"Big Win" (B.W.) often crops-up when you ask entrepreneurs, investors and civic boosters what Nashville needs to take its economy to that ill-defined "next level." Too often, people think the B.W. means luring a company from another city, giving the loser an economic wedgie. Seldom in the same breath do people mention how illusory such gains can be. Remember Motricity (aka, PowerByHand)? After scooping up some capital here during its all-too-brief sojourn, Founder-CEO Ryan Wuerch (at left) moved lock, stock and barrel to N.C. Now, did you notice Motricity, now international and having reverse-merged with InfoSpace, recently relocated to Bellevue (WA) and is slashing headcount? Wishful thinking: Motricity is divesting of some of its consumer businesses. Maybe Nashville investors will grab one of those assets and bring it here. Either way, it's a lesson in sic transit tech. Maybe we could get Wuerch to come tell us how we could've kept him here and avoided the 'Big Loss" (B.L.). Take it farther: We note Cisco Systems VP Dave Holland joined the Motricity board. That, in turn, reminds us of Cisco's iPrize competition, in which 1,600 individuals, comprising hundreds of teams, submitted product and venture ideas to Cisco, in pursuit of $10 million in venture capital, signing bonuses and a chance to surf the Next Wave. (Winners TBA.) Today's Friday Fantasy: Let's get Wuerch, the Cisco iPrize folks and other Big Thinkers (B.T.'s) to come to Nashville to help us think-through how to leverage our advantages and become a piston in the engine of the new economy. Maybe we connect that gathering to a Venture Forum (not unlike the TVVF) and "animate" all the pieces, as Stephen Collins said in yesterday's post about Juris. Yeah, ideas are cheap. I'm just sayin'...
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Or.. Maybe Nashville dodged a bullet/black eye? See moconews.net (search Motricity) or read one of the many posts with comments like this one
http://www.moconews.net/entry/419-behind-the-scenes-of-the-motricity-infospace-acquisition
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