 This web-based startup race menu brings an online presence to racing events it could run from anywhere But the company picked Boston Boston is a very good place to start up a company There's a tremendous startup ecosystem here a lot of support that ecosystem stems from one of Boston's strongest attributes The science and innovation constantly flowing from universities. I think here in Boston We know what our strengths are and one of our major strengths is talent these innovations sort of clusters that we have Really fosters the type of environment that's attractive to startup companies, and I think that that's one of our competitive edges Generating talent and brain power is one of Boston's strengths But in attracting venture capital this city still trails a distant second to Silicon Valley Out of the 26 billion of venture capital dollars invested in fiscal year 2012 Silicon Valley raked in 41 percent Compare that to Massachusetts is 11 percent a young person or even an older person that has an innovative crazy idea If it's important and big it's likely to sound crazy So it's pretty easy to shun that and it's pretty easy to say I don't really want to take that meeting because I've got a million other things going on. It's a much more effective Supportive ecosystem to take those meetings even when it's not clear that there's an immediate payback on it Silicon Valley Excels at providing that first meeting opportunity while Boston tends to take on a go-big or go-home mentality It's a place where revolutionary ideas are accepted and where it's actually Almost frowned upon to be working on something that isn't revolutionary or big However, there can be too much of a good thing. They're working on health care or clean energy or really game-changing revolutionary Computer science problems that are very difficult to solve sort of science-heavy startups And I think that is really admirable and I'm really proud of that But I also think we kind of overdo it as for another barrier to business in this city it's cost prohibitive for a startup and That's you know, that's a big that's a big challenge for a lot of the startups If Boston really does want to become the startup hub or and really compete with Silicon Valley There are things that we need to need to do better than them because there's some things We simply can't do better than them. We can't control the weather But Boston has been making changes to give this old city a new spin a lot of planning has gone into the South Boston innovation district There are a lot of very attractive things going on in the innovation district from all the new companies and the clusters that are forming that help people share innovations and knowledge and Grow jobs mass challenge in itself a startup is the world's largest startup accelerator last year This nonprofit organization moved into the innovation district and brought four hundred entrepreneurs with them when we arrived Especially it was kind of Greenfield it was open and we had like almost the ability to sort of directly influence the culture of the Neighborhood and how it would expand and what it means to be part of this community We were by far the the largest headcount representative in the in the innovation district for for that early time There is a price to success as the seaport district draws more businesses and takes on the innovation district title vacancies fall and rents rise pricing some startups out of leasing here reporting for BuTV 10. I'm BD Sun