Silicon Valley vs. The South

Living in the “Silicon Valley of the South,” I naturally drew comparisons between Atlanta and the Silicon Valley in California last week when I visited for my MBA coursework.

While Atlanta’s culture is different from San Francisco’s, we can learn lessons from them in cultivating a more vibrant startup scene.

For instance, West Coast behemoth Yahoo! and incubators all follow the same mantra – “fail fast, fail often.” Valley investors like to see risk-taking entrepreneurs who learn quickly from their mistakes – a lesson Atlanta’s investors can learn if we want to see more startups growing at home rather than moving elsewhere.

– André Ledgister, SPR Atlanta