This headline is only a little in jest. But as I’ve gotten around to various tech companies here in Israel I’ve started noticing a trend: that the further away a tech area is from Silicon Valley the less respect that area will get. The headline is also a bit unfair to TechCrunch/Mike because he’s actually been to Israel and has a couple of writers covering the tech scene here, but if you’re a blogger and let the facts get in the way of a good headline you’ll never go anywhere.
I’ve noticed this when I visited MySpace: they were so excited when I visited because they say that tech bloggers never visit. I was thinking back to my own experiences. Yes, that’s true. Facebook employees regularly meet up with us at parties and dinners and conferences. We run into MySpace employees far less often. These personal connections turn into stories on blogs.
Same when I visited San Antonio. These were companies I never hear about in conversations in the valley. We don’t have personal connections to their employees. Ask yourself, have you ever heard of PerfTech? Kulabyte? Rackspace? Newtech?
Anyway, I’ve been all over to the world. Shanghai. Tokyo. Frankfurt. London. New York. Cork. Dublin. Hamburg. Geneva.
I’ve never seen the entrepreneurial spirit outside of Silicon Valley like I’ve seen here in Tel Aviv. The companies here are doing technology that’s deep, varied, and highly profitable.
Anyway, I’ll write more about this topic over the weekend, because right now we’re about to leave to see Jeruselem and meet with some Venture Capitalists to further understand what’s going on here in Israel.
In the meantime, go to TechCrunch and check out Fring’s new iPhone app. (Fring is headquartered here in Israel, and shows another trend that I’ve noticed here that Israel is WAY ahead of the United States in use of Mobile apps — another thing that’s surprising is how many iPhones you see here, even though there isn’t a single Apple store).
One other thing, Twitter has been where we’ve been having interesting conversations. It was amazing. The other day we were in a van between Haifa and Tel Aviv. Talking with Arrington back in California. Christineleu in China. GiaGia in London. All at the same time.
The advent of Twitter is one thing that’s bringing far away lands into the PR machinery that exists only in Silicon Valley.
I wish I had a month to spend here, so many startups want to get my attention, but I just can’t see them all. But there still is nothing better than meeting face-to-face over a beer to find out interesting stories about people, companies, countries.
For instance, last night several people begged me to write about the proposed Israel Censorship Law. Global Voices Online has already done that, but if it weren’t for being here I wouldn’t have known about the issues that they really care about.
Anyway, off to Jeruselem, stay in touch with us on my Twitter account.
Do you agree or disagree that people, companies, countries can get the respect and/or tech industry PR they deserve if they are far away from Silicon Valley?
Scobleizer 
Shouldn’t social media be helping them to get that respect, decentralizing away from all the self-absorbed tech driven media? You would hope.
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Shouldn’t social media be helping them to get that respect, decentralizing away from all the self-absorbed tech driven media? You would hope.
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Shouldn’t social media be helping them to get that respect, decentralizing away from all the self-absorbed tech driven media? You would hope.
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@Prokofy. As much as I love Twitter and FriendFeed and Facebook and Upcoming, no, sorry, there’s nothing like standing with entrepreneurs at http://www.garagegeeks.com , drinking a beer, and hearing stories.
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@Prokofy. As much as I love Twitter and FriendFeed and Facebook and Upcoming, no, sorry, there’s nothing like standing with entrepreneurs at http://www.garagegeeks.com , drinking a beer, and hearing stories.
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@Prokofy. As much as I love Twitter and FriendFeed and Facebook and Upcoming, no, sorry, there’s nothing like standing with entrepreneurs at http://www.garagegeeks.com , drinking a beer, and hearing stories.
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I think that the next Silicon Valley will be China:)
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I think that the next Silicon Valley will be China:)
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I think that the next Silicon Valley will be China:)
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I have just recently discovered the value of Twitter. I get to see you and Arrington and every other tech blogger / SEO I want to follow have some of these cool conversations. The insight to be gained on Twitter is invaluable. I find myself wanting to dig up the next great story or observation so I can get in and add some value to the conversation. Alas, I just watch the information stream across my screen, soaking it in like a sponge, for now. One day…
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I have just recently discovered the value of Twitter. I get to see you and Arrington and every other tech blogger / SEO I want to follow have some of these cool conversations. The insight to be gained on Twitter is invaluable. I find myself wanting to dig up the next great story or observation so I can get in and add some value to the conversation. Alas, I just watch the information stream across my screen, soaking it in like a sponge, for now. One day…
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I have just recently discovered the value of Twitter. I get to see you and Arrington and every other tech blogger / SEO I want to follow have some of these cool conversations. The insight to be gained on Twitter is invaluable. I find myself wanting to dig up the next great story or observation so I can get in and add some value to the conversation. Alas, I just watch the information stream across my screen, soaking it in like a sponge, for now. One day…
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@Igor China will be very important, yes. But they don’t have the entrepreneurial attitude that Israel has.
