Thread by @BFriedmanDC

This is a good tweet about the idiocy and classism that permeates #startup culture. I have some thoughts.

https://twitter.com/johnfein/status/1015958594896965632

In Startup Land, if you're not leveraging technology or "solving a problem," you're not allowed to be part of the club.

If you're not coming to the table with an entirely original idea (no matter how dumb), then good luck finding support.

This approach is harmful because it invalidates most entrepreneurship and it ignores a huge swath of the U.S. economy.

For example, here are some "startups" that don't get invited to fancy business accelerators:

-the Pakistani immigrant who opens a restaurant in a suburban strip mall

-the high school-educated 20-year-old who starts a lawn service company

And some more:

-the unemployed Army vet who starts a woodworking company because that's what he knows

-the photographer who starts selling calendars online from home

Everyone knows people who've launched businesses like these.

I know about this because my own company, @RakkasanTea, straddles the line.

We are not a tech company. We *are* solving a problem by offering hard-to-find selections, but at the end of the day, we're still one of many tea companies.

Launching a yard maintenance company, a carryout restaurant or a loose-leaf tea company won't make you a billionaire, but it's companies like ours that drive the economy.

And #startup culture needs to recognize that if it wants to contribute to a sustainable economy with nice communities--instead of simply fueling the constant mad dash for cash.

Okay, I'm done.