POPSignal maintains a LinkedIn group, where recently a POPSignal member, Adam Marchick of Bain Capital Ventures, posted a very interesting, and thought provoking question of “Is Boston Short Angels, Or Good Companies?” The result was a flurry of insightful responses from some of the best Boston entrepreneurs, angels, and vc’s.
The thread contained great information that we felt would benefit the broader Boston startup community, so with permission from all contributors, we have formed the following blog post to summarize some common themes and conclusions and the full thread itself. Please continue to contribute to the thread in the comments.
Common Themes
The full thread is posted below, but is a little lengthy so here are the primary bullet points of the discussion. If you have the time I highly encourage you to read it in its entirety.
- This Problem Is Cyclical
- There seem to be two funding gaps in Boston.
The $25K – $50K range, and the $250K – $750K range. - Volume Is A Critical Factor
- While Angel money is one problem, there are many other contributing issues.
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a. A solid base of accessible modern mentors that understand new software startups
b. Involving the massive base of Boston’s university students earlier in their education.
c. Creating a culture of open entrepreneurship, where people don’t wall themselves into just their immediate network.
d. Connecting and finding great co-founders. - Despite the issues, positive things are happening.
Over the past 1 – 2 years a lot of very positive grass root initiatives have been formed to help the startup scene in Boston. Betahouse, POPSignal, MassChallenge, DART Boston, Startup Leadership, TechStars, Dogpatch Labs, are just a few.
Full Thread
Some comments have been edited or deleted at the request of the contributor.
