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Can You Start a Technology Company Outside of Silicon Valley?

时间:2016-12-12 23:29:04

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You might think the only place to set up a technology company in the United States is California.

After all, Northern California has Silicon1 Valley, which is home to companies like Apple and Google.

One expert on new business agrees Silicon Valley is a great place to launch a tech company. But he wonders if someone with a great idea cannot move there, does that person have a chance to be successful?

Scott Shane is a professor of economics at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He teaches classes on starting up a tech company and makes small investments in new businesses.

Shane says a place like Palo Alto, California has many desirable qualities compared to a city in another area.

First, a high-tech3 company in Palo Alto will have an easier time finding people experienced in writing complex computer programs. He adds that the company also will have an easy time finding investors4. The most difficult decision will be deciding which investors to work with.

“The biggest pro2 for entrepreneurship in a place like Silicon Valley or San Francisco is the density5 of the activity. So if you are looking for a seed-stage investment, literally6 you would trip over tens of seed-stage venture capitalists on your way to get a coffee in San Francisco...”

Shane says the San Francisco area may have as many as 1,000 venture capitalists. They take money from investors and use it to help finance new businesses.

He says there may be only three or four venture capitalists in some major cities, such as Cleveland; Detroit, Michigan; Omaha, Nebraska; and Madison, Wisconsin.

But, Shane says, new companies in a place like Omaha are better at some things than businesses in California. For example, companies in Omaha spend less money for office space and on paying workers. That means a new company does not have to worry about running out of money before it perfects its product.

In California, office space can be costly7, with workers demanding high pay. People interested in opening a technology business do not have a lot of time to perfect their product. Investors who want to earn a profit on their money sometimes push new companies into bringing out a product before it is ready.

In Detroit, businesses can take a little more time getting started before looking for outside investment. Shane says such companies can be good targets for investors because they have already faced some of the difficulties common to new businesses.

VOA spoke8 with officials at two start-up companies: CityInsight, based in Detroit; and Quo, a Cleveland business. The officials explained why they chose to launch their businesses in those cities instead of California.

Twenty-three year old Abess Makki is the founder9 of CityInsight. His business receives support from an organization called TechTown, which is connected with a local university.

Amit Patel and Naman Desai set up Quo with the help of LaunchHouse, an incubator that helps people turn ideas into businesses.

LaunchHouse makes money by renting office space and investing in the companies it helps to start.

Both TechTown and LaunchHouse help people who have ideas, but are not business experts, get started. For example, TechTown helps people write up business plans, decide how to offer shares of their company to investors and prepare sales talks for new clients.

"And that’s I think is the biggest thing that TechTown did for me. Is actually take everything I did and help me put it together. Sort of like, I had the paint, the brush, the canvas. But, you know, they helped me make the painting, and that’s a huge part."

Makki said his connection with TechTown kept him from making mistakes that caused problems for other businesses.

Ned Staebler is the chief executive officer of TechTown. He said his company goes beyond other organizations that are known as incubators.

“A lot of places that will teach you the nuts-and-bolts of opening up a retail10 business. We have an eight-week retail bootcamp. But after that, we’ll actually help you go through the permitting process. We’ll help you get your architect in and your financing done. It’s not just a ‘come and take a class and then see you later.’ We really act as consultants12 all the way through the process.”

Abess Makki said TechTown helped him meet business experts who could help solve problems. That was important when he was signing an agreement to work with the city of Detroit.

CityInsight is trying to make it easier for governments and local utility companies to connect with their citizens and customers.

CityInsight has an app, or software program, which gives customers real-time information about their water usage. That way, when people are asked to pay for their water usage every three or four months, they are not surprised by the amount they owe.

“In Detroit, there’s a high illiteracy13 rate. So we want to make sure people understand their water bill. Not just through words, but through graphics14 and through images. And once they understand that, we’ll feel more comfortable giving the people their bills. And feeling safe that they understand where it came about.”

Water is an important subject in Michigan. The city of Flint was in the news this year after studies showed its water supply contained lead.

Patel grew up near Cleveland. So he felt at ease starting his business there. His company, Quo, helps people find housing to rent. Quo works with people who are neighborhood experts. Then it connects those experts with people who are trying to find a place to live. If the expert helps someone find a home, then Quo gets paid.

Patel says Cleveland was a good place for his start-up because the city offers different kinds of housing. There are apartments in large buildings in the city, and smaller apartment buildings nearby.

