This book offers a comprehensive model for explaining the success and failure of cities in
nurturing startups presents detailed case studies of how participants in that model help or
hinder startup activity and shows how to apply these lessons to boost local startup activity.
Startup Cities explains the factors that determine local startup success based on a detailed
comparison of regional startup cities¿pairing the most successful and less successful cities
within regions along with insights and implications from case studies of each of the model¿s
elements. The book compares local city pairs highlighting factors that distinguish successful
from less successful cities and presents implications for stakeholders that arise from these
principles. Peter Cohan is a lecturer of Strategy at Babson College and one of the world¿s
leading authorities on regional startup ecosystems. Starting in 2012 he created and led
Startup Strategy courses that explore four regional startup ecosystems¿Hong Kong Singapore
Israel Paris and Spain Portugal. These courses are based on an original framework for
evaluating why a few cities host most startup creation and the rest fail to do so. In running
these courses Peter has built a network of local policymakers investors entrepreneurs and
professors from which he draws practical insights for what distinguishes successful Startup
Commons from their peers. The book provides vital benefits to these stakeholders. What Yoüll
Learn Local policymakers will know how to build a local team to set objectives for their local
Startup Commons and develop a comprehensive strategy to realize those goals Entrepreneurs will
know how to choose where to locate their startups based on factors such as the supply and
quality of talent¿from chief marketing and technology officers to coders and sales people
quality of life accessto capital customers and mentors and costs such as salary and real
estate expense University administrators and faculty will know how to take research out of
their labs and house it in companies that can commercialize that research create academic
programs that will encourage more entrepreneurship among their students and connect with local
policymakers and capital providers to spur local startup activity Capital providers will know
how to scout out emerging startup cities where they can get access to the best investment
opportunities at more favorable valuations and have greater influence on how the local startup
scene evolves Who This Book Is ForAll key startup stakeholders including local policymakers
(mayors directors of economic development treasurers controllers presidents of regional
chamber of commerce) entrepreneurs (CEOs chief marketing officers chief financial officers
chief HR officers chief technology officers) universities (presidents deans of faculty
provosts professors of finance management and entrepreneurship directors of international
education) and capital providers (venture capital partners and associates angel investors
bank loan officers managers of accelerator operations)
