Alan Schaff founder of imgur.com coined the phrase when asked why he left Ohio University in Athens Ohio for California.

Alan said who wants to be in “Nowhere Ohio”. Even though Alan received funding and assistance from the O.U. Innovation Ctr. he calls the experience “a program” at college never mentioning what program or what college. Yet IMGUR went on to become a company valued at a billion plus and invested in by such luminaries as Marc Andreesen.

 

We believe that IMGUR and many other companies and founders who left Ohio to find success in other areas could have stayed and been successful here if only Ohio’s investors, VC’s and incubators would remove their heads from their collective asses.

Strong language ? perhaps but the value of IMGUR alone is larger than the entire “Third Frontier” budget for the entire decade of its existence ! and is double the current return on that investment by Ohio taxpayers. Ohio received ZERO in return for its investment in IMGUR and it is our own fault.

Congratulations to Alan Schaff and Matt Strader for leaving their home for greener pastures a wise decision.

 

It is time for Ohio and the Appalachia region to begin to disrupt commerce and invest in what we know and are already good at.

 

Nowhere Ventures

Marietta Ohio

May 1 2015