It's hard to know in just what way we're supposed to take some of these comments.
"Crazy people"? There's a difference between taking a calculated (but passionate) risk and a redneck, "watch this" kind of risk.I've spent time in SF - I think the quality of life is better in Atlanta because there aren't so many nutjobs (no offense to the left-coast nutjobs).
Geography: You're right - there is no sprawl in California. Everyone hangs out at Buck's and the 880 or 280 (take your pick - I prefer scenic Newark) to San Jose ia a short, leasurely jaunt.
BTW, I drink a lot of coffee. Re-phrase: A LOT OF COFFEE. When I'm in a coffee shop, I tend to be head down, working away - I'm not broadcasting that I'm working on a startup or looking to get a "feel" for what other startups in Atlanta are doing. There's plenty of more efficient ways to do that (ATDC/TAG, AWE, YnR, etc.).
Business Mix: God forbid that you'd ever want to associate with anyone that might be your customer/end-user or just a regular human. I love my startup(s). I love hanging out with the other "Crazy People" (I assume you mean "entrepreneurs") here in Atlanta. But 99.99999% (don't hold me to that - I made it up) of the world is NOT made up of startup entrepreneurs. Be wary of hillbillies with "real world" perspectives - we shall rule the world y'all.
Business Culture: By "porosity" I'm guessing you mean Yahoo Lunch 2.0, Google seminars, etc. If so, you'd be right. I'll admit that UPS, Home Depot, et. al. don't exactly fling their doors open, but they're not that type of company. Google has offices here. They certainly have enough servers a few feet down from my colo rack. I'm not seeing much "porosity" from them, but then again, I'm guessing at what you mean.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Atlanta is perfect. I will probably NOT be able to raise the capital I'm looking for locally. The local investors don't really get the space I'm in (and candidly, that's just because there aren't that many local investors). And I'm aware that investors want to be able to drive to your office and flash the pimp hand, etc., etc. (No offense to any investor types either). But the water in SV does NOT make you smarter or better able to execute. Yes, there are enablers there, and most will never leave. But I've got cheap rent, some pretty smart people working with me and AirTran has cheap tickets to SFO.
Full Disclaimer: I've changed my position many times before (as recently as this morning) and reserve the right to do so in the future.
"Crazy people"? There's a difference between taking a calculated (but passionate) risk and a redneck, "watch this" kind of risk.I've spent time in SF - I think the quality of life is better in Atlanta because there aren't so many nutjobs (no offense to the left-coast nutjobs).
Geography: You're right - there is no sprawl in California. Everyone hangs out at Buck's and the 880 or 280 (take your pick - I prefer scenic Newark) to San Jose ia a short, leasurely jaunt.
BTW, I drink a lot of coffee. Re-phrase: A LOT OF COFFEE. When I'm in a coffee shop, I tend to be head down, working away - I'm not broadcasting that I'm working on a startup or looking to get a "feel" for what other startups in Atlanta are doing. There's plenty of more efficient ways to do that (ATDC/TAG, AWE, YnR, etc.).
Business Mix: God forbid that you'd ever want to associate with anyone that might be your customer/end-user or just a regular human. I love my startup(s). I love hanging out with the other "Crazy People" (I assume you mean "entrepreneurs") here in Atlanta. But 99.99999% (don't hold me to that - I made it up) of the world is NOT made up of startup entrepreneurs. Be wary of hillbillies with "real world" perspectives - we shall rule the world y'all.
Business Culture: By "porosity" I'm guessing you mean Yahoo Lunch 2.0, Google seminars, etc. If so, you'd be right. I'll admit that UPS, Home Depot, et. al. don't exactly fling their doors open, but they're not that type of company. Google has offices here. They certainly have enough servers a few feet down from my colo rack. I'm not seeing much "porosity" from them, but then again, I'm guessing at what you mean.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Atlanta is perfect. I will probably NOT be able to raise the capital I'm looking for locally. The local investors don't really get the space I'm in (and candidly, that's just because there aren't that many local investors). And I'm aware that investors want to be able to drive to your office and flash the pimp hand, etc., etc. (No offense to any investor types either). But the water in SV does NOT make you smarter or better able to execute. Yes, there are enablers there, and most will never leave. But I've got cheap rent, some pretty smart people working with me and AirTran has cheap tickets to SFO.
Full Disclaimer: I've changed my position many times before (as recently as this morning) and reserve the right to do so in the future.