Anywhere but Silicon Valley?
September 10, 2008
Ironically as I run into more and more young people leaving Texas to build their startups in Silicon Valley, Howard Anderson is recommending that startups located in the Valley should leave. In a post titled, “5 Reasons to Move Your Startup Out of Silicon Valley” he explains why anywhere by Silicon Valley might be a good move. Here are his top five reason:
- the weather sucks (i.e. from Howard’s perspective the weather outside of the Valley sucks)
- you can recruit better outside the fishbowl
- you won’t get lost in the startup maze
- in my experience, other startup communities aren’t as pre-occupied with the “exit” as Da Valley
- Academics make great board members
In the late ninties I had a chance to move my business to the Bay Area. I thought long and hard about making the move, but utlimately I made the decision that Dallas was a better place to build a a) business, b) a family and c) a life. Ironically, my father who has run more than a couple of companies in the Valley moved to Dallas several years ago and he hasn’t looked back. My sister moved to Dallas finding love and a career. My Grandmother and Grandfather both moved to Dallas as well. I am involved with several startups and I am actively working to help entrepreneurs make their companies work in North Texas.
You don’t have to move out west, you can build great companies in cities like Boston; Pittsburgh; Philadelphia; Austin; Research Triangle Park, N.C.; Minneapolis; Tallahassee; Toronto; and Basking Ridge, N.J. (Howard’s favorite startup cities). Get in the game, don’t leave - dig in and make your hometown the place to be. Remember the internet? Location isn’t as important as it used to be…
