Sandi MacPherson

The startup world is an interesting place. As cities around the US work to establish their own Silicon XYZ, the variables required to build a vibrant ecosystem are constantly under debate. I recently had conversations with two NYC-based tech people that caused me to reconsider one of the accepted rules of how startup ecosystems develop and thrive. A bit of background on US startup ecosystems Some fun stats to get started.

Last Saturday, I had an idea. It was prompted by a problem that I often encounter when creating content for my company Quibb. Others content folks I know (i.e. event organizers, writers, panel moderators, podcast creators, etc.) industry regularly ask me about it as well… As a startup founder, I’m a fan of small actions that yield big results. I’m all about leverage.

If you’ve ever been to the home of someone who is struggling financially, you may have noticed something. They tend to have a lot of seemingly useless ‘stuff’ around?—?stacks of magazines, a semi-functional Pepsi-branded bluetooth speaker, 3 extra chairs stacked in the corner that will never fit at the 2-person breakfast table. This seems to be a common scene in the homes of low-income people (according to some light social science research, and from my own personal experience).