just creating a venture fund, but in talking with community members, they decided it would require “more than just capital to advance the region,” so they decided to wrap other pieces around the fund to create a “cohesive system enabling ventures to thrive,” she says.
There was also talk of creating an 18-week startup accelerator program, but that plan was scrapped, as Xconomy reported in September. Part of the reason for eschewing the short-term accelerator setup, Enos says, is that TitletownTech wants to have more flexibility. The needs of an advanced manufacturing startup will be different than those of a digital health or supply chain startup, she points out, and the time it takes to make progress might vary. “We’re cognizant we don’t want to force everybody into the same box,” she says.
Although TitletownTech’s leaders consulted Bay Area advisors, Enos says her organization has “no desire” to try and recreate Silicon Valley.
“We’re smaller,” Enos says. “We’ve got to start with humility and also a sense of what we’re trying to get from it.” Initiatives such as TitletownTech “take time to get the right players together, to get the right support and consensus building in an environment where everybody comes at it from a slightly different angle.”
