New Jersey’s Creative Class Isn’t Just Showing Up, It’s Becoming the Payoff for Its Startup Economy
Wednesday, 05 November 2025
In a few weeks, I’ll be in New Jersey, a part of the world that holds a very special place in my heart, as does nearby Philadelphia, thanks to family, foundational memories as a child and with my own kids, and now as roots to call a home. With that trip in mind, I could
- Published in Regional Development
15 Comments
Startup Investors, Let’s Get to Know Portland, Oregon
Wednesday, 29 October 2025
If cities were startups, Portland would be the one that never hired a PR firm, preferring instead to let its product (culture) speak for itself. For investors, that confidence has been both its charm and a challenge. Portland is inventive to the point of eccentricity, independent to the point of obstinacy, and so allergic to
- Published in Regional Development
Washington’s Blueprint for Public-Private Innovation for Washington Startups
Thursday, 09 October 2025
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
- Published in Regional Development
The Startup Frontier Hidden in America’s Supply Chain
Thursday, 02 October 2025
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
- Published in Regional Development
Bellevue, Washington: The Startup City Defining Its Shadow
Tuesday, 30 September 2025
Bellevue isn’t Seattle and that’s precisely the point. Too often, when people talk about the Pacific Northwest, Bellevue gets treated as an extension of Seattle. But Bellevue has its own history, its own culture, and critically, its own startup identity. Understanding this matters not just for Washington but for cities everywhere trying to grow deliberately,
- Published in Regional Development, Uncategorized
How Hard Tech History Fuels Entrepreneurship – Austin’s Story
Wednesday, 03 September 2025
Amidst what seems to be a boom of chips in Central Texas, I want to share with everyone, everywhere, how the hard tech of Texas isn’t a result of a recent pivot, there is a history to study in how it grew up around Austin, a history from which we can learn how to build
- Published in Regional Development
Surfing Idaho’s Startup Wave: Boise’s Rise
Thursday, 28 August 2025
Of course, if you’re like me, when you think of Idaho the first thing that comes to mind is surfing. Sure, you might be thinking, “um… Hawaii? California?” and you’d be right too but if we’re being frank, we entrepreneurial types are a little odd and my mind thinks Idaho. What drives innovation and supports
- Published in Regional Development







