One Hand Clapping -- Entrepreneurship in Ann Arbor, Michigan | Hacker News Reader

One Hand Clapping -- Entrepreneurship in Ann Arbor, Michigan

steveblank.com

17 pointsterrisv12 comments

I understand the point that the writer makes but I don't understand the negativity of the point of view.

Yes, from what he writes, there are holes in the entrepreneurial environment in Ann Arbor. Members of that community must realize that or they wouldn't be bringing in people from outside.

What I don't get is how after accepting payment to be an asset in helping fill those holes he turns around and hits them with such a condescending post.

If you're being paid to be part of the solution then be part of the solution. If for no other reason then throwing your clients under the bus has a way of limiting future engagements.

In what way was he condescending? To me it sounds like the area could use a higher quantity of and more experienced seed/venture funding.

I didn't read it as condescending, but rather there is a lot of potential and here is what needs fixing.

I heard Blank speak 3 times while he was in Ann Arbor and went to his office hours. Time and time again he made the point that the opportunity here is huge. I think he wants to make it clear that everything that is needed is here, except for risk capital. "Getting a few experienced super-angels and/or VC’s seeding 5-10 Lean Startup deals here a year, with a couple of Cleantech/energy deals as well, could kickstart the culture." There are a lot of active student startups[1], but more funding opportunities could provide a huge boost to the ecosystem here.

[1]: http://cfe.umich.edu/techarb/

"Accepting payment..." "If you're being paid to be part of the solution then be part of the solution." Funny. That's why most consultants tell the clients what they want to hear.

If I took money for this I'd have lie as well.

> Members of that community must realize that or they wouldn't be bringing in people from outside.

Interestingly enough, SPARK is sponsoring an event tonight in Boston, trying to convince U of M alumni to move back to Ann Arbor. I think that shows a lot of initiative.

_________________________

Here's the event promo:

Exciting new technologies are emerging, venture capital is flowing, big names are arriving, and promising new businesses are beginning. And life? It’s even better than you remember it. If you need a place to breathe again, a place to live again, a place to call home again…opportunity is knocking. And it’s pure Michigan.

Join UM alumni and Michigan economic development organizations us for a networking reception and the opportunity to learn about Michigan’s thriving IT & Life Science sectors. On the fence about returning? This is your opportunity to connect with employers and other professionals who want you back.

Speakers include; Dr. Andrew Chu Vice President of Marketing, A123 Systems www.a123systems.com and Sara Curtis Director of Product Management, Llamasoft www.llamasoft.com .

As someone that is very active in the tech community here in Ann Arbor, I can verify his claims. Ann Arbor (and south east Michigan as a whole) is not lacking in extremely talented programmers, engineers, researchers, and other potential startup candidates. Many of these people are incredibly passionate and knowledgable about their fields.

However-there is almost a complete lack of startup funding. If someone graduates from UofM and wants to launch a biomedical startup there is some money to be had, but if you want to launch the next hot computer startup you're out in the cold. There's next to no VC money and very little support for a just starting company. Ann Arbor SPARK is there to offer some support, but more certainly could be done.

I would love to answer anyone's questions about what's happening around the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor, from a student's perspective!

I lead a project in MPowered, the student entrepreneurship org here at UM, I study CS in the College of Engineering, am a regular A2NewTech attendee, and am generally pretty familiar with the ecosystem here.

The auto industry provides a further handicap to startups in Southeast Michigan. Former auto company staff are everywhere, so their fucked up culture seeps into every company and organization.

I can't really agree with you here. While there are many ex-Ford/GM/Chrsyler/Visteon/etc guys out and about, many of them are running their own quite successful businesses outside of the Big-3. I'm not saying they're all out of the auto business, but they're running their own small companies and generating serious revenue.

Regional graphs of venture capital for q4 2010, looks like there are worse places to be than Michigan, but silicon valley it is not.

https://www.pwcmoneytree.com/MTPublic/ns/nav.jsp?page=region

More comments: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2419884

Reply on news.ycombinator.com