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As an Atlanta resident who's livelihood is generally in San Francisco, I'd like to note this article is nonsense. "Nobody wants to openly admit it, but the num
by wehriam 17y ago
As an Atlanta resident who's livelihood is generally in San Francisco, I'd like to note this article is nonsense.
"Nobody wants to openly admit it, but the number of early stage ventures funded in Atlanta this year is very near to ZERO."
Atlanta is a leader in new business creation - http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2009/05/18/entrepreneurs_atlanta_georgia.html http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2009/05... - There are companies that find working capital.
And after the author's proclamation that we "drop the bullshit and deal with it" he moves on to arbitrary advice like "read Steve Blank" and "we need an open forum."
I'm all for measured comparisons of cities, particularly in the context of technology and startups. But profanity and superlatives aren't interesting or helpful. (I won't get into the childish concepts of "the jackpot handle" or "the theme park of startups.")
I suppose what rubs me the wrong way is the profound misunderstanding of how difficult it is to be successful in a startup context no matter where you are. California isn't the promised land - people there work hard to succeed, just like they do in Georgia.
- rjurney 17y agoI feel like you read a different article than I wrote. For one, Atlanta has the highest rate of entrepreneurism in the nation - true. Unfortunately, almost all of those new businesses are not startups - they are under paid consultants and mom and pop shops. Anyone who has ever attended a Technology Association of Georgia event knows this to be indisputable fact. Corporate downsizing in our big-company town has driven this rate up. A former executive selling management consulting, or a former factory worker selling bait does not a startup make. As I said, the number of early stage deals in new ventures this year is very close to zero. If you're connected with the angel community, you know this is true. I didn't simply make it up. As to customer-driven development, what I am suggesting is that we embrace a model that involves customers at the stage where new entrepreneurs tend to look for investment capital. It is unfortunate that you didn't care for the article's tone, but I would encourage you to take a look into the customer development model - it has applicability in Atlanta, and elsewhere. As to a profound misunderstanding - I'm not sure you read the article that I wrote. Nowhere did I say that entrepreneurism is easy anywhere. Its hard everywhere. What I said was that Silicon Valley does support exceptional individuals with resources in every area to aid them in their success. Think about the definition of exceptional: way, way above average. People work hard in California, and they follow the California game plan and if they are exceptional, it often works. That game plan simply does not work anywhere near as well in Georgia, because it is a fundamentally different business environment. If you drew your livelihood from a startup in this area, you would probably understand that. No offense, sir, but you seem to have been rubbed the wrong way by someone else, and you are taking it out on me.
- mikeschinkel 17y ago@wehriam: I'm with Russell on this. It doesn't sounds like you actually read the article. Russell's "read Steve Blank" is some of the best advice he could give. I'm constantly advising local startups to first go get customers instead of first chasing investment; so many of them see "getting funded" as a panacea. Focusing on customers instead of investors is what Steve Blank's book is all about and actually what business success is all about too.