After reading this article & another post by Jeremiah Owyang talking about the start-ups in Boulder, Colorado and how great & different they are than his S.Valley you have to wonder: where is the state of Idaho's role in our start-up success....or demise?
Let me start by saying I am not involved with nor do I know much about what the states role ACTUALLY is...I just listen a lot. What I gather is that if you are not a BIG company, *ahem*, you are not thought of as a viable resource for income here in Idaho and therefore not considered an important factor in the employment/development of the State as a thought leader.
I want to be proven wrong by my statements...I want our state to lead in the development of small tech companies that go into business (or have the thought) that nothing is impossible.
Colorado is expensive. California is expensive. Why can't we attract and/or keep world class thought leaders in tech in a community and state that has picket fences, kids riding bikes in front of your house a GREAT outdoor life & good-good people?
You tell me.
-jen
@jenharris09

You identify numerous issues there, Tac. As for the speed dating ill-timing has little to do with the failure of the event. This is now the second time that speed-dating has failed and in my mind the reason is quite clear: it's an exercise in futility. There is no early stage/angel funding to be had in this town, and everyone knows it. So why go through the motions?

Mark is dead on with his assessment of the macro economy here. The legislators labor under the impression that the Treasure Valley (and Idaho) is chock full of innovators and entrepreneurs - and nothing could be farther from the truth.

This is a government town, pure and simple. This started as a military town to protect the fur-trade routes. It morphed into a military town that protected mining interests and commerce - almost all of whom came from out of state.

The next big boon was federally sponsored reclamation projects, and irrigation projects financed by out of state bankers. There is a reason the New York Canal, which irrigates all of the Treasure Valley, is called the "New York Canal" - Boiseans wouldn't/couldn't finance it.

Our greatest entrepreneur - Jack Simplot - became wealthy for two reasons - 1) federal reclamation projects, and 2) WWII - he sold onions and potatoes to the Army.

We have all the seats of government here in Boise. Government is the largest employer and landowner by an overwhelming margin. Micron limps along on life support such as federal tariff protections, and BSU supplying workers.

All this is important because the "pat-ourselves-on-the-back-we're-such-great-entrepreneurs" myth sends the wrong signals to policy makers and economic development types. To whit: if we are already such great entrepreneurs, then there's no reason to develop any more capacity in that area. So we/they haven't.

The legislature deferred on College of Western Idaho - never seeing that it had any value. There still isn't an early stage venture fund here. The Governor disbanded STAC, and cut TechConnect by 2/3. BSU only gets 33% of its budget from the state. With 2.5% across the board cutbacks this year, money for research initiatives (R & D) isn't in the cards at the State House.

Instead, the legislature has tried tax cuts, worker training, "Albertson's Bills" and other incentives to lower the costs of doing business and NONE of that has worked to grow the economy? Why? Because the entrepreneurial culture that we tout doesn't really exist at the level we think it does.

Sure we have some great successes here, Keynetics comes instantly to mind (and Metageek, etc.). But even Keynetics is only 1/10th the size Trus Joist was. Where is the next Alberston's? MK? Boise Cascade? TJ? They haven't appeared and likely won't until we dispense with the notion that we don't need help with the entrepreneurial leg of the stool. Mark's white paper and a little simple history will hopefully get some much needed information to the decision makers at all levels of government so that they will finally realize that we absolutely must get away from incentives that reduce the cost of doing business and redirect that spending toward human capital - all the things that Mark Solon indicated.

First let me say I’m very new to this form of community communication (its becoming very addicting) so please be patient with me.
I think Tac is right it’s a bit of what I would call the perfect storm (down turn economy, layoffs and overall negative/bad attitude media…which I think is more of the problem then the latter). I think we'll see people waking up from this “concussion” with great ideas and we just need to be ready for them. So I would ask other than the “speed dating” what is out there for resources….how do these entrepreneurs learn about what is available to them?...again new to this.
There are many fronts in this battle and the legislature is one of them however even with all the best information if we wait for our legislators to listen and do something it will be to late…it’s much like leaving the outcome of a championship game to the official and hoping the right call is made.
So while Highway 12 works the legislative front how can newcomers like myself and rest of us help make resources more visible to the entrepreneurs?
Chris Ubie

Gee, you guys are starting to get a little angry (er...passionate?) about this theme...better be careful, Bishop Tac will ban you from his 'happy cult'.