startups Archives - Startup Economist

Bogotá, Colombia; Latin America’s Next Startup Ascent

Friday, 15 August 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Colombia has always been a country in motion; politically, culturally, and economically. But motion isn’t the same as progress, and progress isn’t guaranteed. For generations, Colombians have adapted to change not because they wanted to, but because they had to. It’s in this crucible of necessity that the country’s entrepreneurial spirit was forged and potential

Published in Regional Development, Startup Ecosystems

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Because Entrepreneurs are the Greatest Catalyst for Societal Change

Wednesday, 13 August 2025 by Paul O'Brien

We’ve reached a tipping point. In a world awash in pitch decks, podcasted advice, and more bootstrapping encouragement than anyone asked for, the last thing we need is another startup program repeating what you can Google. If you read my work, you know that I have been pushing hard on challenges and gaps that still

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Published in Economic Development, Startups

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Stop Funding Accelerators. Invest in Venture Studios Instead.

Monday, 04 August 2025 by Paul O'Brien

The most underwhelming moment for an entrepreneur in a startup ecosystem is the ribbon-cutting on yet another accelerator. Confetti flies, politicians pose, local media snaps a shot of the logo on the wall, and everyone goes home to wonder why venture capital still doesn’t show up. If you’re not familiar with why your region isn’t

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Published in Economic Development

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Startups and the Art of Worldbuilding

Saturday, 02 August 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Film Producer Anton Jokikunnas recently shared a wonderful observation that “each film is a startup,” kind enough to add a thought I published the other day, “Entrepreneurship isn’t just a decision. It’s a personality type explored to be so by more researchers, universities, and studies than we can count.” Given my past in media, I

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Published in Startups

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Solutions to Overcome Ignorance

Monday, 28 July 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Startup Funding Isn’t Broken, It’s Behind Ready for a spicy topic likely to frustrate some friends in my criticism of good intentions? Let’s begin with a blunt but necessary truth: venture capital isn’t broken, most of it just doesn’t know what the hell it’s doing. The problem isn’t capital. It’s experience. And the startup ecosystem,

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Published in Startups

27 Comments

Botswana’s Startup Paradox: Why Africa Searches for Venture Capital

Wednesday, 16 July 2025 by Paul O'Brien

This is a country with the continent’s most stable democracy, solid credit ratings, one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa over the past fifty years, and the world’s largest diamond producer. Having just released our research into why venture capital avoids regions of the world, my attention turned to Africa because the continent is arguably

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Published in Regional Development

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Startups Are Not Small Businesses: A Texas Startup Policy Blueprint for Unlocking Capital

Tuesday, 08 July 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Published in collaboration with the TexCap Policy Institute, this new white paper is more than another call for “more startup support.” It’s a public policy intervention – one Texas desperately needs if we want to lead the nation in innovation, venture capital, and the next generation of job creation. We titled it plainly:Startups != Small

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Published in Economic Development

18 Comments