Building an entrepreneurial ecosystem

  Big Omaha 2009, photo by Malone & Co. A few weeks ago, I wrote a post outlining my thoughts about the “culture of risk” in the Midwest region and how it was starting to make a change for the better. In that post, I referenced a post Sarah Lacy wrote on her blog over a…

1209_BigOmahaCrowd 

Big Omaha 2009, photo by Malone & Co.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post outlining my thoughts about the “culture of risk” in the Midwest region and how it was starting to make a change for the better. In that post, I referenced a post Sarah Lacy wrote on her blog over a year ago, describing her thoughts around what it takes for a region to truly have a culture that supports entrepreneurship and startups.

For those that missed it, here’s a recap:

Every center of innovation needs a cocktail of things:

  • Wild, almost naive ambition
  • Money
  • A culture of risk taking
  • A social scene where Valley-like serendipitous moments can happen. (You know, stuff like: Oh, hey! I haven’t seen you in forever! You’re starting a company? OMG I know an angel investor who’s really into that space! etc)
  • Big companies techies can spin off from
  • Universities

I enjoy these points so much that when I spoke at the Pape Ventures Conference in September, I structured my entire talk around describing each of these bullet points, how I felt they applied to Omaha, and more specifically, how Silicon Prairie News can help move the needle with regards to each of them.

In the coming weeks I will continue this series, taking each of these points and digging in a little deeper. Until then, I encourage you to watch the video and leave comments with any thoughts you might have about each of the above points.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

Get the latest news and events from Nebraska’s entrepreneurship and innovation community delivered straight to your inbox every Wednesday.