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Unfortunately for the Boston VCs, they can only fix part of the problem. Boston VCs have in the past been timid and unimaginative, and they may be able to fix

by pg 15y ago

Unfortunately for the Boston VCs, they can only fix part of the problem. Boston VCs have in the past been timid and unimaginative, and they may be able to fix that by making a conscious effort to be more aggressive. But the biggest problem with Boston may be the weakness of the angel community. It's true that VCs are starting to make more angel type investments, but it seems unlikely they can completely replace angels.

far33d 15y ago
The explosion in angels has not skipped Boston. A few recent acquisitions will certainly increase activity as well.
whirlycott1 15y ago
Two years ago, I would have agreed with you about the angel situation - it was pretty dorky and very clumsy. But something big has changed here very recently and the energy is unlike anything you saw when you lived in Cambridge, Paul. I assure you, there is a substantive tangible energy in the air around town these days. Whether that translates into anything big still remains to be seen.
- SwellJoe 15y ago
  Energy does not replace early stage money. Angels, of which there are thousands in the valley, provide early stage money.
jsavimbi 15y ago
And I doubt that they'll get aggressive like their counterparts in other areas of the country. People in this region are tighter with their money and need to fully understand the lifecycle of a entity before throwing money at it, versus having an urgency to be an early-stage investor like you may have out in SV. But if we're going to go through the numbers that this old chestnut provides: http://wadhwa.com/2011/03/04/boston-vs-silicon-valley-comparisons/ http://wadhwa.com/2011/03/04/boston-vs-silicon-valley-compar...
hy 15y ago
Interesting view. But I think this FB case, maybe it just happened that way.. Aside from the size of startup & investment communities, there are still lots of great early stage investors e.c. JBoss backer David Skok of Matrix. - one of my favorit VCs. At least these guys sometimes do very very early stages.

by pg 15y ago

far33d 15y ago

The explosion in angels has not skipped Boston. A few recent acquisitions will certainly increase activity as well.

whirlycott1 15y ago

Two years ago, I would have agreed with you about the angel situation - it was pretty dorky and very clumsy. But something big has changed here very recently and the energy is unlike anything you saw when you lived in Cambridge, Paul. I assure you, there is a substantive tangible energy in the air around town these days. Whether that translates into anything big still remains to be seen.

SwellJoe 15y ago
Energy does not replace early stage money. Angels, of which there are thousands in the valley, provide early stage money.

jsavimbi 15y ago

And I doubt that they'll get aggressive like their counterparts in other areas of the country. People in this region are tighter with their money and need to fully understand the lifecycle of a entity before throwing money at it, versus having an urgency to be an early-stage investor like you may have out in SV. But if we're going to go through the numbers that this old chestnut provides: http://wadhwa.com/2011/03/04/boston-vs-silicon-valley-comparisons/ http://wadhwa.com/2011/03/04/boston-vs-silicon-valley-compar...

hy 15y ago

Interesting view. But I think this FB case, maybe it just happened that way.. Aside from the size of startup & investment communities, there are still lots of great early stage investors e.c. JBoss backer David Skok of Matrix. - one of my favorit VCs. At least these guys sometimes do very very early stages.