Mike Masnick of Techdirt hits the nail right on the head in his article about how not to create the next Silicon Valley. The problem, as he states it, is that people tend to believe that all you need to create a tech hub is some land and a bit of government razzle-dazzle. What they forget is that entrepreneurship, especially in the tech sectors, is as much a cultural movement as a result of fertile lands.

So you want to create your own Silicon Something, and you’re wondering what you need to do it? Here are a few things to think about.

Silicon Starter Kit

Educational Institutions. Most great technology hubs form around great institutes of higher learning. Why? This is where you find young, risk prone, clever people with nothing better to do with their lives than tinker. If you are deciding where to lay the foundation for a new Silicon Garden, there is almost no better place than around a college campus.

Coffee Culture. Almost as important as having a lot of entrepreneurial folks littering your backyard is having the sort of “campus culture” that encourages spontaneous, free form discussions. If you can’t get ten people together to shoot the breeze about ideas without having to travel 50 miles, it will be difficult to establish the idea flow that you will need to bring together a tech hub.

Investment Capital. Silicon Valley, California and Boulder, Colorado have one very important thing in common — they are plush with investors looking for portfolio companies in technology. This is not something you can necessarily control in your own area, but it is a good idea to be on the look out for Angels and VCs with an interest in technology. Tell them about yourself, tell them about your projects. Give them a reason to keep their eyes on the area. Often investors exist, but in many areas they are under the radar.

Firestarters. More than anything, starting a technology hub requires people willing to be the “first” out of the gate. If you aren’t willing to start building companies, even when you think you are doing so in a vacuum, nothing will happen. People flock around success stories. If you want your area to be known for tech, then get out there and start building a great company.

Web 2.0 Roundup

Not every city is cut out to be the next technology hotbed, but almost all cities can support some form of tech culture. It’s really up to you to get out there and either find it, or take it upon yourself to build it.

What’s more satisfying at the end of the day — slapping together a sterile tech incubator with government money and no heart, or going out there and building up the entrepreneurial spirit latent in your area and watching it evolve?

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