Mentor & Board Advisor

Manoj Ranaweera a fellow Web Mission 08 guy put this event together http://www.nwstartup20.co.uk/jun09 , he invited me and a number of the other Web Mission companies who had been through the startup process to get involved – which we were delighted to do. Well the bottom line whether the attached article  makes you happy or not is that the entrepreneurs gained a great deal from the day. Both North and South shared experiences and the access to Michael Birch of Bebo fame will probably stay with these startups for many years to come. I must declare an interest here being originally from Northern Ireland which has its own challenges in the startup world, there really isn’t a simplistic answer to whether one is better than the other, hence why we have been debating London versus Silicon Valley CA for the last 20 years. London has its benefits, volume for one thing and access to the big game particularly for product/internet service based startups – this is less of an issue for agency type organic growth plays. There is more investment in London, but that does not mean there is none outside London. Quality of life? who knows depends where you are standing and where you are on life’s rich curve. If you are young single and want to be at the centre of the big game in Europe and touch on the players who you are on TV and in the press then you will have more of a chance in London – there are more of them obviously. But that does not guarantee success for your startup as there will be more competition, better business plans, better and more experienced entrepreneurs to compete with. Its a rough, tough world out there whether you are in Stirling, Newcastle or London most will not succeed this is something the US startup market accepts and the UK/Ireland struggles with still. But when I hear people bursting to tell me about their latest great idea who could deny them the chance to have a go, wherever they are.

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