Is it government programs? A big company growing or coming here and attracting others, or just attracting top talent? Incubators?
I was hoping to see a discussion on that topic so any links are also appreciated.
Relative to change in your city--
Focus first on finding new customers for your locally based companies. The customers themselves don't need to be local, they could be anywhere.
> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12596785-the-coming-jobs...
1. Successful companies in the area, especially ones which started as venture backed startups or pay really well. Many new startups are founded by people who got paid a lot of money in their tech company careers, and many of them seem to be backed by entrepreneurs who made it big in the past.
Also shows those wanting to start one that there's success to be had in such a venture.
2. Lots of 'easy' money going around for new companies. This is one major reason it's much easier to do well with a startup in the US (especially Silicon Valley) compared to Europe; the former has people willing to spend millions on a moonshot that's unlikely to go anywhere. The latter won't back it, and will miss out on the next Google/Facebook/Uber/Netflix/whatever because it's 'too risky'.
Also, when I mean lots of money, I mean lots of it too. Note how much your average US startup seems to get from VCs, then compare to how much your average European one gets. You need a lot of cash to get the best engineers/designers/whatever involved. $50,000 funding probably won't cut it.
3. Access to good education nearby. Not quite nerds as Paul Graham says, since I feel it's more those in university who are best placed to get involved in startups. They've got a lot of time, no real commitments, a bunch of other smart people nearby in a similar situation, and enough oddball ideas to turn into businesses. Actually, when I think about it, universities seem like the best place/time for a lot of young people to get involved in a lot of crazy ideas for the same reason; note how many YouTubers and internet celebs got started in college too.
Oh, and maybe a cultural attitude that treats being an entrepreneur as something to be respected, and building a company as a good life goal to have. Way too many places still have this idea of 'success' as 'get a job, work up through the ranks, get married with two kids and a dog and live in the suburbs somewhere'
Three examples:
1. Skype excited people in Estonia towards startup culture.
2. Warby Parker inspired a lot of fellow graduates from Wharton ( I think ) to follow similar pursuit.
3. In many ways Flipkart created a lot of buzz towards startup culture in India. Similarly, Zoho had a lot of hand in making Chennai, "the SaaS capital" of India.
A successful startup compounds the number of startups around the location. Many early employees start their companies after successful exits.
My 2 cents.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21165161
I think the creation of a startup ecosystem requires doing many things, including most of what you've just mentioned. In the case of Malaysia, many people are naturally skeptical, since the government doesn't have a good track record, c.f. the 1MDB scandal. I hope the government(s) you have to deal with is/are better than that.
On the other hand, governments are facing what Clifton calls a "jobs war" (see JSeymourATL's recommendation: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21180883), and many governments have programs that gives grants to small businesses. It's seen as an effort by governments to create jobs, so if you frame the creation of a startup ecosystem that way, you're more likely to create buy-in from the government.