silicon valley Archives - Startup Economist

How Silicon Valley Really Got Its Start: In Fashion Tech

Friday, 21 December 2018 by Paul O'Brien

It was in 1848, that a carpenter by the name of James Marshall spotted gold at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, Calif. Soon hopeful prospectors flooded the Golden State in search of their fortunes. Today’s gold rush is, of course, the venture capital discovered in them thar hills; with entrepreneurs flooding the Valley in search of their

Published in Industry, Insights / Research

8 Comments

Why Where Matters

Monday, 09 November 2015 by Paul O'Brien

Some time ago, I shared some thoughts about how the size and scope of Silicon Valley eludes most entrepreneurs. That, challenging most startup communities, is the fact that comparing and contrasting one’s local economy to “Silicon Valley” easily misleads, as N. California’s startup community is much more than a city, more than a region even,

austin branding mission personal brand professional brand purpose silicon valley vision where why

Published in Brand Marketing, Economic Development, Industry, Insights / Research, PR, Startups

19 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

austin cities community culture ecosystem entrepreneurship silicon valley startups

Published in Austin, Industry, Local, Startups

6 Comments

Why Startups Need Consultants & Advisors

Monday, 02 June 2014 by Paul O'Brien

Silicon Valley thrives on fractional teams. I speak from experience as one of those consultants. There are two fairly unique characteristics of the Valley, unique in that I’ve not found them to work exactly the same way in other communities: Knowledge is freely available. You don’t pay for what & how, you pay for talent – execution. Lean

consultants consulting fractional freelancers Lean Startup outsourcing silicon valley

Published in Startups

4 Comments

The Ancient Startup Communities of Greece and Rome

Wednesday, 16 April 2014 by Paul O'Brien

Recently, I had the honor of addressing a group of investors from Shenzhen, China, exploring opportunities in Texas and asking the question, why? Why here? Why Texas? Why Austin? Fostered by DB Business Group (a multi-sector global business development group), and a program called Invest Austin, a veteran of Silicon Valley like myself can’t help

ancient austin communities culture economies entrepreneurship greece history industries philosophy rome silicon valley texas

Published in Austin, Industry, Startup Ecosystems, Startups

10 Comments

Why Do Startups Work in Silicon Valley?

Thursday, 27 March 2014 by Paul O'Brien

One of the most frequently asked questions of today’s startup economy, no? Invariably, we discuss capital, talent, and ambition, frustrated with our own communities’ lack thereof, perhaps. And yet, is that really what’s at the heart of making a startup community work? When you think about it, the access to and significance of capital available

capital culture entrepreneurship Industry innovation silicon valley talent

Published in Regional Development, Startups

15 Comments

Getting Into Coworking

Thursday, 31 January 2013 by Paul O'Brien

Those of us working in the coworking community know, that per capita, Austin, Texas is the hotbed of the movement. According to Google Search Trends and reported by DeskMag, Austin leads the US market in search queries (demand) related to coworking; it’s no surprise Austin is home to the Global Coworking Unconference. For that reason,

austin capital factory citizen space coworking hacker dojo opportunity space san jose silicon valley texas whoosh traffic

Published in Industry, Startups

2 Comments