community Archives - Startup Economist

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,

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

42 Comments

How Startup Ecosystem Builders Start Ecosystems

Tuesday, 10 September 2024 by Paul O'Brien

I’d bet, if you were to look to the ecosystem surrounding your work, you’d see some meetups, a local startup group on Facebook, a business or technology journalist at the newspaper as the person known for covering startups, some coworking spaces, and perhaps a distinct innovation hub supported by the City or Chamber, right in

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Published in Featured, Industry, Insights / Research, Startup Ecosystems, Startups

26 Comments

Media is Capital: Startup Success Starts with Story and Community

Wednesday, 03 July 2024 by Paul O'Brien

Possessing a compelling story outweighs merely having a brilliant idea so much so that media has become the new capital for burgeoning founders. The fundamental concept here is that media — encompassing storytelling, audience engagement, and community building, well beyond what you might consider it to mean in “the press” — serves as a powerful

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Published in Social Media

7 Comments

What it Takes to Make Your City “Next” in Innovation

Friday, 29 September 2023 by Paul O'Brien

So, the guy who chose and loves Austin has some thoughts about the potential of Houston. I had a chance to sit with Chris Howard during their interview series when in Austin, for Forging the Future through Softeq, where we talked about how culture and distinction draws entrepreneurship, tech, and capital. How Houston is on

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Published in Economic Development, Startups

8 Comments

The Impossible Situation of Facebook

Wednesday, 12 May 2021 by Paul O'Brien

For a few months now, Facebook has been gently testing post voting changes that might substantially change our experience with comments and posts on the dominant social media platform. Today, the feature rolled out more broadly, sparking more and more reaction to the changes and a litany of “why??” questions from frequent Facebook users. What

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Published in Social Media

14 Comments

Austin is Where Tech Comes to Life

Tuesday, 12 May 2015 by Paul O'Brien

With another SXSW well behind us and the inevitable cries that the conference has lost something since it has failed again to discover the next Twitter or Facebook, I find myself considering bigger picture questions: Why are so many moving to Austin? Why did I move to Austin? Is it finding the next Unicorn that

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Published in Advertising, Austin, Industry, Insights / Research, Local, Startups

13 Comments

What Stickers on Laptops Say About Your Startup Community

Wednesday, 14 January 2015 by Paul O'Brien

Think about the last time you spent in a coffee shop working. Perhaps you had a quick meeting with a friend or potential partner, perhaps you haven’t made the leap to coworking and call Starbucks your office; regardless of why you were there, picture the laptops around you. When I arrived in Austin, TX, I

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Published in Austin, Industry, Local, Startups

6 Comments