Civil Geeks: Startups Leave Hawaii and That’s Okay

My latest (and penultimate) column for Civil Beat addresses comments I’ve constantly heard throughout the growth of Hawaii’s nascent innovation economy. When a local startup announces that it’s relocating to Silicon Valley, there are a lot of congratulations but also a few complaints.

A startup’s ability to succeed outside Hawaii is an important part of the decision to invest in it, Farnsworth said.

“Even in the best of circumstances, you will need to expand beyond the state, and our job is to invest in companies that we think are going to scale in that way,” she said. “When they do, we’re happy.”

And a move by any other name might smell as sweet.

“The terminology we use is sometimes negative,” she said. “Did they leave or did they expand to the mainland? When they open an office in San Francisco, I think, ‘Awesome, they’re thriving.’”

Read the full article: 2 Experts Explain Why It’s OK For Startups to Leave Hawaii