12. VENTURE CAPITAL IN
BOULDER
$311 million in Q1, 2008
Population 125,000 (if you count the
25,000 students at The University of
Colorado)
That’s about $2,500 of available
venture capital person person, per
quarter.
13. VENTURE CAPITAL IN
TORONTO
$130 million in Q1, 2008
Population 5.5M (really 13M)
That’s about $23 of available venture
capital person person, per quarter.
53. PROGRESS
2 summers completed = 20 companies
1 defunct
2 positive exits (Socialthing, Intense Debate)
13 companies angel or VC funded
Under $600k invested in 2 years of the program -
positive ROI.
54. BENEFITS
About 40 jobs in Colorado created (and probably
about 40 more elsewhere)
AOL office opening in Boulder post Socialthing
acquisition.
9 of the 20 companies have stayed in Boulder
permanently.
Notoriety for Boulder as a “startup town” brings
more stuff to town.
55. LESSONS
Don’t focus on VC. Focus on your product and your
customers - you’ll be fine.
Your community can be more powerful than you
imagine if it works together.
Promote your community (blogging, speaking, etc)
when you promote your company.
Mentorship is the scarce resource that matters.
Surround yourself with the best.
