Why it’s smart to start a startup in… Boston
March 24, 2010
Earlier this week, I discussed some of the benefits of starting a company in Los Angeles, sparked by my work with Central Desktop, and an article I found on FastCompany.com written by Laura Rich. Rich’s article was part of a series highlighting several entrepreneurial hubs around the country, and part four of her series discussed the benefits of starting a company in Boston.
As a recruiter at a Boston Venture Capital firm, this part of her series in particular stuck out to me. Boston is the second largest center of venture capital in the world after Silicon Valley, and the number one per capita.Prior to the internet-era of tech startups, Boston had many early successes with hardware giants such as Digital Equipment Corp., EMC, and Honeywell, respectively, but it seemed that the city’s startup community had faded once internet startups began cropping up in the Valley. Since becoming an incubator for internet hits such as Facebook, Akamai and TripAdvisor, Boston is once again bustling with activity. Given Boston’s abundance of venture capital firms and angel investors, and the fact that the city is surrounded by some of the most prestigious universities in the world, it is no surprise that Boston has become home to a large, successful startup community.
Several of OpenView’s portfolio companies have either started in or moved to the Boston area, including Intronis Technologies, Zmags, Open-E, and Acronis.
Why do you think Boston has become a global venture capital hub and the home of numerous expansion stage companies?