frankly I think the whole east coast vs west coast thing in startups is stupid. You can do your startup from anywhere in the world....as long as you have a decent internet connection.
You want support? Come to HN and ask for advice. You want to do some collaboration with someone? Email/skype them. You want to listen to speakers/discussions about startups? Hit up mixergy.
Why is it in the age of the web, we still try to localize everything?
The only thing that really matters "localization" wise...is capital. Because in SV you have a ton of people investing in startups. While in NYC, the same people are investing in the stock market.
That's the only difference....being able to raise a ton of money quickly, simply by being local to the people who actually want to invest in tech startups.
"Why is it in the age of the web, we still try to localize everything?"
Because I still think there is something to be said about discussing things over lunch or while having a beer. Is it necessary? Of course not. But there is still something really nice about developing an in person, human connection.
People often ask me why I want to move to the west coast if I want to work on an internet business. After all, you can access the internet from anywhere.
The best analogy I've come up with is to say that it's like being a talented actor living in rural Arkansas. Sure, you can act from anywhere, but living somewhere that encourages and supports your talent (like Los Angeles in the case of acting), can make all the difference.
When I interview PG, I'm going to ask him how I can make those Mixergy interviews even more helpful. Past YC startups told me they got a lot out of the education and contacts from the program. I wonder how much more of that I can bring into my work.
because information / users / capital / infrastructure are still secondary to (imo) the most important factor in a startup, the passion and drive of the founders.
while the internet has greatly improved our access to knowledge, as good as skype and whatever are, it still hasnt replaced the experience of sitting down and having a beer with other founders and people passionate and knowledgeable about the same things.
You want support? Come to HN and ask for advice. You want to do some collaboration with someone? Email/skype them. You want to listen to speakers/discussions about startups? Hit up mixergy.
Why is it in the age of the web, we still try to localize everything?
The only thing that really matters "localization" wise...is capital. Because in SV you have a ton of people investing in startups. While in NYC, the same people are investing in the stock market.
That's the only difference....being able to raise a ton of money quickly, simply by being local to the people who actually want to invest in tech startups.