Comments on: GoLife Mobile: Chatting with James Whitley, CEO (Part 2)

By: James

James — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:55:41 +0000

Sam – Did you say happy hour?

By: tech comm grrl

tech comm grrl — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 06:48:29 +0000

… in an era of global warming, even? ;-)

Ok… on topic – funding folk are real scrutinizing about financials (including location, location, location) as well as product potentials, et al.

at what point does developing mainly to attract funding justify sacrifing the husbandry of the venue? is pdx/ore. even capable germinating results viable in the environment? are we some sort of hothouse where the orchids MUST be harbored, and the daisies only get sprouted to proliferate everywhere, but elsewhere?

now, you might want to sand the splinters out of that editorial whipping post in preparation for me to cuddle up real close to it.

seems that, except for the very rare instance (of which i am unable to to even bring to mind an example)start-ups that make it and stay are grafted to huh-yooge successes of bamboo stands, whose truly big-money operations and capital investments occur elsewhere (geographically speaking) even if their offices are here. if this hypothesis holds water, and you follow the runner from this plant of an idea, does anyone see a reason why the bay areas’own stays in the bay area, and pdx/ore. start-ups, once capitalized enough hire firms, reach beyond the garden wall? that garden wall being the boundries of the great state of Orygun.

call me a glam-free whipped hick and all, but following the money often is like following a watershed.

By: Jeff the Great

Jeff the Great — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 06:33:48 +0000

getting confused by the above comments? Are the constructive? I’m still not sure….

By: Rick Turoczy

Rick Turoczy — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 04:54:50 +0000

Perhaps we should just let that thaw occur naturally? Instead of attempting to hasten it with repeated, completely off-topic flames?

By: tech comm grrl

tech comm grrl — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 04:45:52 +0000

Sam,

If I could get interviews w/ the NY folks on what sort of packages they were offered to UHaul across country(ie were they offered as pretty a bouquet the folks later courted to come to PDX) I would be tempted to take you up on that offer. As it is, I am still trying to thaw my coma from exposure to that brain-freeze PPT presentation . And besides, how could I possibley hope to glam up next to the Stepford Wives of Silicon?

By: Bill Winett

Bill Winett — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 03:22:52 +0000

Another reason why we don’t see the growth here – it seems every time a company does well here, it gets acquired from outside the area. In contrast, in the Bay Area for example, the startups are acquired by companies in the Bay Area. So the Bay Area continues to grow.

By: Sam Lawrence

Sam Lawrence — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:16:52 +0000

@tech comm grrl- LOL. That’s a crazy interpretation of our history. :) It’s too bad you heard it that way. We invited all our NY folks to come to Portland. They had to make the choice for themselves. And we’re a huge evangelist for Portland and Portland talent.

Come by a happy hour on any Friday and check it out for yourself. :)

By: Lisa

Lisa — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:55:56 +0000

Thanks Rick for this great story. I agree with Whitley that we do have a wealth of talent — some of which is home grown and other that is “imported” from those large markets east and south.

So if our talent pool is so rich, then why do Portland start ups continually hire firms outside of the area? What do we need to do to get our start up community to hire local?

By: tech comm grrl

tech comm grrl — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:55:07 +0000

Take me to the editorial whipping post if mistaken, but did not Jive’s founders state at Startupalooza that the 1)they dumped their NY-based employees, 2) hauled to PDX for the cost-savings, and then 3) proceeded to import talent from outside pdx, using its draw of natural beauty, low cost of living, etc, rather than utilizing its organically-grown, existing talent? Oh, so very reminiscent of nutrient-sapping silicon robber barons of our not-so-distant past.