But in addition to housing, Cleveland is a good place for tech businesses because many college-educated people live there.

“Cleveland, if you look at some of the universities here in the area, Case Western provides the top-notch engineers, computer science folks in the country for the Midwest region. You’ll see a lot of resources, folks come out of that university along with Cleveland State, John Carroll, Akron and Kent. You’ll see a lot of strong engineers that come out of there where they’re craving15 the excitement of joining a start-up. And so finding resources in Cleveland is not an issue at all. In fact, you find smarter resources here at a lower cost given the cost of living is significantly less than Silicon Valley. You’re able to find sharp people here.”

People who are good at writing computer code or designing websites are moving to cities in states like Michigan, Ohio or Nebraska. They can still work remotely for Silicon Valley companies, but they are able to live more relaxed lives.

At the same time, in places like Cleveland, people are starting businesses in hopes of having more control over their careers.

Makki looked for his first job as a teenager, and did not have much luck. That period of time taught him that he should create a business instead of just finding a job, and that is what he is doing.

“When I was coming up, it was more of the recession period. And most of us around, all the guys my age, we couldn’t find jobs anywhere. When I mean anywhere, anywhere. We were willing to do anything, but that was a really bad time. I cannot afford to depend on something that’s not always going to be there...”

Words in This Story

boast – v. to take pride in something

entrepreneur – n. a person who starts a business and is willing to risk loss in order to make money

eager – adj. very excited and interested

seed-stage – n. at the start of something

venture – n. a new activity, project, business, etc., that typically involves risk

incubator – n. an organization or place that helps in the development of new businesses

nuts-and-bolts – n. the main parts of a project

utility – n. a service (such as a supply of electricity or water) that is provided to the public — usually plural16

pro – n. an argument for something : a reason to do something — usually plural

density – n. the amount of something in a particular space or area

rent – adv. money that you pay in return for being able to use property and especially to live in an apartment, house, etc., that belongs to someone else

consultant11 – n. a person who gives professional advice or services to companies for a fee

remotely – adv. from a distance

relaxed – adj. calm and free from stress, worry, or anxiety : not worried or tense

customer – n. someone who buys goods or services from a business


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 silicon dykwJ     
n.硅(旧名矽)
参考例句:
  • This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
  • A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。
2 pro tk3zvX     
n.赞成,赞成的意见,赞成者
参考例句:
  • The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
  • Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军?
3 high-tech high-tech     
adj.高科技的
参考例句:
  • The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展,这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
  • The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。
4 investors dffc64354445b947454450e472276b99     
n.投资者,出资者( investor的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
  • a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会
5 density rOdzZ     
n.密集,密度,浓度
参考例句:
  • The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
  • The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。
6 literally 28Wzv     
adv.照字面意义,逐字地;确实
参考例句:
  • He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
  • Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候,她不走到真正要昏厥了,决不肯坐下来。
7 costly 7zXxh     
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
参考例句:
  • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
  • This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。
8 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
9 Founder wigxF     
n.创始者,缔造者
参考例句:
  • He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
  • According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说,罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。
10 retail VWoxC     
v./n.零售;adv.以零售价格
参考例句:
  • In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
  • These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。
11 consultant 2v0zp3     
n.顾问;会诊医师,专科医生
参考例句:
  • He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
  • Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来,加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。
12 consultants c6fbb5ca6219111731f9c4c4d2675810     
顾问( consultant的名词复数 ); 高级顾问医生,会诊医生
参考例句:
  • a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
  • There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。
13 illiteracy VbuxY     
n.文盲
参考例句:
  • It is encouraging to read that illiteracy is declining.从读报中了解文盲情况正在好转,这是令人鼓舞的。
  • We must do away with illiteracy.我们必须扫除文盲。
14 graphics CrxzuL     
n.制图法,制图学;图形显示
参考例句:
  • You've leveraged your graphics experience into the video area.你们把图形设计业务的经验运用到录像业务中去。
  • Improved graphics took computer games into a new era.经改进的制图技术将电脑游戏带进了一个新时代。
15 craving zvlz3e     
n.渴望,热望
参考例句:
  • a craving for chocolate 非常想吃巧克力
  • She skipped normal meals to satisfy her craving for chocolate and crisps. 她不吃正餐,以便满足自己吃巧克力和炸薯片的渴望。
16 plural c2WzP     
n.复数;复数形式;adj.复数的
参考例句:
  • Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
  • Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。

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