Sergey Brin: Come to Silicon Valley to scale a business, but not to start one
Being headquartered in San Francisco, CA is &quot;negatively correlated&quot; (standard deviation when pooled with all cities: -0.5261) with having a successful exit.<p>Best cities&#x2F;towns&#x2F;etc (most correlated with experiencing an exit, rather than failing&#x2F;floundering (shut down, or founded before 2004 + no exit&#x2F;acquisition&#x2F;IPO)) to create a startup:<p><pre><code>    stddev      Exits   Total   City

    8.4678      143     207     Mountain View, CA USA

    6.4855      130     356     London, H9 GBR

    5.7360      15      25      Berlin, 16 DEU

    4.5423      23      56      Tokyo, 40 JPN
    4.5105      17      32      Richardson, TX USA
    4.3559      56      159     Paris, A8 FRA
    4.2118      44      99      Vancouver, BC CAN
    4.1381      28      62      Montreal, QC CAN
    4.0152      60      99      Waltham, MA USA

    3.9462      57      138     Atlanta, GA USA
    3.9414      14      21      Arlington, VA USA
    3.8747      15      20      Foster City, CA USA
    3.8528      14      41      Copenhagen, 17 DNK
    3.7484      32      42      South San Francisco, CA USA
    3.7131      14      31      Baltimore, MD USA
    3.6728      39      79      Fremont, CA USA
    3.4364      9       17      Irving, TX USA
    3.3919      8       11      Chelmsford, MA USA
    3.3833      5       7       Surry Hills, 2 AUS
    3.3637      19      59      Bangalore, 19 IND
    3.3335      11      24      Hamburg, 4 DEU
    3.2568      19      36      Morrisville, NC USA
    3.2101      10      29      Seoul, 11 KOR
    3.1476      17      32      Bethesda, MD USA
    3.1191      17      42      Cambridge, C3 GBR

    2.9591      7       18      Zurich, 25 CHE
    2.9566      7       7       Chapel Hill, NC USA
    2.8746      11      32      St Louis, MO USA
    2.8625      39      83      Boulder, CO USA
    2.8225      35      69      Portland, OR USA
    2.8000      45      128     Beijing, 22 CHN
    2.7117      15      23      Aliso Viejo, CA USA
    2.6170      13      19      Los Gatos, CA USA
    2.4679      12      30      Helsinki, 13 FIN
    2.4569      4       12      Istanbul, 34 TUR
    2.4385      22      49      Minneapolis, MN USA
    2.3187      21      72      Dublin, 7 IRL
    2.3046      5       6       Burlington, ON CAN
    2.2251      4       6       Kennesaw, GA USA
    2.1569      8       12      Sterling, VA USA
    2.1564      111     206     San Jose, CA USA
    2.0461      37      58      Cupertino, CA USA
    2.0432      20      36      Pasadena, CA USA
    2.0180      7       8       Itasca, IL USA

    1.9883      23      51      Ottawa, ON CAN
    1.9772      5       6       Oak Brook, IL USA
    1.9468      7       8       Westford, MA USA
    1.9386      3       3       Gent, 8 BEL
    1.9285      4       7       Delft, 11 NLD
    1.9251      9       16      Beverly Hills, CA USA
    1.8902      8       18      Oslo, 12 NOR
    1.8785      4       7       Costa Mesa, CA USA
    1.8746      13      37      Tampa, FL USA
    1.8346      9       21      Jacksonville, FL USA
    1.8340      13      18      San Bruno, CA USA
    1.8246      7       10      Venice, CA USA
    1.8117      16      50      Stockholm, 26 SWE
    1.8010      8       15      Wilmington, DE USA
    1.7720      7       19      Burnaby, BC CAN
    1.7050      5       7       Kitchener, ON CAN
    1.6856      6       16      Gurgaon, 10 IND
    1.6729      398     807     New York, NY USA
    1.6474      3       3       Fuzhou Shi, 3 CHN
    1.6362      15      41      Madrid, 29 ESP
    1.6145      2       5       Utrecht, 9 NLD
    1.6135      5       11      Minnetonka, MN USA
    1.5937      21      35      Milpitas, CA USA
    1.5785      14      28      Mclean, VA USA
    1.5671      6       11      Orem, UT USA
    1.5587      3       8       Prague, 52 CZE
    1.5505      3       3       Lake Forest, IL USA
    1.5461      9       12      Alameda, CA USA
    1.5459      4       14      Rio De Janeiro, 21 BRA
    1.5402      9       14      El Segundo, CA USA
    1.5240      8       17      West Hollywood, CA USA
    1.5223      4       5       Doylestown, PA USA
    1.5127      9       38      Sao Paulo, 2 BRA
    1.4928      4       6       Arlington Heights, IL USA
    1.4881      15      27      Marlborough, MA USA
    1.4800      4       10      Stuttgart, 1 DEU
    1.4516      7       11      Kfar Saba, 2 ISR
    1.4352      5       13      Dubai, 3 ARE
    1.4241      2       3       Blackrock, 7 IRL
    1.4220      3       5       Roncade, 20 ITA
    1.4157      3       8       Espoo, 13 FIN
    1.3833      7       24      Vienna, 9 AUT
    1.3667      5       6       Solana Beach, CA USA
    1.3442      7       14      Mississauga, ON CAN
    1.3139      7       10      Belmont, CA USA
    1.3073      13      29      San Antonio, TX USA
    1.2982      6       14      Buffalo, NY USA
    1.2742      4       5       Ames, IA USA
    1.2476      5       11      Abingdon, K2 GBR
    1.2381      19      50      Washington, DC USA
    1.2296      102     171     Cambridge, MA USA
    1.2282      7       13      Westminster, CO USA
    1.2127      5       12      Annapolis, MD USA
    1.2056      2       2       Odense, 21 DNK
    1.1670      2       2       West Des Moines, IA USA
    1.1492      2       2       Notting Hill, 7 AUS
    1.1480      3       7       Schaumburg, IL USA
    1.1403      13      35      Plano, TX USA
    1.1257      3       3       Sunrise, FL USA
    1.1201      13      31      Ann Arbor, MI USA
    1.0986      4       9       Halifax, NS CAN
    1.0967      2       3       San Marcos, TX USA
    1.0963      2       2       Mi Wuk Village, CA USA
    1.0841      4       7       Newtown, PA USA
    1.0752      3       4       Zug, 24 CHE
    1.0658      37      74      Tel Aviv, 5 ISR
    1.0643      10      34      Shenzhen, 30 CHN
    1.0558      5       10      Munchen, 2 DEU
    1.0379      5       5       Branford, CT USA
    1.0283      3       3       Fredericton, NS CAN
    1.0099      2       3       Pune, 16 IND
    1.0033      4       8       Charleston, SC USA
</code></pre>
Worst:<p><pre><code>   -9.2963      55      178     Los Angeles, CA USA

