I've always been interested in the Downtown Project but haven't had a chance to visit. Can someone more familiar with it comment on the state of download Las Vegas now?
I know a couple of people who live in Vegas who are familiar with the project. Based on what they have been saying, it is a prime example of why it is not possible to create a "startup hub" just by pouring money into some random city. You also need great educational institutions nearby as well as a healthy mix of angel investors and VCs. Attract enough smart, curious and self-driven people to create a "critical mass" and then have lots of money available to fund the ideas that emerge. That's what made SV what it is.
I was actually asked if I'd be interested in moving to Vegas to join an accelerator to seriously pursue one of my ideas, but I declined. In my mind, Vegas is for weekend getaways. I could never live there.
Besides that, the project seems to suffer from typical nepotism. When you're giving jobs to family and friends without paying any attention to whether they are qualified, you are shooting yourself in the foot and significantly decreasing your chances of success in a project that's already very ambitious. I hope things work out but it isn't looking good right now.
I've visited the Downtown Project this summer part of the 2014 UP Summit. It's really a great place to be, the vibe is really good and there's ton of awesome projects. I think the project is well balanced. You have small business incubator, startups incubator, a lot of community space and education project.
But it was hard to see who really had the leadership. I thought it was Hsieh but he dismissed it. Maybe they also had too much project. Lack of focus, lack of leadership and maybe going to fast. I hope the project turn around and that someone step-up to take the leadership, because it's really a great place although I hate Vegas. Hmm maybe in this sense this project represent well Vegas... an orgy of fake.
I just visited Container Park this past weekend. It certainly is a cool area with a lot of public space and I could tell locals were really enjoying themselves. It's kind of like Hayes Valley in SF (where Smitten is) if you know where that is.
It's true what they say about Vegas though in that there's a slight cult vibe and the quality of the establishments are poor despite their looks.
