Sam McCullough, Pennsylvania's Secretary of Community and Economic Development, says their charge was to build blueprint for the state. But to tell us what more we need to do as a state to really be a player in the global economy with respect to technology. New buildings devoted to university research or technology companies are taking the place of steel mills that lined the banks of the Monongahela River for miles. The Tech 21 priorities ranged from workforce training to commercializing university research. But finding capital for early stage companies has been a top priority and, so far, one of the state's clearest successes.
Critics say states have no business in the venture capital game.
But private capital has flowed to Pennsylvania as well. But like most states, Pennsylvania's share of all U.S. venture capital has declined as investors dash for hot spots like Silicon Valley. Still, technology's momentum in Pittsburgh is unmistakable. Doug Goodall, stands on the banks of the Monongahela River, looking at a series of new buildings devoted to technology companies and university research. You don't see any mills anymore.