There you are! Where have you been?! Running late to the party aren't you? Ok, well no sweat. Just pay attention. I know a guy. I'll get ya in...
This “town” of two cities (Washington & Baltimore) is full of talented & bold entrepreneurs. If you are a well-funded venture capitalist from out west, I am going to give it to you straight, “East Coast style.” You would have to be a fool not to seriously consider this area for opportunities.
Let’s look at what your money has to contend with out west: you have sunshine, great surfing, snowy mountains, and lovely weather year round. You have corporate tech campuses that look more like college dormitories. Trying to score the next Twitter in the Valley sounds like combing through a picked over fruit stand just before closing time. Even if you find something “fresh,” it’s probably already been pawed at by your larger competitors.
Here on the East Coast: there’s no skiing. Our mountains are covered in ice. Don’t bother bringing your surfboards, either. Our Capitol was built on a swamp, not the beach, for good reason -- the Founding Fathers knew they needed to keep the wandering mind focused on getting things done.
So just bring your laptops. We have endless cube farms just over the Potomac River and plenty of wifi around town. Because you know what we do for fun around here? We WORK. This is a town full of workaholics!
How are those West Coast portfolio burn out rates doing these days, btw? Not so “hawt” huh? Tell you what, because I like you, I’ll fill you in on a little secret. Come closer...I don’t want EVERYBODY to know...
DC is full of diamonds in the rough. They’re surviving as lifestyle businesses, bootstrapped from the ground up, because the VC pool here doesn’t have a deep end. These gems are hyper-focused on delivering products & services that are in demand, making a difference, and oh my gosh, this is the best part... some of them actually have paying customers. Yes! I know! Who does that, right?
But hey, slow your roll. Don’t get too excited and start bringing all your VC friends to the party. These Washington and Baltimore entrepreneurs are pretty tough. They’ve been going at it without the Valley’s help just fine. It’s not like they need your money to fund their next office foosball competition. If you want to play, you have to offer some fair deals or they’re just going to turn you down.
So yes, Valley VCs, I’m speaking to you. When you get sick and tired of burning off your cash on the next dollar mobile app of the week, do yourselves a favor and pay a visit to your nation’s Capitol. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
