If you are not in a city where such ecosystem exists, you could probably start building a prototype there but as soon as you need to scale up (financially, hiring, or other) you will probably need to start networking or moving a city that has one.
Another noiseword title I've learned to avoid is, "What we learned from..."
Sort of like filling up on bread. It very well may be an SEO thing.
i tend to make a trip to atlanta (secondary?) every week, but the resources only stretch so far. atlanta may have a VC presence, but the angels are few & far between.
i'd also say that the biggest problem with most secondary markets is they don't cover the entire gamut of industries. talking from my own experience, atlanta is a B2B town with a heavy emphasis on areas like security. if you're running a B2C startup (like we are at http://gorankem.com), i'd almost encourage the entrepreneur to not waste any time seeking money in GA.
overall, the biggest advantage the valley has over all the other markets is the connections. personally, i could deal with the competition for talent because i like to think that we have a stronger product. i shake my head at some of the ideas getting funded.
the wisdom in the tech community that is being transferred in SF on a daily basis cannot be touched.
for that reason & many more, if anybody has a couch to sleep on come this summer, i may be looking for one...
Maybe it's just me, but it seems like most of the startups I hear about these days are just CRUD apps aimed at some social niche. Those can be built anywhere, and don't require rockstar programmers.
