StartRev and the Upstate New York Startup Community

Chuck Stormon of the StartFast Venture Accelerator has an awesome post up today on Community. In it, he lists an awesome set of things that have happened in week 9 of the program in and around community building. I love his setup on the big picture:

“Silicon Valley is a special place. It’s entirely futile for Upstate New York to try to be “the next Silicon Valley”. Manhattan is a special place too, and likewise futile to try to replicate. Upstate New York is home to great colleges and universities with over 500,000 students. That is a lot of talent and creativity and that is one of our unique strengths. We also have a passionate, engaged and supportive entrepreneurial community, low cost of living and good quality of life factors, especially for families. This region will never be Silicon Valley or Manhattan, but we can still be a great entrepreneurial community in our own way, with our own strengths and perhaps avoiding some of the weaknesses that SV and Manhattan have.”

Chuck and his colleagues are working hard at making the startup community in Upstate New York expand. They are focused on the specific resources of Upstate New York and building on that, rather than trying to emulate – or become – the next Silicon Valley or New York City. Powerful stuff – worth a read of Chuck’s post Week 9 – Community.