Press: The Bay Area's Golden Age

When it comes to money, technology and talent, right now all roads lead to the Bay Area.

That includes Wall Street, Hollywood Boulevard and the streets of the financial districts of Shanghai and Hong Kong.

The Bay Area is enjoying a virtuous cycle of money financing startups that create jobs and companies that, in turn, will be acquired or go public one day, triggering another wave of wealthy investors and innovation.

“Success breeds success,” said Matthew Le Merle, a Marin County investor in several Bay Area startups.

“If you’re young, ambitious and have an entrepreneurial dream, you come to the Bay Area,” said Le Merle, managing partner at Fifth Era. He sees the Bay Area’s rising tech-fueled fortunes entering 2014 as simply the latest magnet to the region, a theme going back to those pulled here by gold fever.