Having started a successful startup in NYC, and trying for 5+ years now in the valley, I think the situation is not so black/white. A lot depends on business c

Having started a successful startup in NYC, and trying for 5+ years now in the valley, I think the situation is not so black/white. A lot depends on business cycles, trends, timing, luck, who you know (which you can have some effect on of course) etc. There are many factors. I think the real difference is partly one of social expectation. Out here, you're expected to quit your job every 2 or 3 years and try another startup. I suspect that in other places, that kind of behavior makes it hard to get jobs, and possibly even puts you in a strange group of social outcasts. Here, if you hold onto a job for 10 years and seem to have no appetite for risk, it's a bit weird. So yes, you feel supported by your friends and relatives, whereas elsewhere you might feel extreme pressure to conform. But that doesn't make starting a successful company easier than falling off a log, as the OP seems to suggest. There are still at least 10 serious efforts for every success. And right now, the VC's are hurting. I haven't heard about anyone getting funded since October.