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• Why you SHOULDN’T start a tech company in Silicon Valley

  There’s been a bit of back and forth on what the best place to start a technology company is these days. The conventional wisdom these days is that the place to start and run a technology company is Silicon Valley. The key reasons put forth to justify this is money, talent, and expertise. If you’re initially choosing where to move and start a company, Silicon Valley seems to be the right choice based on the confluence of these factors – but I would argue that in some cases these advantages are not that strong and there are just as good reasons to start it elsewhere. Money Most of the time when people are talking about money in the context of startups, they’re talking about access to capital, particularly in the early stages of a company. Menlo Park has perhaps the highest concentration of VCs around, at least those focused on technology companies, but for the most part they don’t limit investments based on geography. Sequioa says it is "helpful" if... Posted Jul 08 2008, 09:00 AM by Tim with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: Rants, Business, Entrepreneurship, NYC, Startup, Venture Capital, NextNY, Notches

• Why Notches isn't "Anti-Stealth"

  There's been a lot of discussion about being anti-stealth . A stealth startup is one that isn't telling anyone what they're building and being very protective about the idea. Anti-stealth is the polar opposite - broadcasting everything, from your long-term vision, project status, and even financials. Anti-stealth is, in its purest form, about complete transparency in the business. Being "stealth mode" was in part about protecting the idea, but also gives the impression that the idea itself is revolutionary. In a sense, it's At one point this might have worked, but we realized more and more that many of these companies in "stealth mode" had average ideas at best. Being "anti-stealth" has its own pros and cons. The real value in broadcasting your message is that you'll get feedback and opportunities that would otherwise go undiscovered, as Charlie discovered . There are many benefits I can see being completely transparent. Of course, you actually... Posted Nov 26 2007, 11:08 AM by Tim with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: Intellectual Property, Business, Entrepreneurship, NYC, Startup, NextNY, Notches

• Interested in working at a startup? Come to MatchupCamp

  Next week, nextNY and For Your Imagination are hosting the first MatchupCamp . MatchupCamp – matchmaking for startups – is all about startup networking, creating a place for ideas and talent to meet. There are many events matching professional services to startups – this one will focus on those looking to get their hands dirty and build something new. MatchupCamp has the sole objective of bringing together people looking to start, expend, or join a startup in New York (and the tri-state area). Corey and I will be there and we'd love to chat about Notches with any interested developers or designers. Either way, if you're feeling the itch to work at a startup, come by next Wed and see what others in the NYC area are up to. Event Details : When : Wed, Nov 28, 2007, 7-9pm Where : For Your Imagination, 22 West 27th Street, 6th Floor Posted Nov 21 2007, 10:50 AM by Tim with | with no comments Filed under: Entrepreneurship, Events, NYC, Startup, NextNY, Notches

• Exploring the Startup Culture in NYC

  On the nextNY mailing list , there has been a great discussion about the NYC startup culture, what (if anything) is broken, and how to fix it. Google making NYC its second home is a good start (though I'd like to point out that 14th St and 8th Ave isn't exactly "the heart of Chelsea"). One of the recurring themes in that discussion was that we need an "anchor": once things get going, the ecosystem will feed itself, but until that point we need someone like Google to be the base. "Google's perceived less as a threat in New York -- one that might hire away top talent from surrounding companies -- than as a catalyst of good things to come." Cost is obviously an issue. The NYSIA gave cost in NYC a C- for cost, and some suggest that we are becoming "a trustafarian resort-town" . Office space (can be) expensive, but there are alternatives. It should come as no surprise that many startups are moving to DUMBO and Williamsburg which are (slightly... Posted Feb 28 2007, 01:18 PM by Tim with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Entrepreneurship, Events, NYC, Startup, NextNY, Notches