Pittsburgh has an emerging startup community and, in my opinion, is well positioned to really be a true entrepreneurial hub going forward. There are certain important pieces in place - for example, a great technical institute to serve as an anchor, local and state government that seems interested in encouraging high-tech businesses, and affordable living (which also translates to affordable employees and office space).

That said, building a business is hard and there's a reason that many high-tech entrepreneurs choose Silicon Valley - it has an extensive support system in place to really make the process a lot easier. Our goal with Nextburgh is to start putting some of other pieces in place in Pittsburgh to help the city take the next step. 

We're launching two things today which are hopefully just the beginning:

A blog to provide exposure for local startups. An important first step in this process is visibility and exposure for those already doing great things - so we're starting a blog that will focus on covering local Pittsburgh startups. Whether you're a mature, venture-backed company or just a guy/gal with an idea, we'll help you get the word out. If you're interested in being interviewed for the blog, contact us.

A mailing list to help entrepreneurs connect and share insights. Being an entrepreneur can be daunting, especially when you feel like you're tackling a unique set of challenges. Even though it may not always seem like it, the good news is that you're usually not alone. Our goal with the Nextburgh mailing list is to help entrepreneurs connect with each othe to ask questions, share insights and, well, sometimes just get a little empathy. We intend this to have a very high signal-to-noise ratio and there are certain guidelines in place to help ensure that.

We have a lot more planned down the road, but hopefully these two pieces can start laying the foundation for what's next in the 'Burgh.