Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City

THE PATRIARCH PROBLEM

The first of the classical problems that stall progress in a startup community is the patriarch problem. In moments of frustration, I call this the old-white-guy problem. At its core, it’s one of the key challenges of a hierarchical organizational model, one in which the most powerful people are the ones at the top of the hierarchy. In many cities, especially in the United States, these patriarchs are the old white guys who made their money many years ago but still run the show.

If you observe robust startup communities over a long period of time, they don’t exhibit this problem. Silicon Valley is a shining example of this. With each new generation there is a new wave of leaders. Although there are constant debates about whether Silicon Valley is a meritocracy or biased against women and minorities, there is no question that the leaders of yesterday encourage and embrace the leaders of tomorrow, mentor them, and comfortably make room for them in the ecosystem.

I started my first company in Boston when I was 19. I clearly remember feeling like the youngest guy in the room. In my early 20s, we had several customers who embraced us for our youth, whereas others were skeptical of our ability to be serious businesspeople. In one case, we almost lost a large customer when they found out my age because they couldn’t believe a CEO of a company could be 21. As I got older, I still felt like the youngest person in the room (and often was), but I became more aware of ...