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I was hopeful YC coming to DC would've meant YC would've been tapping into DC's startup scene. Wishful thinking. Linked is the more common reason (lobbying), b

I was hopeful YC coming to DC would've meant YC would've been tapping into DC's startup scene. Wishful thinking. Linked is the more common reason (lobbying), but I'm looking forward to more institutions recognizing the talent we have in the DC region.

tptacek 2y ago
There's talent in every region, and I think it should be a priority to figure out ways to unlock it without re-siting companies in SFBA and NYC, but it's worth noting here that YC's SFBA-centricity is not an outcome of their belief that there's no talent outside SFBA. It's the opposite: they assume they're importing that talent to the area. The YC SFBA thing is about network effects from companies working in close proximity, and about the investor market (1) believing the same thing and (2) having themselves an even more significant network effect that keeps them all in the same area.
- FactKnower69 2y ago
  woah, locking your investments into a single geographic area, how innovative and forward thinking! especially for a tech company! I really hope nothing bad happens that reduces the value of in-person networking or shared commercial office space, or God forbid someone invents a gadget that lets people work from places other than where they live
  - tptacek 2y ago
    You don't have to like it, and it doesn't have to rationalize with whatever your conception of how innovation works is. I don't like San Francisco either. My point is that you have to at least engage with the SFBA argument that YC is making. I work for a large-ish all-remote YC company in which none of the founders live in the Bay Area (or in the same city, for that matter). People have some odd ideas of how YC actually works.
stackskipton 2y ago
As someone who was in DC area but isn't any more, talent in DC area is not anything to write home about. We have a ton of talent on paper because government requires gobs of tech workers and prefers they have advanced degrees but since it's just boring enterprise work, the spark of innovation is snuffed out quickly. Most of startups in the area are catering to the government. There are already VC/PE/Startup accelerators more equipped for the unique market.
- benslavin 2y ago
  Having lived in the DC area for almost two decades, I don't agree. There are absolutely pockets that match your description but, if that's all you see I think you might be stuck in a bubble. I see so much more. There are cool companies that have been and are being built here (I was going to list them, but the Washingtonian "DC Tech Titans" list has lots of good examples), many not B2G... and people who still have 'the spark' (and many more who I think could rekindle it). There's also a hugely educated workforce, many of whom don't love their daily grind (hiring opportunity). There's a creative community in DC and even more so if you include the greater DMV or mid-Atlantic. A ton of compute and infrastructure (including us-east-1) is based here, which has its own benefits for businesses. In my opinion, one of the things that would benefit the region is a less conservative (read: more risk-tolerant) investment community. YC isn't the only way to get that done, but I think it would be a helpful catalyst.
  - whimsicalism 2y ago
    everyone is moving away from us-east, the talent is mostly in northern virginia and focused on defense not actual tech talent, i took a brief look at that "Tech Titans" list and frankly it is not that impressive, compared to an actual hub like SF, NYC, Seattle or even compared to tier 2 hubs like Boston or LA. i mean they're counting "Vox Media" as a tech startup... which is very DC, I guess. many of the others also are due to regulatory reasons, like Revature or Wirewheel. i lived in DC for 20 years.
    - benslavin 2y ago
whimsicalism 2y ago
I grew up in DC. Are we pretending like its a tech hotspot now? I missed the memo
benslavin 2y ago
There's still movement in the region. Anzu-Green today announced a $100 million fund [1] and two weeks ago Andreessen Horowitz announced they're opening a DC office this quarter [2]. Both seem to be targeting B2G investments. [1] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/dc-tech-lobbying-shop-raising-100025684.html https://finance.yahoo.com/news/dc-tech-lobbying-shop-raising... [2] https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2024/05/22/andreessen-horowitz-dc-office-venture-capital-deal.html https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2024/05/22/andre... (sorry about the paywall, but it's the original reporting)
- eganist 2y ago
  Thanks, this is still awesome to read.

tptacek 2y ago

There's talent in every region, and I think it should be a priority to figure out ways to unlock it without re-siting companies in SFBA and NYC, but it's worth noting here that YC's SFBA-centricity is not an outcome of their belief that there's no talent outside SFBA. It's the opposite: they assume they're importing that talent to the area. The YC SFBA thing is about network effects from companies working in close proximity, and about the investor market (1) believing the same thing and (2) having themselves an even more significant network effect that keeps them all in the same area.

FactKnower69 2y ago
woah, locking your investments into a single geographic area, how innovative and forward thinking! especially for a tech company! I really hope nothing bad happens that reduces the value of in-person networking or shared commercial office space, or God forbid someone invents a gadget that lets people work from places other than where they live
- tptacek 2y ago
  You don't have to like it, and it doesn't have to rationalize with whatever your conception of how innovation works is. I don't like San Francisco either. My point is that you have to at least engage with the SFBA argument that YC is making. I work for a large-ish all-remote YC company in which none of the founders live in the Bay Area (or in the same city, for that matter). People have some odd ideas of how YC actually works.

stackskipton 2y ago

As someone who was in DC area but isn't any more, talent in DC area is not anything to write home about. We have a ton of talent on paper because government requires gobs of tech workers and prefers they have advanced degrees but since it's just boring enterprise work, the spark of innovation is snuffed out quickly. Most of startups in the area are catering to the government. There are already VC/PE/Startup accelerators more equipped for the unique market.

benslavin 2y ago
Having lived in the DC area for almost two decades, I don't agree. There are absolutely pockets that match your description but, if that's all you see I think you might be stuck in a bubble. I see so much more. There are cool companies that have been and are being built here (I was going to list them, but the Washingtonian "DC Tech Titans" list has lots of good examples), many not B2G... and people who still have 'the spark' (and many more who I think could rekindle it). There's also a hugely educated workforce, many of whom don't love their daily grind (hiring opportunity). There's a creative community in DC and even more so if you include the greater DMV or mid-Atlantic. A ton of compute and infrastructure (including us-east-1) is based here, which has its own benefits for businesses. In my opinion, one of the things that would benefit the region is a less conservative (read: more risk-tolerant) investment community. YC isn't the only way to get that done, but I think it would be a helpful catalyst.
- whimsicalism 2y ago
  everyone is moving away from us-east, the talent is mostly in northern virginia and focused on defense not actual tech talent, i took a brief look at that "Tech Titans" list and frankly it is not that impressive, compared to an actual hub like SF, NYC, Seattle or even compared to tier 2 hubs like Boston or LA. i mean they're counting "Vox Media" as a tech startup... which is very DC, I guess. many of the others also are due to regulatory reasons, like Revature or Wirewheel. i lived in DC for 20 years.
  - benslavin 2y ago

whimsicalism 2y ago

I grew up in DC. Are we pretending like its a tech hotspot now? I missed the memo

benslavin 2y ago

There's still movement in the region. Anzu-Green today announced a $100 million fund [1] and two weeks ago Andreessen Horowitz announced they're opening a DC office this quarter [2]. Both seem to be targeting B2G investments. [1] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/dc-tech-lobbying-shop-raising-100025684.html https://finance.yahoo.com/news/dc-tech-lobbying-shop-raising... [2] https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2024/05/22/andreessen-horowitz-dc-office-venture-capital-deal.html https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2024/05/22/andre... (sorry about the paywall, but it's the original reporting)

eganist 2y ago
Thanks, this is still awesome to read.