuff going on in Seattle. check out http://www.seattletechcalendar.com http://www.seattletechcalendar.com, or (disclosure: my blog) http://fourthirtysix.com/tech-sci/ http://fourthirtysix.com/tech-sci/ We're not lacking the meetups, the events (Seattle 2.0 awards tonight!) We're lacking the leadership and super-stars participation in the community. While I see Dave Schappell at Hops and Chops, I don't feel like others mingling with us casual masses without it being self promotional. I want to go to some event (and Hops and Chops seems like a good venue), have a real conversation with the CTO of a startup about solving some tech or product challenge. Or I want to hear about how some CEO got started over a beer. And I want to meet another super-star who's actively looking for help.
- vertr 15y ago
  I agree. The Seattle startup culture reflects the city's passive agressive and cold nature. CEO's and other execs stick to their small circles.
gills 15y ago
In my 31 years of Seattle I guess I've found that friendships here are made and kept by doing active stuff together. Like camping, or boating, or cycling. There's not a lot of interest in "hey, want to loaf around together for a couple hours?" A lot of folks I know seem to tolerate the Seattle weather only because the summers and activities are great; killing time as bumps on a log is kind of silly. Or maybe I'm just a poster-child for Pemco ads. I am wearing sandals and gore-tex and typing this from a Starbucks...