COLUMBUS, Ohio — Back in 2008, Forbes magazine declared this capital city as one of the top up-and-coming tech regions, a place that could possibly become “the next Silicon Valley.”
The story — which pointed to the power of the Battelle Memorial Institute’s research prowess in energy, life sciences and other high-tech fields — resonated with those in the Buckeye state.
“That was touted by everybody in Columbus — except there is no ocean,” said entrepreneur Brian Zuercher, who returned to his hometown of Columbus in 2008. More importantly, Zuercher said that there just aren’t huge technology companies in Columbus that have established themselves over past several decades, like in Silicon Valley.
A couple key missing pieces for sure.
“I thought to myself: The image that everyone is talking about doesn’t seem very authentic,” said Zuercher, who kicked off the Columbus Startup Week activities today. “This (did) not feel like the next tech community…. You (didn’t) walk into coffee shops and see people jamming on computers doing stuff. You just (didn’t) get that vibe. Even downtown, it was kind of cool. It just didn’t have that thing going on.”
But fast forward seven years and Zuercher, the CEO of Seen, says things are changing. Events such as Startup Week and Startup Weekend have helped propel the region, and more entrepreneurs are emerging from places like The Ohio State University and big employers like Cardinal Health.
“I look back at 2008 and that image that was being painted by the media — but also by us. I think we had a hope and a vision. But we really did not know what that was going to become,” said Zuercher. “This week is another line in the sand and we are just getting started…. This was not possible two years ago, seven years ago, because there just wasn’t enough people stepping up to the plate.”
Zuercher opened Columbus Startup Week today, a week-long celebration of entrepreneurship in this Midwestern city. More than 1,300 people are expected to attend over 70 events across Columbus, and GeekWire is covering the action as part of a partnership with UP Global and Chase. Check back here for updates throughout the week.
