The U.S. Department of Labor tells us that new business creation is at a 40-year low, yet content about new businesses appears to be at an all-time high. One peek around #vcTwit or a stumble into TechCrunch would have you swallowed by Silicon Valley hype.

From the outside, it seems to be getting tougher to find the signal in the noise.

Outside of Silicon Valley, something different is happening. Superficial stories about flyover states and corn fields, routine posts about “the next Silicon Valley,” and cursory Top 10 lists are the only substance that makes national distributions. As a case-in-point, TechCrunch used to use the same theme and thumbnail for a post about the Midwest every few months.

From the outside, it seems that our communities aren’t being understood.

At upside, we focus on startups, startup communities, and startup investing outside of Silicon Valley. We have our ears to the ground, arms wide open, and platform ready to tell the stories of amazing founders, venture capitalists, and community builders from across the country who are tackling problems in their own unique way.

This is a quarterly publication for outsiders by outsiders.

Welcome to the first issue of the update, a publication featuring editorials, trends, and stories happening outside of Silicon Valley. Our contributors live in the world outside of Silicon Valley and we think you’re going to love their genuine perspective.

If you enjoy the update, we would ask one simple thing: share it.

Share it on social, over email, and/or with a friend. Hell, share it from the mountaintop.

Cheers,
Jay & Eric