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http://www.bizjournals.com/masshightech/stories/2007/04/30/story16.html

by Sam_Odio • 19 years ago

14 9 19 years ago

Intriguing comment by pg about New England investors lacking confidence. Anyone venture a guess to why, and how this will change (or not) in the next 18 months?

Culture is obviously important. If NE is conservative, there are other proclaimed tech "hotspots" that are ultra conservative when it comes to web business.

aston• 19 years ago

The recent trend seems to be that SFP kids live and work in Cambridge for the summer, then move out to the valley right after the program's done.

If Cambridge/Boston investors aren't helping folks take their ideas to the next level, why do the program on the east coast at all? Mountain View's got nice weather year-round.

create_account• 19 years ago

That's exactly what I thought, too.

If Graham really feels that way about the East Coast investors (and especially if he says so publically), he might as well make California the permanent YC home.

jmw• 19 years ago

Boston's still number 2 (behind silicon valley) in most recommendations of places to start a startup (in terms of available capital, nerds/smart people, and proximity to other growing businesses).

Another part of the argument goes along the lines of: The YC Founders program is a 3 month intense program where the objective is to build as much of something people want during those 3 months while avoiding distractions of the real world.

In my own experience, unless you have a lot of friends in the Boston/Cambridge area - it's a lot easier to whole up down in Central/Harvard Square in Cambridge - than it is anywhere in San Fran or Palo Alto. There's just too much to do in the bay area (startup related networking / yc folks to chill with...etc).

falsestprophet• 19 years ago

I am somewhat suspicious that Xobni has no value to offer. Their evasive website recalls Mr. Graham's (or some other entrepreneurial evangelist's) insistence that if a company cannot tell you what they do in a sentence, they should go home. I agree that business targeted towards the masses (note that Xobni seems to only support Microsoft products at present) must have an easily understood purpose. What purpose does Xobin they serve?

In the entire length of their website, they do not explain what they do. They certainly don't in a single sentence. Perhaps, the magnitude and source of their investment suggests they are on to something. But, what explanation they have reeks of charlatanism in platitudinous corporate doublespeak: "in-depth analysis" that "takes email productivity to a new level." Please. This of course raises the questions what do they analyze? And how do they improve productivity? Either they have something to hide or nothing to offer.

Recall that Mr. Graham insists that there are no ideas worth protecting with secrecy; either Xobin disagrees (actually I do as well) or they have no good ideas at all.

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