The Economist (London, Dec. 19) -- A greater availability of venture capital has helped Chicago startup companies, as has a rich seam of local talent from the U. of I., Northwestern, the University of Chicago and other institutions across the Midwest. (The problem has always been persuading the graduates to stay. The founders of Netscape, PayPal, Yelp and YouTube all studied at the U. of I. but then left after graduation.)