Startups Archives - Page 2 of 33

When Founders Need Referrals to Meet Investors, Fix This About Your Startup Ecosystem

Friday, 08 November 2024 by Paul O'Brien

In a well-functioning startup ecosystem, founders should know who their potential investors are and how to connect with them. In a supportive startup ecosystem, founders should know how to develop ventures that attract attention, supported by journalists and ecosystem leaders who promote fundable startups, so that investors engage them. Yet, we often see founders struggling

Published in Raising Capital, Startup Ecosystems

20 Comments

10 Policies Proven to Turn Cities into Startup Powerhouses

Thursday, 07 November 2024 by Paul O'Brien

Cities play a critical role in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. With startups and small businesses the key drivers of economic growth, it has become essential for municipal leaders and policymakers to create environments where entrepreneurial talent can flourish. Let’s look at ten proven strategies that cities can implement to empower entrepreneurs, cultivate a thriving startup

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Published in Economic Development, Startups

7 Comments

How the 2025 White House Could Shape a Bold Economy for Startups and Innovators

Wednesday, 06 November 2024 by Paul O'Brien

With the dust still settling, I thought I’d wade into a precarious subject because I believe this Presidential election and the outcome were so substantial in what transpired, that humanity will be studying and evolving from it for generations to come. The 2024 season has been a dynamic intersection of ideologies and passions; as such,

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Published in Economic Development, Startup Ecosystems, Startups

30 Comments

When Entrepreneurship is Bad for the Economy

Tuesday, 05 November 2024 by Paul O'Brien

Entrepreneurship has long been celebrated as the ultimate engine of economic growth, innovation, and job creation. But what if the fervor surrounding “being an entrepreneur” has gone too far? The glorification of entrepreneurship as an end in itself may actually be hurting our economy. As with most cultural phenomena, the truth is more nuanced than

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Published in Economic Development, Startups

22 Comments

Rethinking Startup Ecosystems to Build What Investors Really Want

Monday, 28 October 2024 by Paul O'Brien

In most of the world, startups are in disrepair. No more effectively can we just reboot or defrag a computer to actually fix it, than we can try again and again to host demo days, networking events, and run incubators, expecting different results, when there is a virus in the system. Begging the question, that,

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Published in Economic Development, Industry, Insights / Research, Local, Startup Ecosystems, Startups

42 Comments

Seeking Better Startup Founder Agreements

Monday, 28 October 2024 by Paul O'Brien

Ever see a pie chart like this, or can you at least envision one, wherein a partner of yours (or God-forbid, you), expect a majority control of a startup? I get asked all the time, about how to handle retaining control when it was my idea or how to deal with a cofounder who wants

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Published in Insights / Research, Startups

14 Comments

Seek the Contrarian: What to Expect of a Good Entrepreneurship Program

Tuesday, 15 October 2024 by Paul O'Brien

In a speech in Paris, in 1910, Theodore Roosevelt remarked the often encouraged, “Comparison Is the Thief of Joy.” That, when we compare ourselves to others, we rob ourselves of our own happiness as, through comparison, we either feel a sense of inferiority or superiority. What we see in entrepreneurship and among founders is this

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Published in Insights / Research, Local, Startup Ecosystems, Startups

20 Comments