Entrepreneurism and Community
Last night I attended an event at the Boise watercool to hear David Cohen (Founder and CEO of Techstars) and Mark Solon from Highway 12 Ventures. Although the talk Techstars and the program, the underlying message was about entrepreneurism, community and the tight connection between the two. It was about why and how a city like Boulder CO with a population of 100,000 is now considered a top 10 destination for startups. Its not just marketing - its a 4 part recipe that is made up of pride + action + community support + results. Its not about patents per capita - its about an ecosystem and a support/mentoring network that stimulates creativity and helps startups succeed. Its about a community that rally's around its 'starters' and shouts out to the world their success's. Its about going beyond the idea to smart execution that pivots to find a real business that works, and hence grows the ecosystem. So once the clapping and ra-ra excitiment dies down after an event like this, its time to get down to the real work of 'doing' and making Boise the startup community that everyone wants it to be.
