Each time we run a meet-up we like to have a brief interview with some of the major players in the industry. This time we spoke with Chris Devore, creator of Founders Co-Op and a serial entrepreneur and general Seattle cheerleader.
“When you asked me ‘Can you talk about why Seattle is a great place for a startup up,’ that’s basically my spiel all day long,” he said. He believes Seattle is full of amazing talent and opportunities for smart people looking for a great place to live and work.
Devore spent a few years in the valley before returning to Seattle and feels that Seattle is still a nascent market for start-ups. In the past five years, however, more money has begun flowing into the area and there are, as a corollary, more success stories.
“Entrepreneurs essentially have a personality defect that makes them not a good fit at a big company,” he said. That’s why you don’t have to work at Microsoft or Amazon if you move to Seattle – in fact it’s discouraged. Rather than telling folks not to come, however, Devore wants to fill the city with great people and ideas. A noble goal, to be sure.