Big Omaha 2009, photo by Malone & Co.
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post outlining my thoughts about the “culture of risk” in the Midwest region and how it was starting to make a change for the better. In that post, I referenced a post Sarah Lacy wrote on her blog over a year ago, describing her thoughts around what it takes for a region to truly have a culture that supports entrepreneurship and startups.
For those that missed it, here’s a recap:
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Every center of innovation needs a cocktail of things:
- Wild, almost naive ambition
- Money
- A culture of risk taking
- A social scene where Valley-like serendipitous moments can happen. (You know, stuff like: Oh, hey! I haven’t seen you in forever! You’re starting a company? OMG I know an angel investor who’s really into that space! etc)
- Big companies techies can spin off from
- Universities
I enjoy these points so much that when I spoke at the Pape Ventures Conference in September, I structured my entire talk around describing each of these bullet points, how I felt they applied to Omaha, and more specifically, how Silicon Prairie News can help move the needle with regards to each of them.
In the coming weeks I will continue this series, taking each of these points and digging in a little deeper. Until then, I encourage you to watch the video and leave comments with any thoughts you might have about each of the above points.
