Innovation America Innovation America Accelerating the growth of the GLOBAL entrepreneurial innovation economy
Founded by Rich Bendis

Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley speaks to tech industry workers at the Big Omaha convention in May.Wichita, Kansas (CNN) -- At a table in Caffe Moderne, a coffee bar in downtown Wichita, sat a couple of young Kansans sipping coffee and working away on Macbook Pros. Terms like "content management systems" and "web integration" floated in the air as Clint Brauer taught a local about his business.

Thirteen years ago, Brauer couldn't wait to get out of the Sunflower State. "I just didn't see the opportunities in Kansas," he said. "I grew up in a small town outside of Wichita, went to Kansas State ... and so I moved to the West Coast to get into high tech."

Brauer traveled from the prairie to the Hollywood Hills and spent his 20s living the kind of life he'd fantasized about while growing up in the small town of Haven.

THE ORIGINAL SILICON PRAIRIE TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION (SPTA) WAS CREATED IN 1986 IN KANSAS CITY BY RICH BENDIS, INNOVATION AMERICA FOUNDER,  AND 4 OTHER TECHNOLOGY ENTREPRENEURS.

To read the full, original article click on this link: Techies reject coasts for 'Silicon Prairie' - CNN.com

Author: Josh Rubin