“Stay away from the light. Tell her quickly. The light is dangerous! Don’t go near it! Don’t even look at the light!” Depending on your generation, you may or may not recall those chilling words from the psychic in Poltergeist, but thankfully YouTube has preserved it for us.
For entrepreneurs who often work long hours in closed quarters–away from the light–the darkness can be a comforting environment. But at some point, a startup must be ready to step into the light and face the scrutiny of its innovation. The light is where you will find partners, investors, experts and influencers to support your venture. Eventually, you will find customers and revenue.
With that premonition, we announce the launch of Start-Opia, a bright, open environment for the scaling eco-system in the Southeast. It’s a platform to search, connect and promote each other’s vision, concept, innovation and company. It’s a place for community, information and engagement.
Why now? Depending on who you talk to or what media source you rely on, the economy is back and innovation is playing a critical role in its return, be it through the likes of Oscar, Vowch, Boxbee, Goldbely and some of the Southeast’s very own – YouScience, Great Parents Academy and Iron Yard, all three in the EdTech space that recently appeared on Start-Opia Radio.
So it’s true that success breeds success, but it also creates chaos and fragmentation – incubators, coming and going; startups launching, scaling and selling; capitalists moving into the region; and locals starting new funds. It’s all good, but we believe there’s a need for aggregation of news, companies and initiatives. That’s what we have in Start-Opia … an always accessible, scaling source that’s never in the dark.
Dare we say, “The future is so bright, you might have to wear shades.”
