

How to Create a Tech Start-Up Scene – Pittsburgh's success provides clues - petethomas
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/12/how-to-create-a-tech-start-up-scene-if-youre-not-in-silicon-valley/384024/?single_page=true

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codingdave
In my mind, there is a difference between a tech scene and a startup scene. To
me, where I live near Provo, UT is a tech scene. Almost everyone under 40
works for a tech company, some large ones like Adobe or Novell, and many small
companies. Most of the small companies are stable. We are not high growth, we
are solid small companies making a few million a year for a small group of
employees, and have been around for more than 5 or even 10 years. We are not
full of VCs. We are full of smart entrepreneurs who quietly work hard and make
good livings. We do have a local university, which routinely graduates new
people starting new companies.

To me, that is a tech scene.

I see no way that VCs and rapid growth / rapid failing companies would be
better than this for the local community. If people want that scene, SV has
it, and seems to enjoy it. Fine, more power to y'all. I just see no reason to
try to reproduce it.

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wallflower
Despite the efforts of many a civic leader or politician to create their own
'Silicon' whatever, I would argue that Pittsburgh's success proves that you
cannot create a tech start-up scene (at least one that centers around non-
trivial technology like canine robots). As the article illustrates point by
point, a world-class research university (or more than one), is the keystone.

You can't simply throw hundreds of millions to create a world-class research
university.

"Meanwhile, other wealthy city states such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Qatar,
which have invested huge sums in luring prestigious Western universities to
their shores, have conspicuously failed to make the same impact on the global
research stage."

[http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/features/no-sleep-
for-...](http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/features/no-sleep-for-
singapores-universities/2009064.article)

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melling
Duolingo is out of Pittsburgh.

[http://www.fastcompany.com/3038459/elasticity/dulingos-
new-m...](http://www.fastcompany.com/3038459/elasticity/dulingos-new-mission-
watching-you-learn)

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smussmann
That article only mentions Pittsburgh once, to say that that's where Duolingo
is based.

I searched and couldn't find articles about Duolingo moving out of Pittsburgh,
although they did recently move to a bigger office in Pittsburgh:
[http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/blog/innovation/2013/0...](http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/blog/innovation/2013/05/duolingo-
launching-on-android-signing.html?page=all)

~~~
melling
out of meaning 'from'...sorry about that.

