Building a successful startup hub in most cities is extremely difficult. That certifiable, go-to “hero” as mentioned in the article just doesn’t exist in most places. In fact, if our standard of hero is Ron Conway or Fred Wilson, the rest of the country is screwed.

Being based in Cleveland right now, I have met scores of people who are very enthusiastic about building a startup community. However, everyone I’ve met in Cleveland is new to the game with only one or two startups under their belt. The vast majority of startups are extremely early stage, and I could list the number of strong, successful technology startups on one hand. There is nobody who could step up to become a hero, as that level of experience just simply isn’t here.

I believe that there is strength in numbers, however. A real sense of ownership in the direction of the city is starting to take place with the entrepreneurs in Northeast Ohio, mostly centered around the programming meetup groups. This grassroots-style startup culture takes time and is not as flashy as a big name hero, but it’s a start.