Mayor Marty Walsh has made clear: "We want to make Boston the tech capital of the world." And with a plan for a takeover in motion, he now needs the community's help.
On Tuesday morning, Walsh will deliver a speech to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. While there, he will emphasize what he has been saying all along, that the startup community has "a partner here in the City of Boston."
The tools for startup success are available. Companies need capital, space, infrastructure, marketing and a community of like-minded people. Boston has accelerators, co-working spaces, a dedicated pool of investors and a supportive, vibrant startup community. The ingredients are here, but we, collectively, need to do a better job of marketing them.
We need to #StartBostonUp.
Walsh recognizes this, and wants the City of Boston to become the great convener. He wants to bring the startup community together through the rich resources available, through a platform led by the Chief of Economic Development John Barros.
The problem? The initiative needs a name.
The goal is to help the City market the fact Boston is the right place for startups — because it is. Startups are a boon to the economy, and their success is paramount to the success of the entire city, whether tapped into tech or not. Entrepreneurs should be starting their businesses here and keeping them here, not pulling a Facebook and flocking to the West Coast.
Everyday apps are being built in our backyard, and we should want to see those homegrown startups succeed.
So, get to brainstorming. With the hashtag #StartBostonUp, let Walsh and the City of Boston know via social media what you want to call this new initiative. We should have a START-UP NY. After all, we live in what's about to become the tech capital of the world.
Let's #StartBostonUp.
