Thoughts on “Can Governments Create Entrepreneurial and Innovation Hubs?”

@alexlavidge just directed me to Taylor Davidson’s (aka @tdavidson) insightful post on the topic of how/if governments can go about aiding the process of creating Entrepreneurial and Innovation hubs.  Definitely worth checking out…

Can Governments Create Entrepreneurial and Innovation Hubs?

Personal, I’m yet to see a government program other than the Central Coast Small Business Development Center provide anything substantial when it comes to aiding, encouraging and promoting entrepreneurs to take their ideas and manifest them into sustainable businesses.  I’m even willing to bet that not all SBDCs in California are nearly as effective as the local chapter, as we just so happen to have 2 of the most dynamic people on the Peninsula running and involved with the program who are extremely passionate about what they do and why they do it.  Specifically, Teresa Thomae and Keith Holtaway.

The successful incubator InNOVAcorp in Halifax Nova Scotia also appears to have developed a very beneficial symbiotic relationship between public and private interests, in that a % of their operating expenses and Fund is provided by the government…  but again, this is primarily a result of its founder and CEO Dan MacDonald who simply embodies the entrepreneurial spirit and continuously encourages and supports others looking to create and innovate.

I guess my conclusions then would be that regardless of the program any given government may launch to help create entrepreneurial and innovation hubs, at the end of the day its the people they chose to operate and manage the programs that will largely determine its success or failure.  Clearly some programs may be destined to fail from the onset, but I would bet there’s a direct correlation between the success/failure of any given program and if the people involved with creating, managing and organizing the program itself actually have experience as a SUCCESSFUL entrepreneur in their own right… or at very least having experience successfully innovating or creating anything original themselves.

Anywho, more food for thought on the topic at hand… back to further developing the entrepreneurial and innovation hub we have here in Santa Cruz :)

Sean