[7Figures2Commas]

I know people who lived here when Silicon Valley still had orchards and whose parents were employed by some of the early companies. Silicon Valley's history, however, has little relevance to the discussion at hand.

You seem absolutely convinced that entrepreneurs can't build successful companies without a certain kind of "ecosystem" in their city. It's simply not true, but please don't take my word for it.

If and when you leave Houston and come to an area with a great ecosystem, like the Bay Area, you'll soon discover that despite the ecosystem, there are tons of entrepreneurs and wantrapreneurs who aren't any better off. The only difference might be that instead of the excuses you've provided ("there's no ecosystem", "the investors don't invest in tech") you'll hear a different set of excuses ("I can't find a co-founder", "YC rejected me for the fifth time", "the VCs won't invest in my company").

[ryanmarsh]

You are projecting. I am under no such illusion. I've lived and worked in the Bay Area at startups and in Houston, Austin, and Chicago at startups. I'm not saying the ecosystem is the constraint on entrepreneurial success. I'm saying there's something that would attract TechStars and Houston is missing it. My guess is community. I assert that ecosystem helps more than you appreciate.