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“I’ll See It When I Believe It,” Entrepreneurs and Startup Investors Put Conviction Before Cash Flow

Thursday, 11 September 2025 by Paul O'Brien

That tired phrase has been responsible for more missed fortunes than bad timing or bad luck. It’s the refrain of cautious uncles, small-town bankers, and risk-averse executives who prefer their innovation the way they prefer their wine: aged, tested, bottled, and priced at a predictable markup. But in the world of entrepreneurship, that order of

Published in Insights / Research, Raising Capital

20 Comments

Using Event Sites and Social Media to Grow Attendance and Registration

Monday, 08 September 2025 by Paul O'Brien

You’re hosting a startup event coming up, maybe a Founder Institute session or a local startup pitch night. You know it matters, you know it should be crowded, and you’ve sent out the obligatory newsletter to your mailing list. And now? Crickets. Here’s the reality of how the internet works: your audience didn’t even see

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Published in Social Media, Startup Ecosystems

6 Comments

How Hard Tech History Fuels Entrepreneurship – Austin’s Story

Wednesday, 03 September 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Amidst what seems to be a boom of chips in Central Texas, I want to share with everyone, everywhere, how the hard tech of Texas isn’t a result of a recent pivot, there is a history to study in how it grew up around Austin, a history from which we can learn how to build

austin deep tech economic development ecosystem ecosystem building entrepreneurship hard tech innovation startups texas

Published in Regional Development

29 Comments

Bootstrap or Raise Capital: How to Decide What’s Right for Your Startup

Monday, 01 September 2025 by Paul O'Brien

If you’re like me, it might have been Labor Day in the U.S., and it was a beautiful one here in Austin, not putting in any work is more or less impossible; besides, entrepreneurs throughout the world were working and so with the focus on work, I couldn’t help but put thought to this frequently

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Published in Raising Capital, Startups

29 Comments

Surfing Idaho’s Startup Wave: Boise’s Rise

Thursday, 28 August 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Of course, if you’re like me, when you think of Idaho the first thing that comes to mind is surfing. Sure, you might be thinking, “um… Hawaii? California?” and you’d be right too but if we’re being frank, we entrepreneurial types are a little odd and my mind thinks Idaho. What drives innovation and supports

boise boise state economic development idaho policy startups

Published in Regional Development

16 Comments

The Missing Infrastructure of Entrepreneurship: A Policy Guide for Cities and States

Tuesday, 26 August 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Governments keep insisting they’re “supporting entrepreneurship,” yet the tools they fund are usually the bureaucratic equivalent of a pep rally: innovation hubs with free Wi-Fi, pitch competitions, and motivational speakers who read the same three startup books as everyone else. These things create the appearance of activity but deliver outcomes only for the handful of

economic development ecosytems entrepreneurship government innovation public policy startups

Published in Economic Development, Startups

48 Comments

Innovation Lessons from Quantum Leap, Doctor Who, and Star Trek: Why Every Startup Needs Its CEO, CTO, and CMO

Monday, 25 August 2025 by Paul O'Brien

As someone who grew up on MacGyver inventing solutions from chewing gum wrappers and paperclips, I’m ashamed I never put thought to my second favorite hero of the week, Sam Beckett. I’m a huge fan of what pop culture teaches and inspires in future entrepreneurs because like startups, innovation is never the clean, linear story

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Published in Startups

13 Comments