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Survey benchmarking Bay Area start-up environment reflects RoseRyan client experience

The Bay Area Council Economic Institute has just released the results of its survey that benchmarks the Bay Area environment for young companies and entrepreneur-led start-ups. The Council’s 300+ members are a “who’s who” of Silicon Valley; I was pleased to be selected as one of the partners who contributed to the study.

Although there has been improvement in the local economy over the previous year, the survey shows there are still challenges. This is consistent with RoseRyan’s experience in the marketplace. Our clients are still having a tough time raising capital, regulations are still difficult to navigate, and other geographic areas are competing for business, but I am still optimistic in this region’s ability to adapt and innovate at a great pace.

I’ve compared some of the key findings to RoseRyan’s experiences:

Listing regulations and requirements do not discourage companies from seeking public listings: Only 16 percent of respondents agree. This is key as clients usually are not prepared to handle all of the main components of preparing their S-1s and SOX requirements after an IPO.

The government has developed tax incentives to increase the amount of research and development. 36 percent disagree and 28 percent are neutral. Tax incentives play a smaller role here than other parts of the world. Most companies, like most of our clients, do not rely on government subsidies but are certainly aware of available grants and tax incentives.

Compliance with government regulations does not unfairly burden new and growing firms: 31% disagree, which is much lower than other parts of the world. This is consistent with many of our clients’ experience. They still have to deal with a labyrinth of regulations in California which are slowly getting less cumbersome.

Government programs provide high-quality services to new and growing firms: 12% agree. Unfortunately, there does not appear to be any faith in government programs. Many of my clients feel that government support is a bonus.

Most entrepreneurs personally know one or more private individual investors (i.e., “angels”): 43% agree. Most of RoseRyan’s clients are cognizant of the “start up” ecosystem of investors.  They understand the ebb and flow of the markets based on the overall economy.

Stock options are considered a positive source of compensation. 84 percent agree.  This is consistent with our business, and we expect stock options to be a strong motivator for attracting and retaining employees.

Benchmarking the Bay Area’s Environment for Entrepreneur-Led Start-ups provides many other interesting insights. You can learn more about the Bay Area Council on their website.

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New study looks at implications of Bay Area entrepreneurship

An exciting new study soon be released will benchmark the entrepreneurship policies of the Bay Area and provide a detailed review of entrepreneurship and its potential implications over the next one to five years. The San Francisco Bay Area Entrepreneurship Policy Benchmarking Overview will look at how the Bay Area compares to cities throughout the world and in the United States.

The project is being spearheaded by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, a public-private partnership of business, labor, government and higher education that works to support the economic vitality and competitiveness of California and the Bay Area. Sean Randolph, the council’s president, is leading the effort; other participants include representatives from national laboratories, academic institutions, politics and corporations. I was honored to be nominated to the team based on my knowledge of cleantech and RoseRyan’s work with entrepreneurs.

I can’t mention specifics until the report is issued, most likely in the May/June timeframe, but I can tell you that the results will really illuminate the mindset and attitudes of entrepreneurs and what can be done to promote entrepreneurship throughout the region. The areas covered are comprehensive, including financing, legislation, skills, talent and technology.

As you can imagine, culture plays a big role in defining the competitiveness of our region. I can’t wait to share with you some of the key findings when the report is released.

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