Can a startup be successful outside of "tech hub" cities? (SF, NYC, BOS) | Hacker News Reader

Can a startup be successful outside of "tech hub" cities? (SF, NYC, BOS)

4 pointsthrowaway406 comments

Considering a move out of one of these cities and wondering if that spells doom for my dreams of starting a company. Any suggestions/feedback would be appreciated.

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Yes, of course it can. Consider the alternative statement "No startup can succeed outside of (SF,NYC,BOS)." It only takes one counter-example to disprove that statement. Can you find one startup that launched outside of those cities that succeeded? Ok, done.

Now the bigger question "does operating in one of 'those cities' have advantages?" or "is it easier to succeed as a startup in one of 'those cities'?" is a different issue. Certainly there are reasons why so many startups come from certain areas. But if you really are wanting a binary "yes/no" answer to "Can I - at least theoretically - succeed somewhere else" then there's really no question. Yes, it's been done [1] and it's being done.

FWIW, I'll point you to some examples of the kind of stuff that's going on in one area (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/RTP, NC) that's outside of the traditional "tech hub" areas you mention:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2233892

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2233666

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2129698

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2222813

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2116846

http://meetup.com/RTP-Hackers-Founders/

http://www.meetup.com/lsc-rtp

http://southcap.eventbrite.com/

http://eseriesmarch2011.eventbrite.com/

http://www.joysticklabs.com/

http://www.launchboxdigital.com/

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/07/21/590526/american-tobac...

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/business/five-companies-join-a...

http://www.vcic.unc.edu/

And just for a little additional context:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Triangle_(North_Carolina)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_Triangle_Park

[1]: http://www.redhat.com - maybe the best known of the Triangle area startups from over the years.

And NC is just one area that has a lot going for it, outside of Boston, NYC, Bay area... there are plenty of places you can launch a startup, you'll just need to do your research and evaluate the relative merits and advantages and disadvantages of them. One example of a disadvantage frequently cited here in the Triangle NC area is that it's generally considered harder to raise Angel / VC money here than out West or in Boston / NYC. It is possible of course, it's just harder.

Perhaps you've already seen this:

http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/14/can-you-really-build-a-grea...

I am currently investigating two cities away from my home in San Francisco.

Suster makes a good point, there are interesting assets outside of Silicon Valley. And to spin off from one of his own points, about the content industry being centered around Hollywood, I'll just throw this out there:

http://www.essortment.com/film-industry-city-wilmington-nort...

http://www.wilmingtonfilm.com/

http://www.ncfilm.com/

Believe it or not, but NC (Wilmington and Southeast NC in particular) have a thriving film industry. So if you're looking to do something that requires people with skillsets around filming, there's a whole other world here on the East coast that can provide that.

As a Chicago native and presently being at school in Ann Arbor, MI, I can tell you that there are definitely opportunities in other cities.

It would certainly be easier to answer you if you had specific places you were thinking of!

I guess it depends on your definition of "doom". You can start a company anywhere. The "tech hubs" are just places where it has better odds of going big (very, very big).

Why are you considering moving? What are you looking for, either personally or professionally, in a new location? You might get better feedback if folks had a little more to go on.

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