A very valid point! No one can deny that all organizations can claim things like this. There are good and bad parts of them, such as everything in Pittsburgh looking for their seal of approval first - which could lead to a herd mentality for or against a company.
However - I personally know several companies that wouldn't have started sans their investment and efforts. There is a certain "activation energy" with companies that orgs like YC and Ben Franklin (Innovation Works / AlphaLab locally) provide for. This was true for my company.
The "say in PA" part of the program I agree is a bad thing. They should force PA to work to retain companies - not using golden handcuffs... However, all in all, if I was going to spend tax money - I'd rather put it there than into potholes.
However - I personally know several companies that wouldn't have started sans their investment and efforts. There is a certain "activation energy" with companies that orgs like YC and Ben Franklin (Innovation Works / AlphaLab locally) provide for. This was true for my company.
The "say in PA" part of the program I agree is a bad thing. They should force PA to work to retain companies - not using golden handcuffs... However, all in all, if I was going to spend tax money - I'd rather put it there than into potholes.