From the Kauffman Foundation Public Forum Institute comes this interesting blurb:

“A recent Knowledge@Wharton article summarized an interesting discussion among venture capitalists (VCs) at the 2007 Wharton Economic Summit. The topic concerned where VCs are likely to make their next “big bets.” In general, VCs are pretty bullish. While no one expects a return to the late 1990s boom, a lot of big deals, such as Google’s purchase of YouTube, means a lot of fresh cash infusions for many VC investors.

Cleantech is probably the hottest area right now. Personalized medicine is also gaining attention among some investors. Finally, as the reality of global warming hits home, more investors are examining new opportunities tied to clean water production, distribution and conservation. Access the May 2, 2007 Knowledge@Wharton article, “Where the Next Big Bets Lie for Venture Capitalists.”

Now if I lived in a region that was putting a great emphasis on new, cleaner technologies like fuel cells, biofuels, wind power, etc.; that had a reputation for some of the finest medical care in the country and was in the process of developing ways to personalize the delivery of new forms of care; and that just happened to sit on one of the largest bodies of fresh water left in the world–

Hey, wait a minute, I do! In fact, everyone in Cleveland and the rest of Northeast Ohio does!

Hmmm…

If we really put our minds and our energy (no pun intended–well, maybe a little bit) into aggressively capitalizing on these developing technologies and our geographic locational advantage, we might actually find ourselves at the head of the pack again…