In September, tech giant Google announced that it had selected the Triangle as one of seven sites for the company’s Tech Hub Network.

In October, Google Glass hosted their first public demo event at the American Tobacco Campus in Durham. Excited tech enthusiasts drove from Charlotte, Wilmington, Asheville and Richmond, VA, just to try on Glass for 15-minute segments.

Over the winter, Google sent a team to Rocky Mount to film self-taught programmer, firefighter, and Glass Explorer Patrick Jackson in action as he continues to develop Firefighter Log, a Google Glass and web application to enable firefighters additional tools to respond to emergency situations.

Wednesday, news broke that the Triangle is on a short list of nine regional areas on Google’s short-list to receive Google Fiber, a fiber-optic network capable of delivering up to 1-gigabit Internet connectivity.

So what’s with Google’s love affair with the Triangle?

At the launch of American Underground @Raleigh on Wednesday night, I caught up with Mary Grove, the director of Google for Entrepreneurs, for an exclusive interview to discuss the Triangle’s potential – and what makes it attractive to Google.

Grove and I first spoke ahead of the Tech Hub Network announcement in September, but she had not yet visited the Triangle.

Last night, eight hours into her first visit to the Triangle, we sat down in front of American Underground’s new building as more than 120 members of the Triangle’s entrepreneurial community gathered to tour the new space on Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street.

“American Underground is a partner that is providing true value to the community,” said Grove, who first connected with Adam Klein, chief strategist of American Underground, at a “Google for Entrepreneurs” day in early 2013.

Google plans to catalyze an entrepreneurial movement globally. Along with Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Minneapolis, Nashville, and Waterloo, Canada, the team selected Durham and the Triangle as a Tech Hub Network, though the network extends to more than one hundred global locations as well, said Grove.

“We’re focused on partnership organizations,” said Grove, “that’s the whole concept behind the Tech Hub Network.”

Her team – less than ten employees – operates as a startup and focuses on developing within and across networks that are what she called “spotlight cities.”

“These spotlight cities are vibrant, but they’re not Silicon Valley or Boston,” said Grove, “it’s been really remarkable to watch these tech hubs develop.”

Enough for Google Fiber?

Should the Triangle be selected for Google Fiber, said Jon Lanisa, co-founder of Photofy, based out of American Underground’s Raleigh location, it verifies that the Triangle is an up-and-coming entrepreneurial community.

“It’s justification that Google sees value in our community,” said Lanisa.

“As a developer, Fiber would be huge,” said Chris Keenan, a developer for Photofy. “If Fiber comes to the Triangle, we’re set.” The potential gain in Internet connectivity and speed completely change a young company’s ability to develop and run a company,he added,

It’s not just the increase in Internet speed that makes Fiber an important infrastructural component, said Lanisa. “If Google brings Fiber to a city, it encourages talent to move to where they can access it.”

With the downtown districts of each of the Triangle’s cities, and RTP at the center of the Triangle all in the midst of major redevelopment projects, running fiber throughout the entire Triangle region could boost the entire region significantly, said Derrick Minor, innovation and entrepreneurship manager for the City of Raleigh.

“We’ve already created a strong entrepreneurial community without Google Fiber,” Minor said. “Imagine what the community could do with Fiber.

“It really would be huge for the Triangle.”

Think of Kansas City, said Minor. The city is known for Google Fiber – the launch of Fiber in the city stemmed the growth of their entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Why Pick the Triangle?

“The announcement from the Fiber team is a representation of the strong interest and community of entrepreneurs here in the region,” said Grove.

It’s an exciting first step towards a Fiber network, though it is not Google’s first step in the region.

So why is Google so interested in the Triangle?

“There’s an incredible density of talent,” said Grove, naming the first of three major factors that stand out to the company.

The proximity of major research universities provides a pipeline of talent for young companies seeking to attract and retain locally educated talent. And more and more young people are choosing to remain in the Triangle post-graduation.

“The Universities are a unique asset,” said Grove, “as are the wide varieties of industries that exist in the Triangle.”

From tech companies to life science startups to fashion incubators and the maker community, the Triangle is developing a breadth and depth of companies that are creating value for customers across the globe.

The third asset of the Triangle, she added, “is the strong sense of community, and the physical locations that support and enhance entrepreneurial activities.”

“These are the three ingredients of a successful community,” she explained. The Triangle contains all of them.

The Triangle’s Challenges and Opportunities, According to Google

Despite the important assets within the community, the region does face significant challenges, noted Grove. These challenges include the lack of national and global visibility as a deep entrepreneurial community, said Grove. This challenge is is the primary motivator for connecting the key community builders within the Triangle to a broad network across the country, said Grove.

That community is the rest of the Tech Hub Network. This enhances greater collaboration and the ability to problem-solve across geographic boundaries, said Grove. It’s a large opportunity for community leaders to share successes, to collaborate, and to develop solutions that can scale from one community to many.

“I heard that there’s a gap between angel funding and Series A,” said Grove, “but I’m struck by the number of successful entrepreneurs in the community.” Grove referenced a few young entrepreneurs that have recently experienced a successful exit, and expressed a strong sense of hope that these successful entrepreneurs would incubate and invest in young startups in the region.

“There’s a huge opportunity to cultivate a strong angel community,” said Grove.

What comes next?

Grove will remain in the Triangle today, and will return soon. She’s on a mission to visit each one of her Tech Hub Network partners. Her next stop is Minneapolis.

Grove and her team are working towards a major showcase event on April 2, 2014, at Google headquarters. It’s the Google for Entrepreneurs team’s first Demo Day, and will showcase top companies from each Tech Hub Network.

The selection process has already begun in most cities, including the Triangle.. The kickoff of American Underground Raleigh highlighted the growth and significance of the entrepreneurs in the region, said Grove.

The continued success of the entrepreneurs within our region will validate Google’s choice of the Triangle as a Tech Hub Network—and potentially as test site for Google Fiber.

“Entrepreneurship is a vehicle of development and expression,” Grove added, “and the Triangle is a fantastic place for an entrepreneur.”

On a Personal Note …

Let’s ensure we keep it that way. If you’ve read this far, take one action right now to network an entrepreneur to an additional resource. Send a thank you note to a mentor or advisor that helped you develop professionally. Drop a phone call to a friend that launched a startup and ask how you can help.

Here’s to the growth of the community, and to kicking off yet another successful infrastructure project within the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the Triangle.