What most distinguishes Silicon Valley from elsewhere is how much easier it is to find investors - not just VC, but angels who are comfortable putting their money into tech startups.<p>Startups in the Valley are never more than a couple degrees of separation from someone who's made money in tech, or has friends who did. There's a level of comfort with tech startups that doesn't exist elsewhere. Though there may be plenty of rich people in other areas, they don't have the familiarity with tech to risk their money on a startup when they could buy real estate or whatever.