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Techstars to open up shop in Detroit

crainsdetroit.com

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Re: Techstars to open up shop in Detroit

#51

Post by valarauca1 »

GFK_of_xmaspast wrote: post #37
bluedino wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing that San Francisco has that somewhere like Detroit doesn't, is the affluent residents with the ability to sustain a service like Uber or startups such as food delivery. Those kind of services are viable to create a startup focused on in SF but not in Detroit.

I've been told that the suburbs immediately outside Detroit city limits are rich as Croesus.

Bloomfield is nowhere near the city limits. Its a suburb. Detroit is all about the suburban sprawl. Its total area is massive. I think we're at about 200 miles east/west 250 miles north/south.

Its gotten to the point that some suburbs are big enough to develop their own suburbs. Notable Troy, South-field, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Sterlining Heights.

These started out as satellite cities to Detroit, but since Detroit suburbs grew, the satellite cities suburbs grew. Its just a massive sprawl.

Re: Techstars to open up shop in Detroit

#52

Post by valarauca1 »

phkahler wrote: post #46
GFK_of_xmaspast wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been told that the suburbs immediately outside Detroit city limits are rich as Croesus.

>> I've been told that the suburbs immediately outside Detroit city limits are rich as Croesus. Yup. Oakland County was once the 4th richest county in the US. Michigan leads the nation in families with second homes. Everyone around here has a second home (cottage, cabin, etc) on a lake from 1-3 hour drive away. OK, not everyone. Part of it is that there are so many lakes that they're relatively cheap. I even knew a g…

Northern Michigan (extreme north) is dirt cheap. Yes your looking at a 8+ hour drive to get there, but excellent winter sports, and out doors stuff.

Re: Techstars to open up shop in Detroit

#53

Post by 7Figures2Commas »

saryant wrote: post #47
yeldarb wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lived in Houston for 6 months a few years ago while my girlfriend was student teaching there. It was so foreign to me that I couldn't find any semblance of a startup community in such a large city.

It's there, but it's not young and it's not the sort of tech that you see in SV. If you want to talk to startups building oil pipeline monitoring or healthcare software, it's the place.

Pipeline monitoring? Healthcare software? How in the world will anybody ever make any money in oil or healthcare?

Seriously, keep in mind that for all of the companies in Silicon Valley that do truly groundbreaking or meaningful things, there are many more startups that fall into one of the following categories:

1. Doomed to failure chasing inane consumer internet ideas that 50 other companies are chasing.

2. Doomed to failure leeching off of other startups, something that won't be viable when the current cycle ends.

3. Doomed to failure pursuing legitimate opportunities that their founders don't have the domain expertise to exploit.

Re: Techstars to open up shop in Detroit

#54

Post by Igglyboo »

valarauca1 wrote: post #19
Igglyboo wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only time I ever go downtown is for events at the Renaissance Center and Cobo Hall. There's really no reason to otherwise, unless you like to gamble. Pretty much everywhere outside of the immediate area around Cobo is really bad anyway.

The Greektown area is nicer. Fairly good restaurants aimed at younger people, I've frequented that area often without a problem. The "Down Town" area is perfectly fine. I have friends who live down town. Just when you leave that bubble protected by freeways it gets very bad very fast.

Sorry, I was kind of including the Greektown area in that general area. I don't really gamble so I usually don't go their but the food is pretty good. Most of the stops on the people mover seem to be decent neighborhoods as well.

Re: Techstars to open up shop in Detroit

#55

Post by Igglyboo »

GFK_of_xmaspast wrote: post #37
bluedino wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing that San Francisco has that somewhere like Detroit doesn't, is the affluent residents with the ability to sustain a service like Uber or startups such as food delivery. Those kind of services are viable to create a startup focused on in SF but not in Detroit.

I've been told that the suburbs immediately outside Detroit city limits are rich as Croesus.

Grosse Pointe is immediately outside of Detroit and multi million dollar houses are the norm there.

Re: Techstars to open up shop in Detroit

#56

Post by ryanmarsh »

davidw wrote: post #48
ryanmarsh wrote: post #29

As a Houstonion this gives me pause. Houston is a massive economic center by nearly every measure. It is also home to the most diverse county and university in the US. There are large successful technology companies here. Yet, Detroit and Dallas (arch enemy of Houston) are getting TechStars before us. Part of the reason we don't attract accelerators like TechStars is the lack of a healthy startup ecosystem. I am NOT…

FlightAware is in Houston, apparently.

Yup. I've also never met anyone from there at any community events.

Re: Techstars to open up shop in Detroit

#57

Post by Igglyboo »

bluedino wrote: post #34
jusben1369 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess the question is what makes for a good techhub/incubator. It seems to me embracing of a counter culture lifestyle is the key early differentiator. Certainly the Bay Area once had that. Austin. Seattle. Even Durham NC where I'm based now and is having a (relative) boom rose out of abandoned tobacco warehouses that could afford to support all types of people. I haven't been there in 8 years but I hear Detroit ha…

One thing that San Francisco has that somewhere like Detroit doesn't, is the affluent residents with the ability to sustain a service like Uber or startups such as food delivery. Those kind of services are viable to create a startup focused on in SF but not in Detroit.

Detroit has a ton of affluent residents within 30 minutes of the city that regularly venture down there for various sporting events, gambling, and other events like NAIAS. Getting them to actually move to the city is the problem.

I live 30 minutes from detroit and come from an upper-middle class household.

Re: Techstars to open up shop in Detroit

#58

Post by Igglyboo »

valarauca1 wrote: post #51
GFK_of_xmaspast wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been told that the suburbs immediately outside Detroit city limits are rich as Croesus.

Bloomfield is nowhere near the city limits. Its a suburb. Detroit is all about the suburban sprawl. Its total area is massive. I think we're at about 200 miles east/west 250 miles north/south. Its gotten to the point that some suburbs are big enough to develop their own suburbs. Notable Troy, South-field, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Sterlining Heights. These started out as satellite cities to Detroit, but since Detroit sub…

Grosse Pointe doesn't count? IIRC it has a literal boundary with Detroit.

Re: Techstars to open up shop in Detroit

#59

Post by [deleted] »

ryanmarsh wrote: post #29

As a Houstonion this gives me pause. Houston is a massive economic center by nearly every measure. It is also home to the most diverse county and university in the US. There are large successful technology companies here. Yet, Detroit and Dallas (arch enemy of Houston) are getting TechStars before us. Part of the reason we don't attract accelerators like TechStars is the lack of a healthy startup ecosystem. I am NOT…

[deleted]

Re: Techstars to open up shop in Detroit

#60

Post by saryant »

7Figures2Commas wrote: post #53
saryant wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's there, but it's not young and it's not the sort of tech that you see in SV. If you want to talk to startups building oil pipeline monitoring or healthcare software, it's the place.

Pipeline monitoring? Healthcare software? How in the world will anybody ever make any money in oil or healthcare? Seriously, keep in mind that for all of the companies in Silicon Valley that do truly groundbreaking or meaningful things, there are many more startups that fall into one of the following categories: 1. Doomed to failure chasing inane consumer internet ideas that 50 other companies are chasing. 2. Doomed…

I certainly wasn't trying to disparage either oil or healthcare tech. I grew up around oil and have huge respect for that industry. I think my overarching point was that startups in Houston aren't sexy, they don't get coverage on TechCrunch, but there are people building some solid, necessary products.

San Antonio is similar with companies like WellAware raising a $37 million series A for oil field monitoring tech.

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