[jckarter]

Not everywhere needs to become Silicon Valley. IT is well-trodden ground with established players and power centers now. Smaller cities like Portland would do better promoting emerging industries than trying to catch up to the web startup bus 15 years after it left the station.

[dariusmonsef]

I don't think everywhere needs to be SV. But, I do think that the power centers are less important in the web space. Web ideas can be built, launched and highly successful in very short periods of time. When that is possible, the actual location of the startup is less important... so long as they have a great community to support them. NYC is catching up to SF. Chicago / Austin / Boulder are having success growing great startup communities.

I'd just like to see Portland's scene improved.

And RE "Smaller cities like Portland would do better promoting emerging industries than trying to catch up to the web startup bus 15 years after it left the station."

It may have left 15 years ago, but if you run your ass off, you can still catch it.

[jordanlev]

You say you want to see Portland's scene improve, but I might suggest what you are really asking for is Portland's scene to change. I am a web developer here in Portland (been here for 10 years, love it). I do freelancing and don't run a startup, so obviously we're in different situations, but in my opinion what makes Portland Portland is its ease of living -- cheap rent, good cheap food, low traffic, mild climate, and most importantly: an utter lack of ambition. I grew up in the NYC area, and the difference is striking (it's subtle, but very pervasive) -- people just don't really care that much about achieving extraordinary things. And I don't mean this in a bad way at all -- I don't think there's anything intrinsically good or bad about being super ambitious, it's just a choice that we all make for our own goals and personalities. So it makes a lot of sense to me that Portland doesn't have a startup culture anything like S.V. -- and I feel that if it did, it would cease to be Portland.

BTW, this is coming from a place of respectful discussion and sharing of opinions -- I work downtown, if you ever want to meet up for coffee and discuss more, that would be fun (contact info in my profile).

[dariusmonsef]

I definitely want a part of Portland's scene to change... Not the entire scene. I too love Portland for "cheap rent, good cheap food, low traffic, mild climate..." But I'm ambitious and have friends are as well. I realize that this isn't the main attitude (and I'm agreeing that being one way or the other isn't good / bad.) that Portland has. What I want is a better community for those in the web startup scene to be better supported to try and change the world.

Always happy to discuss. I'm in Portland every month or so. And I love coffee.

[noahc]

SV is a special place that combines all sorts of things: talent, capital, ideas, culture. Most places lack one or two of these things. For example, where I live I'd say all but the ideas are lacking. The point is that Portland could be the biotech, health care systems, green energy, transportation,etc powerhouse with capital. The lack of capital effects all industries equally.

[dariusmonsef]

For the sake of conversation I might say that you can replace "Portland" with any city in the US. As I mentioned in the post (A Startup Community Needs 4 Things: Ideas, Talent, Ambition, and Capital.) You can probably find greater and lesser amounts of each in any city. And like Portland, most will be shortest on the Capital. But the capital world is changing and I think there will be more opportunities for startups to get off the ground wherever they are based.