We don't have to tell you that D.C. is – day in and day out – validating itself as a legitimate competitive hub for startups. The personality and passion has long been here, and finally we're getting the VC money to match. But on a national level, Washington is often dismissed as leader in innovation and entrepreneurship after the Internet and dot-com bubble burst here during the turn of the 21st century, from which it's been hard to recover. Perhaps fror an outsider looking it, it could appear that way especially to the ignorant masses buzzing on their Silicon Valley Kool-aid.
But that couldn't be further from the truth. Sure we don't have the investment dollars that the West Coast does, but we do have our fair share to be proud of. After all, pulling in the fifth-most VC money in the nation isn't too shabby for the town that most often is recognized for its bureaucratic, government contract-heavy ways rather than its innovative backbone. Plus, per million residents, D.C. leads the nation for number of startups.
There's obviously something special going on here that the rest of the nation isn't picking up on. Or maybe they are, now that we have an incubator like 1776 taking not only the U.S., but the world, by storm with its Challenge Cup. The global startup competition not only directs eyes towards oft-forgotten innovators and entrepreneurs, but inevitably back to D.C. where the whole idea was birthed. And when the Challenge Cup comes full circle in May for the final contest, while there will be eight winning startups, but the big winner will be the D.C. tech and startup hub.
But even now, we're already winning as D.C. startup pundits get a chance in the national spotlight, like 1776's Donna Harris did this week on Bloomberg's "Taking Stock." While the purpose of Harris' interview was to shed some light on the Challenge Cup, she also got a chance to brag about D.C. tech and dispel some of those misconceptions.
See for yourself:
