Earlier this year we met Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, who was just beginning to spend $350 million of his own money to transform Las Vegas.
He invited us to spend a few days in Downtown Vegas, and we were impressed with what we saw. During our time there, small businesses opened their doors (including clothing store Coterie), and entrepreneurs moved into the Ogden (including the founders of Tech Cocktail), where Hsieh lives and rents out 60 rooms for visitors, startups, and Zappos and Downtown Project employees.
We visited again this month, and there have already been some big changes. For example, The Beat Coffeehouse, where startups and others go to co-work, was bustling; a new venue, Commonwealth opened across the street (not Hsieh's investment but proof the area is starting to build up); and the Las Vegas Tech Fund had added several companies to its incubator.
Hsieh offered to share with us his latest PowerPoint presentation, where he lays out his big plans for Vegas (it's an updated version of this one he gave in New York City earlier this year).
