Wow. Where to begin? This class has been such a blessing beyond words. If you have been a true follower throughout our blogging, you know that we have seen and experienced many different and wonderful areas of the startup world. Not to mention, the great cities that we have been able to explore!
I have already discussed the cities of Detroit, Chicago, and Grand Rapids, and I have also talked about my flex-time in Boulder and Austin. I have not shared much about what I have discovered, though, and that is what I plan to do in this blog. When I first began this class, I did not even know that startup communities even existed. I thought that we would be traveling and just be meeting entrepreneurs and learning about their businesses—both fascinating, and a great way to network. However, as the class progressed, I started to understand what we were observing, and what I have experienced is beyond any example that can be done in the classroom.
Other than the fact that I want to move to Boulder, I ultimately think that this city has the startup community going on. The town is full of nice, collaborative, encouraging people, and it seems that all of the co-working and accelerators are within walking distance of each other. This makes it easy to work with the other entrepreneurs in the city. I have hopes that Detroit will be like Boulder one day, but it will probably take a while. It seems to have the grit and the audacity to make it to the top, and the Detroit pride is high on the charts. That is something I saw in every city we visited — pride for the town. I think that is a good attribute to have, because it means individuals are putting their hearts in what they do and where they do it. Pride in a good way helps the startup community thrive.
I have also noticed that the government plays a role in the startup community, but its presence varies on the city. For instance, we heard Dan Gilbert’s name mentioned often with funding in Detroit, but he is not part of the government. In Chicago, though, the government funded many of the co-working and accelerator spaces. In Boulder and Austin, it was neat to meet with different government officials–John Tayer with the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, and Marc Ott the city manager of Austin. This gave us the perspective of how the government plays a role in startup communities. As Brad Feld expresses, the government is a feeder, but they are still needed to help the communities do well. They often regulate and contribute to new innovations, while also setting the boundaries for those out of the city who think they can take away jobs!
There is so much to talk about, but I cannot seem to fit it all in here! In each city, it was evident that there is talent among the many entrepreneurs and other players in the startup community. While we focused a lot on tech startups, it is clear that even with that boundary, each company and team member is unique. After observing, I do not think that there is such a thing as lack of capital. Ultimately, if one’s idea is good enough, and they are willing to do whatever they can, someone who has money will invest, or the entrepreneur will find one way or another…like the old saying: “If there’s a will, there’s a way!”. Investors can be found all over, but one that works well with an individual may not live in the city. That should not be an issue, though because there are thousands of other cities full of investors!
I truly believe that anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it. The great thing about this idea of a startup community is that it is okay to fail. Failure only puts an individual one step closer to her goal, and this concept is seen in all of the cities that we visited. I could write a whole book on what I have learned on this trip, and how much fun I had, but ain’t nobody got time to read that! I want to thank John, the Lee Honors College, and whoever donated so I could be in this class. I could not have done it without you, and I will never forget this great opportunity. Thanks for helping me become bigger, boulder and beautiful so I can be a successful entrepreneur! 🙂
“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” -Robert F. Kennedy
