startups Archives - Startup Economist

Founders Can’t Scale What Government Won’t: Policy Infrastructure Entrepreneurship Needs

Wednesday, 11 March 2026 by Paul O'Brien

At SXSW 2026? We’ll be convening a Tech + Policy Meetup at Cosmic Saltillo, Sunday, March 15th at 2 pm – RSVP Here If you work in economic development, run a government affairs office, manage a legislative portfolio, or sit in any room where startup policy gets discussed, tune in. The people with the most

Published in Economic Development

5 Comments

Energy Is the Startup Resource That Actually Matters

Friday, 27 February 2026 by Paul O'Brien

And no, I don’t mean your Series A. Some wonderful conversations lately about energy. That it connects all things… that it’s the origin of the universe… that matching frequency is how people find partners, close friends, and love. There’s a word that gets thrown around startup ecosystems like cocktails at a launch party – passion

energy entrepreneurship passion quantum startups team

Published in Startups

7 Comments

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

economy ecosystem florida miami startups

Published in Regional Development

18 Comments

The Second Time Around

Monday, 16 February 2026 by Paul O'Brien

In my last piece, The Startup of You, I wrote about how the real venture we’re building isn’t the company, it’s ourselves. As our long weekend comes to an end, my parents boarded a flight home after visiting; and as my daughter steps into new projects and fresh chapter of her own, my mind turned

entrepreneurship founders founding startups

Published in Startups

11 Comments

American Pie and the Moment Every Founder Loses the Music

Tuesday, 03 February 2026 by Paul O'Brien

Don McLean’s American Pie is usually shared as an elegy for rock ’n’ roll and American innocence. It’s a song with tremendous meaning to me, sung as a group while my high school class graduated, I went to study the lyrics and history in college, teaching myself how to build and website (then with notepad,

american pie don mclean entrepreneurship failure founders music startups

Published in Fun, Startups

9 Comments

New York Isn’t a Startup Ecosystem, It’s a Set of Sector Machines

Friday, 30 January 2026 by Paul O'Brien

With such a substantial and dense population, it’s difficult to say that New York City has a startup ecosystem as though a monolithic slice of the economy and yet, it’s precisely because of New York’s urban density that it’s a leading example of an advanced startup community. New York is a rotating set of sector-specific

economic development ecosystem fintech legaltech new york new york city startups

Published in Regional Development

10 Comments

The Startup Pitch Mistakes That Tell Us You’ll Fail Before You Start

Thursday, 22 January 2026 by Paul O'Brien

A startup pitch is not a sales pitch; no one in the room is buying, we are not your customer and we’re not even deciding whether your idea “will work.” What we’re doing is much simpler and harsher: we’re deciding whether what you’re doing creates enough perceived value to justify our time, reputation, and risk

communication pitch pitches pitching startups

Published in Startups

22 Comments