Economic Development Archives - Startup Economist

The Customer of Venture Capital Isn’t the Founder, It’s the Investor

Wednesday, 22 October 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Until Cities Get That Straight, Startups Will Keep Starving for Capital It’s a weird day when the world’s entrepreneurs sound like customers complaining about a bad product. “We can’t find funding.” “Investors aren’t taking risks.” “There’s no capital in our city.” You’ve heard it a thousand times; it’s the economic equivalent of Yelp reviews from

Published in Economic Development, Raising Capital

18 Comments

It’s Not the End of the World. It’s the End of Pretending.

Monday, 20 October 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Every generation believes it’s living through the end of the world. With all that’s on social media and in the news now, ours might finally be right, but not in the way we think. And you reader, entrepreneurs, investors, and economic development leaders, are the people we need rising to the challenges. R.E.M.’s It’s the End

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Published in Economic Development

25 Comments

Startups Draw Talent and Opportunity to Cities

Tuesday, 14 October 2025 by Paul O'Brien

What if I told you a city’s “magnetism” doesn’t begin with a Fortune 500 relocating its headquarters, but with a small, scrappy startup raising its first round? Let’s talk about smarter economic development. Cities that craft startup ecosystems don’t just chase large employers; they become destinations for opportunity, pulling in both job-seekers and job creators. Interestingly, I said

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Published in Economic Development

25 Comments

Forget Demo Days, This Is Where Startup Ecosystem Building Happens

Monday, 13 October 2025 by Paul O'Brien

In just a little less than a month, in Augusta, Georgia, the nation’s top startup ecosystem builders and national ecosystem support organizations convene to gain insight from real world case studies, and explore and experience new communities, against the backdrops of some of the nation’s top emerging ecosystems. This is the time of year for

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Published in Conferences / Events

14 Comments

Washington’s Blueprint for Public-Private Innovation for Washington Startups

Thursday, 09 October 2025 by Paul O'Brien

A coalition reimagines the role of cities, universities, and entrepreneurs in shaping the future of downtown Washington D.C. and Washington startups. Just north of the White House, where K Street bends toward Dupont Circle and the stately facades of Farragut meet the hum of D.C.’s intellectual life, something quietly revolutionary is taking shape. The Penn

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Published in Regional Development

11 Comments

How To vs. Experienced With: The Distinction of Startup or New Business

Monday, 06 October 2025 by Paul O'Brien

The opportunity isn’t that cities, chambers, and investors don’t support entrepreneurship, it’s that they have the chance to support the right kind in the right way. For decades, we’ve been celebrating every new idea in the same sandbox, mixing storefronts with startups, consultants with creators, and then wondering why only a few hold up when

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Published in Startup Ecosystems, Startups

31 Comments

The Startup Frontier Hidden in America’s Supply Chain

Thursday, 02 October 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Imagine a modest Ozarks town (once underestimated) emerging as a national hub for retail, supply chain, and CPG innovation. Now imagine that the parent company is actively relocating talent, building a new urban HQ, and doubling down on ecosystem development. That’s Bentonville; once pigeonholed as “Walmart’s little hometown,” now staking a claim as one of

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Published in Regional Development

38 Comments