Awesome post. Sure wish some of that easy VC money existed in Canada. But maybe 3 years from now another bubble will pop and Canada will again fail to notice anything happened.
The difference is that it is so cheap to do your own startup that you can do it with or without other people's money. That was not the case 12 years ago.
The second thing is that the rest of the country is in the worst recession in 70 years - if you are not going to put your money in tech, where are you going to put them?
When the recession ends, money will flow out of tech and into the general market, but that is going to take time and is unlikely to be a sudden rush, more of a slow stream.
1.) Price of starting a startup has nothing to do with overvaluation of companies and the corresponding investment into those companies, which defines a bubble. Such as "oh I'm sure that those photo-sharing apps will find a revenue model eventually", etc.
2.) We're in a great depression. Not a run-of-a-mill recession. And "if you are not going to put your money in tech, where are you going to put them?" is precisely what a bubble mentality is.
1) Price has a lot to do with how softly we land. The reason the bubble became as infamous as it did was the aftermath, not so much the bubble.
I am not an economists, but it doesn't seem to be a depression from where I am sitting - people don't walk in thread-bare clothing, nor are there "no help wanted signs".
The rules are changing, its less annoying for American VCs to do business in Canada with the removal of the Section 116 stuff in the most recent budget.
Many VCs and angels will invest outside their geographic area. (For example, I think USV has three investments in Europe now, and a batch on the West Coast.)
Your location isn't an advantage, but if you would benefit from a raise, I wouldn't let that stop you from trying.
oh boy...