A very odd thing is happened to the number of startups in Seattle: it's growing a faster rate than before.
This month there are 19 new startups on the SSI, an all time record for new startups in a single month. But wait a second, aren't we on a recession?
I actually have a theory about it: Startups don't get listed when the founders decide to quit their day job and add them to the Seattle 2.0
startup list, they get listed when they launch their beta, which means these products were being developed for 6-12 months at least. I believe there is a sense of urgency from startups to launch their product sooner rather than later to either start generating some revenue or to show some traction and attract investors. This is not the time to be perfecting versions 1 of products and they get it. I'm sure there are other dozens of stealth startups out there which might never see the light of day because they will run out of capital before they can ship it.
Anyway, the fight between Zillow and Pet Holdings for the #1 spot on the list continues to be a great one. Both are growing on this down economy, which is always there is great opportunity for startups at any kind of economic environment.