HAVING A CULTURE OF RISK AVERSION A local culture of risk aversion is another classical inhibitor of startup communities. As I travel around the United States, I often hear from people that they are afraid of investing time in their startup community because they are afraid there won’t be a payoff. This generally comes in two forms: (1) a concern about investing your time in something that doesn’t have impact, and (2) fear of rejection by other leaders in the startup community.
