Cort Johnson has written a provocative blog post called Why Boston Fails Young Entrepreneurs. As someone who has dedicated the last three years to change some of Boston's old habits, I care deeply about this issue. And, the MassTLC Innovation 2010 unConference is designed specifically to address many of the issues Cort brings up -- issues that are not new but luckily they are changing.
From Cort's post:
In Boston, we spend way too much time focusing on how to raise capital and nearly zero time on how to build a business....Boston startup culture focuses on sucking up to the capital/angel community. The investor ends up telling the entrepreneur all the things that they don’t like about their business and why they won’t invest.
This happens, of course, in all fundraising activities. And it is a big way to get de-motivated. I counsel entrepreneurs to figure out how to make real progress on the money they have, even if that's virtually nothing. I believe that once you're helping some people in the way you intend, it changes the equation. Now you're not asking for money, but rather you're showing what you're doing and finding out who's interested.
In the upcoming MassTLC2010 on October 14, the entire conference is designed to have a working feel. It's all about rolling up your sleeves and figuring out how to make stuff happen. We'll have over 100 "volunteer experts" who will have 1-on-1 meetings with over 100 sponsored entrepreneurs who pay $95 (a $250 discount). And the conference will have over 80 sessions on topics that all the attendees create. So I agree with Cort's remedy: focus on getting stuff done instead of fundraising.
Boston startup events feel more formal than a White House black tie dinner. Over the past 18 months I’ve gone to a lot of events. . . a lot. There are two things in common between 90% of them: suits and Sam Adams. Imagine how difficult it is for a young guy to approach a group of ‘buddies’ at one of these events as they sip on their Sam Adams, and chat about their golf game.
This is a typical behavior at any event where little groups form, with or without Sam Adams and with or without suits. My belief is to change the design of the events to avoid this grouping and to avoid the barrier to talking that Cort goes on to describe. It may not seem like a big deal, but at the unConference, you start in a circle. You're looking at everyone else, not at a stage. The event is all about meeting people. And I believe suits will be pretty rare. (We'll add that to the web site!)
This year, we've even added a reception from 4:30 to 6:00 on the beautiful balcony overlooking the waterfront. Sam Adams will probably be there. But I'll bet the vibe will be very different than what Cort has written about.
Our innovation economy is created in a chaotic and haphazard way, and also in ways that are clearly intentional. My hope is that the unConference will move the needle another big chunk this year, as we have in the past two years.
Stay tuned, Cort. Boston is changing. You're part of that. In the last three years, I've seen so much progress. More is coming.
Note: Cort and nine other young entrepreneurs have volunteered to be "connectors" at the event. They learn who's coming, call them in advance, and help make connections at the event. This group was put together before Cort's post, and it will be a great way to address some of the issues he brings up.