Technology in Boston holds own against Silicon Valley

California's Silicon Valley, which has produced successes such as Netscape, eBay, Google, Facebook and Twitter, is alleged to have rendered technology in Boston obsolete.

Boston Business Journal cites a quote from Netscape cofounder and venture capitalist Mark Andreessen, who explained to the Economist in September that Silicon Valley has "gutted Boston as a place for high-tech entrepreneurship." Andreesen added that Boston has suffered a "massive brain drain" to Silicon Valley, possibly referring to Massachusetts' most recent high-profile tech casualty - Facebook - which founder Mark Zuckerberg brought west from his Harvard University dorm room.

Yet BBJ notes in a separate article that Andreesen may have exaggerated his earlier statements. Not only was Watham-based security intelligence company Q1 Labs recently purchased by IBM, but Andreessen's own firm invested in two Boston-based startups in the past two months.

The first, a social commerce app called Wikets, received $1.5 million from firms, including Andreessen's. The second, Waltham-based data backup company Actifio, received a $33 million round of funding led by his VC.

Were Andreessen's statements a diversion tactic, or was he simply caught up in the moment? Either way, technology in Boston is still thriving.  

KLR offers services for industries that many other CPA firms in Boston may not be familiar with. Its technology consulting branch provides assistance for software developers, technology support services, hardware manufacturers and more.