   -5.8472      13      135     Moscow, 48 RUS

   -4.2334      2       16      Quebec, QC CAN
   -4.1071      9       24      Berkeley, CA USA

   -3.9312      4       15      Lucerne Valley, CA USA
   -3.7260      63      124     Redwood City, CA USA
   -3.5625      2       10      Netanya, 2 ISR
   -3.3962      8       20      Newton, MA USA
   -3.3100      10      20      Princeton, NJ USA
   -3.2994      9       21      La Jolla, CA USA

   -2.8129      6       13      Petaluma, CA USA
   -2.5981      12      42      Raleigh, NC USA
   -2.3986      14      41      Brooklyn, NY USA
   -2.3916      4       10      Addison, TX USA
   -2.3777      59      155     Toronto, ON CAN
   -2.3297      2       6       Allentown, PA USA
   -2.2695      2       9       Edison, NJ USA
   -2.1975      1       5       Champaign, IL USA
   -2.1557      114     240     Austin, TX USA
   -2.0160      0       7       Livermore, CA USA
   -2.0154      127     244     Palo Alto, CA USA

   -1.9803      1       5       Blacksburg, VA USA
   -1.9321      4       20      Melbourne, 7 AUS
   -1.9214      13      34      Charlotte, NC USA
   -1.8469      0       4       City Of Industry, CA USA
   -1.8068      5       19      Rochester, NY USA
   -1.7758      1       4       Lod, 2 ISR
   -1.7431      0       3       Eatontown, NJ USA
   -1.7269      4       12      Wilmington, MA USA
   -1.7250      0       5       Owings Mills, MD USA
   -1.6628      5       13      New Haven, CT USA
   -1.6467      1       5       Golden, CO USA
   -1.6458      2       16      Memphis, TN USA
   -1.6433      0       5       Cedar Park, TX USA
   -1.6354      3       15      Santa Ana, CA USA
   -1.6351      9       17      Gaithersburg, MD USA
   -1.6102      35      99      Houston, TX USA
   -1.6033      0       3       Superior, WI USA
   -1.5757      0       10      Saint Petersburg, 66 RUS
   -1.5656      0       4       Tacoma, WA USA
   -1.5626      8       25      Orlando, FL USA
   -1.5451      0       9       Little Rock, AR USA
   -1.5421      1       7       Galway, 10 IRL
   -1.5226      9       41      Cleveland, OH USA
   -1.5176      1       6       Liverpool, H8 GBR
   -1.5007      5       30      Columbus, OH USA
   -1.4983      19      48      Philadelphia, PA USA
   -1.4838      0       4       Toledo, OH USA
   -1.4825      0       6       Newark, NJ USA
   -1.4783      26      83      Pittsburgh, PA USA
   -1.4602      15      35      Oakland, CA USA
   -1.4537      0       6       Sausalito, CA USA
   -1.4369      1       8       Kista, 26 SWE
   -1.4364      0       5       New Orleans, LA USA
   -1.3845      6       20      Newport Beach, CA USA
   -1.3755      1       8       Manchester, I2 GBR
   -1.3457      29      84      Dallas, TX USA
   -1.3180      0       8       Centennial, CO USA
   -1.2865      3       13      Charlottesville, VA USA
   -1.2839      0       5       Morgan Hill, CA USA
   -1.2704      1       4       Lawrenceville, GA USA
   -1.2478      1       6       Burbank, CA USA
   -1.2446      0       8       Tallinn, 1 EST
   -1.2440      87      157     San Mateo, CA USA
   -1.2188      4       13      Plymouth, MN USA
   -1.1966      0       3       Laguna Beach, CA USA
   -1.1938      26      64      Salt Lake City, UT USA
   -1.1711      0       9       Jakarta, 4 IDN
   -1.1672      43      106     Irvine, CA USA
   -1.1634      1       5       Guangdong, 5 CHN
   -1.1536      0       2       Orsay, A8 FRA
   -1.1421      0       2       Cherry Hill, NJ USA
   -1.1222      4       13      Longmont, CO USA
   -1.1221      0       3       Columbia, SC USA
   -1.1055      0       4       Laval, QC CAN
   -1.0837      0       2       Mountain, WI USA
   -1.0790      0       3       Gilbert, AZ USA
   -1.0743      4       7       Boxborough, MA USA
   -1.0369      0       2       Pittsburg, CA USA
   -1.0302      0       4       Napa, CA USA
   -1.0275      2       7       Clearwater, FL USA
   -1.0176      9       30      Indianapolis, IN USA
   -1.0122      0       9       Porto Alegre, 23 BRA</code></pre>