Entrepreneurs are speaking out about what it’s like to start a business in the Dallas area.
In a recent Tech.Co article, 14 entrepreneurs gave their thoughts on Dallas’ startup ecosystem.
Recurring themes included the scene’s cooperative and supportive nature, availability of local talent for hiring, and its strategic central location to ease business travels.
Blake Burris, CEO of Flux IoT, speaking at PLUGGED: Intro to the Dallas Startup Community in July at the Dallas Entrepreneur Center. [Photo by Hannah Ridings]
Tech.Co also noted the area’s diverse workforce, growing economy, and affordable cost of living. It doesn’t hurt that DFW is home to dozens of colleges and universities and some of the world’s wealthiest people either.
“It’s a lot like ‘home.’ My startup is half-Israeli, half-American, and the two cultures, Texan and Israeli seem to get on surprisingly well,” Blake Burris, CEO of Flux, told Tech.Co. “They are both warm and loyal cultures, who love to put in an honest day’s work, so for us, it’s a perfect fit.”
Neil Smiley, CEO and founder of Dallas-based Loopback Analytics, said he’s pleased with the current activity from business incubators and entrepreneurs.
“That did not exist when I did my first startup in the late 1990s,” Smiley told Tech.Co. “It’s time for Dallas to be recognized as a hub for innovation. We are getting there.”
“It’s time for Dallas to be recognized as a hub for innovation.”
NEIL SMILEY
Still, others noted some challenges they’ve faced and said North Texas has some growing to do in the terms of venture capital funding.
“The Dallas atmosphere for startups is uniquely different from more prominent startup cities like Austin, San Francisco, New York City,” Humach CEO Tim Houlne told Tech.Co. “Primarily based on the resources and the level of maturity of candidates for employment Dallas often outpaces these other areas in employee tenure, but lacks a long history of supporting early stage startups.”
What did others have to say? Read more quotes from the rest of the entrepreneurs here.
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