-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA512 Right after the "startup ubiquity" [1], Paul gives us today an article about startup hubs in US [2]. The first one already had stated that startups should be in or near hubs, not incubators, which is quite different.
This is a recurrent talk that Celso and I have since we've started 7Syntax. We have a global project, we're from Portugal and capital (and also innovation) happens elsewhere. Also, one of the things that's on our agenda is the people advantage, where we think that people should meet and gather more often, to foster ideias and talent. Remember how OpenCoffeLisbon died ? Everyone's so busy they forget that 'hubbing' is a face-to-face process and not only living next to some new and fresh startup. So, where's the startup hubs in Portugal ? ... Here the people tend to think that they should support and provide low office space, with low rents, in distant places (TagusPark anyone?) and wait to startups rise... They call it incubators, but nowadays they're only offices for successful companies (TecMaia anyone?) and not the hubs that Paul talks about. His hubs are places where startups are close to each other, where they foster and attract talent, where people benefit from another, where's a real infrastructure underneath (not ISDN lines like in some incubators today), where venture capital is near and listening.... which brings me to the portuguese VC panorama, but that's for another time! This is kinda stupid, but the more I look to Portugal, the better I think that I should move to some (real) European startup hub. How could we change that ? Well, there's the co-working situation. It's easy to rent a big place and put them some developers and small startups, creating small hubs and multiply them in more cities. I've put this to test, when in the prt.sc mailing list brought the subject and asked if this place existed, how many would move and start there ? Close to zero, was the answer. But, we're portuguese, let's face it. I've went that way many times and every time I thought of it, more problems arise: competition problems, space fight, rents not payed on time, etc. Maybe I can convince some money guys to put this in practice - if you've got any contact, feel free to introduce me :) The other solution is by starting a real hub, just like the ones created by Y! and a lot of other US VC companies, but there's the VC panorama again ... and no, I don't think that this should be a government initiative. Until then, let's face it, pack your stuff and go to a north European city, where people are risk given, talented and where money is. [1] - http://www.paulgraham.com/webstartups.html [2] - http://www.paulgraham.com/startuphubs.html - -- //VD -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.5 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFHDVf5zLeQsaqPtNIRCs2bAJ92Gse/vEd4KdS+B+jtra+Uz1+vVgCbB3nE MDaNq7ig45Y6sJmtUNnI9cw= =gSP5 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- _______________________________________________ tce mailing list tce@lists.paradigma.pt http://lists.paradigma.pt/mailman/listinfo/tce
