I’m new to the startup scene here in town and I’m still getting a feel for the ecosystem around here. I’m doing a lot of listening, just reading blog posts comparing us to the Valley, about our lack of swagger or lack of innovation or this or that. I’m trying to get a sense of the environment out here and learn.

My take so far? I gotta tell ya, it’s not perfect here, but seriously, Boston is awesome and I don’t think we give ourselves enough credit.

Trust me: In June 2009 I wouldn’t have moved away from my parents  - not to mention WEGMANS – to live in some overpriced shithole apartment if I didn’t love that city outside my door. (Seriously. I pay like $600 a month in rent and my shower head is held up by a hair elastic. Go figure.)

I’m going to quote Bostinnovation’s take on all the Valley vs. Boston comparisons:

“The environment we currently work in is home to a world class collegiate population, large amounts of VC and plenty of technical talent.  Surely, world-changing companies have been brought to life in less favorable conditions than our own.”

Seriously, people. Boston isn’t so bad!

I’m going to talk to you about Techrigy/Alterian. They created a social media monitoring software, SM2, out of Aaron Newman’s basement in Rochester, NY in 2006.

There are definitely innovators in Rochester, NY – but Twitter and tech and such isn’t as ubiquitous as around here. In Boston, my boss’ three-year-old daughter knows how to use an iPad. Every major company and even local businesses know their way around social media around here. It’s not like that in Rochester. Many people are still figuring it out. Not the best situation for trying to sell a social media monitoring platform, right?

The people at Techrigy didn’t waste time comparing their environment to others. They sat in the basement, and then sat in an office with no windows, and worked their butts off. And then they got acquired.

So, I’m not saying that they are Google – but they are still a startup success story and awesome.

Beantown’s doing alright! We have the tech scene and the educational institutions at our hands. There’s a lot of young energy and leadership in the community, making it a place that new people like me want to be a part of. (Follow @GreenhornBoston, @BosWomenpreneurs @DartBoston and @Bostinnovation for a start.) I would just say that yes, it’s good to stop and question these things and look at what the Valley is doing – but let’s not get too distracted by it. We’ve all got work to do. After all, if we want to “catch up” to the Valley in any way – at some point you just gotta get back to your basement and execute.