

Why did Joystick Labs (accelerator program for gaming companies) choose RTP, NC? - kacy
http://www.joysticklabs.com/news/why-durham-nc

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mindcrime
I'm glad they're here, but I'm not sure about this whole "RTP is the
entrepreneurial and VC hub of the southeast" bit. I've been here a long time,
and the thing I hear constantly is that this area is notorious for lacking
available funding. When you look at the well educated workforce, the presence
of UNC, Duke, NCSU, etc., and the presence of all those IBM, Cisco, EMC, etc.
employees, you would _think_ this area would be more of a startup hub than it
is. And when you ask people why it isn't funding is always one of the first
answers you here.

That said, the emergence of the lean startup model may just be the best thing
for this area. When people can routinely launch startups without _needing_ a
large infusion of cash, the availability - or not - of VC money will be less
important.

And I think we're already starting to see progress in that regard. The RTP New
Tech meeting was VERY well attended last night, and there were a lot of people
there who were involved in startups, or interested in startups, etc. Same of
for the Lean Startup Circle RTP meetings, and (so far) the RTP Hackers &
Founders group. The new flexible leasing space that the American Tobacco
Campus guys are rolling out should be a big boon as well.

