Economic Development Archives - Page 4 of 11

The Epicenter of Texas Technology

Monday, 12 September 2022 by Paul O'Brien

Regional culture, history, and infrastructure are the qualities of a region of the world that drives innovation, jobs, and economic development because technology is ultimately about people and their potential. Our work in MediaTech Ventures has touched upon that fact a few times, whether in John Zozzaro’s look at Culture and Buildings or our exploration

Published in Industry, Insights / Research, Regional Development

35 Comments

Opportunity. What is causing so many people to move to Austin? Not (just) Tech, nor Startups, it’s Opportunity

Monday, 12 April 2021 by Paul O'Brien

Opportunity Education Technology Entrepreneurs Infrastructure Resulting in Opportunity. You know that licking of your lips and grasping at air that one does when trying to put in to words a dream. How you think through, as you’re talking with someone, something you just can’t quite simplify. What I’m thinking about is not a dream but

austin jobs relocation texas

Published in Economic Development, Industry, Insights / Research

27 Comments

Asked: What Stops VCs from Investing in Foreign Companies?

Monday, 25 January 2021 by Paul O'Brien

Nothing, it happens all the time. Yet, the question is common, frequently asked; begging a question its own – what are startups struggling with that they think that foreign investors won’t invest? Start with this appreciation: investing in startups is the riskiest use of capital, in the world. Gambling at a casino is more likely

entrepreneurship foreign funding global investors U.S.venture capital worldwide

Published in Insights / Research, Raising Capital, Regional Development, Startups

9 Comments

The Future of our Economy Lies in Property Development and Startups Finding Common Ground

Thursday, 17 December 2020 by Paul O'Brien

“Perhaps one of the most important financial decisions a forest landowner will make is determining when to harvest timber.” That, the opening of a PennState article exploring the financial decisions land owners consider in this use case, including how to determine and calculate when to maximize financial returns, prompted a thought about investing in property

city planning commercial property economic development investing investment real estate real estate development venture capital

Published in Economic Development, Startups

20 Comments

Does a University like Stanford Produce more Successful Startups? This Might be Why

Friday, 05 April 2019 by Paul O'Brien

Culture. It all, always, comes down to the culture of community. Why does Silicon Valley produce startups differently than elsewhere? Why does Hollywood have a style and way about their films that really isn’t replicated elsewhere? Why is Arizona State University a “party school” that produces highly social people? As entrepreneurs, we like to THINK

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Published in Insights / Research, Regional Development, Startups

16 Comments

How the “Bootstrap Culture” of a Place like Austin Changes Entrepreneurship From an “Equity Culture” of a Place Like Silicon Valley

Tuesday, 27 November 2018 by Paul O'Brien

Bootstrap or VC? It’s a question on so many minds as entrepreneurship flourishes beyond Silicon Valley, in cities where venture capital seems inaccessible. It’s a question that not a day goes by in which it doesn’t come up for me, based in Austin, TX, having professional roots along Sand Hill Road. What strikes me as

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Published in Insights / Research, Regional Development, Startups

14 Comments

When an Economy needs Co-Founders – And Seems to have a Tech Talent Gap

Tuesday, 11 September 2018 by Paul O'Brien

A characteristic of local economies that I never experienced much before leaving Palo Alto, California: “we can’t find co-founders!” Many know that I’ve spent half of my professional life in Silicon Valley and the other half in the new economy’s most appealing innovation region: Central Texas. I’ve touched a few times on the stark differences

cofounders founders skills talent team tech technology

Published in Startup Ecosystems, Startups

19 Comments