economy Archives - Startup Economist

Florida, Miami Startups, the Startup Ecosystem: Innovation, Invention, and Building Sustainable Entrepreneurial Capacity

Tuesday, 17 February 2026 by Paul O'Brien

Miami, known for its beaches and nightlife, is far more than the art deco and the party destination rightfully earned wherein you’ll find something that feels like a real startup ecosystem: vibrant, international, and increasingly respected on global rankings. This is the story of how Miami and Florida evolved from a tourism-centric economy into a dynamic

Published in Regional Development

18 Comments

New York’s Sector Machines, Explained: The Real Drivers of Startup Economic Power

Wednesday, 11 February 2026 by Paul O'Brien

I’ve found that one of the strengths and distinctions of New York City, from which we might all learn for our own local economy, is that it doesn’t have an ecosystem the way people say it at conferences, like it’s a single organism. A couple weeks ago, we explored here that New York is what

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Published in Regional Development

6 Comments

Why Venture Capital Avoids your Startup Ecosystem

Monday, 14 July 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Working with cities throughout the world, developing startup ecosystems, every one of them echos the same in their effort to encourage entrepreneurship, “we’re focused on bringing investors to the table.” What they’re doing is typical, ironically, of founders, who hear a problem and the focus on the solution (which by the way founders, is wrong).

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Published in Featured, Startup Ecosystems

127 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

Developing Austin’s Startup Ecosystem

Tuesday, 28 February 2023 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. A really a wonderful article about Austin in The New Yorker sparked a series of wonderful discussions of the past and present of the Austin

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Published in Industry, Startup Ecosystems, Startups, Texas Startups

19 Comments

Yes, NOW is a Good Time to Startup

Thursday, 03 September 2020 by Paul O'Brien

Nearly three quarters of the way through 2020, and with the world fully settled into the “new normal,” quarantine, “the recession?,” (or whatever it is that we’re calling this strange state of things), it’s still very frequently asked, “Is a time like this good time to start a startup?“ The best time is yesterday. The

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Published in Industry, Insights / Research, Startups

1 Comment

Where are Austin’s Venture Capital Firms?

Tuesday, 03 May 2016 by Paul O'Brien

Of late I’ve been exploring, discussing, and working with Austin’s venture capital economy. We’ll not belabor the ongoing discussions of the state of venture capital, lack of funding, future of financing, and otherwise here; rather, what struck me as potentially helpful is a mere layout of where venture capital is found. Certainly, before we can

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Published in Industry, Insights / Research, Raising Capital, Texas Startups

17 Comments