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@Igor China will be very important, yes. But they don’t have the entrepreneurial attitude that Israel has.
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@Igor China will be very important, yes. But they don’t have the entrepreneurial attitude that Israel has.
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You are quickly becoming my favorite blog, sir.
Just thought I’d throw that in here.
Keep doing what you do – I’ve an archive to catch-up on.
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You are quickly becoming my favorite blog, sir.
Just thought I’d throw that in here.
Keep doing what you do – I’ve an archive to catch-up on.
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You are quickly becoming my favorite blog, sir.
Just thought I’d throw that in here.
Keep doing what you do – I’ve an archive to catch-up on.
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PR wise, it ultimately depends on what the company is working on. A good company with a good product with get the respect and PR it deserves regardless of where it is located. It might not happen over night, and majority of the time it won’t, but if you have something truly beneficial to offers others, your efforts will be recognized. I do PR on Wall St., and I see tech companies not from Silicon Valley getting great press all the time (and I kick myself when my clients aren’t the one getting it). If you have something that’s going to make an impact on the marketplace, you going to receive the respect that you deserve.
@Prokofy: I would argue that depending on how high tech your company directly relates to how much social media can really help you. I think that a company for example working on advanced nanotechnology would garner more respect in the industry by being feature in the Gilder Tech Report than being mentioned on Engadget or TechCrunch or talked about by many people on Twitter. But something that’s simple like FriendFeed, would benefit more from social media than traditional press. Ultimately it really depends on who your product is being marketed towards. In the case of the nanotech, you won’t be selling your product to the average consumer. It would be more of a B2B model, in which social media really wouldn’t help you at all and industry trade press would. But if you have a product targeting regular consumers, social media should play a crucial role.
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PR wise, it ultimately depends on what the company is working on. A good company with a good product with get the respect and PR it deserves regardless of where it is located. It might not happen over night, and majority of the time it won’t, but if you have something truly beneficial to offers others, your efforts will be recognized. I do PR on Wall St., and I see tech companies not from Silicon Valley getting great press all the time (and I kick myself when my clients aren’t the one getting it). If you have something that’s going to make an impact on the marketplace, you going to receive the respect that you deserve.
@Prokofy: I would argue that depending on how high tech your company directly relates to how much social media can really help you. I think that a company for example working on advanced nanotechnology would garner more respect in the industry by being feature in the Gilder Tech Report than being mentioned on Engadget or TechCrunch or talked about by many people on Twitter. But something that’s simple like FriendFeed, would benefit more from social media than traditional press. Ultimately it really depends on who your product is being marketed towards. In the case of the nanotech, you won’t be selling your product to the average consumer. It would be more of a B2B model, in which social media really wouldn’t help you at all and industry trade press would. But if you have a product targeting regular consumers, social media should play a crucial role.
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PR wise, it ultimately depends on what the company is working on. A good company with a good product with get the respect and PR it deserves regardless of where it is located. It might not happen over night, and majority of the time it won’t, but if you have something truly beneficial to offers others, your efforts will be recognized. I do PR on Wall St., and I see tech companies not from Silicon Valley getting great press all the time (and I kick myself when my clients aren’t the one getting it). If you have something that’s going to make an impact on the marketplace, you going to receive the respect that you deserve.
@Prokofy: I would argue that depending on how high tech your company directly relates to how much social media can really help you. I think that a company for example working on advanced nanotechnology would garner more respect in the industry by being feature in the Gilder Tech Report than being mentioned on Engadget or TechCrunch or talked about by many people on Twitter. But something that’s simple like FriendFeed, would benefit more from social media than traditional press. Ultimately it really depends on who your product is being marketed towards. In the case of the nanotech, you won’t be selling your product to the average consumer. It would be more of a B2B model, in which social media really wouldn’t help you at all and industry trade press would. But if you have a product targeting regular consumers, social media should play a crucial role.
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Robert – It’s good you’re there. Israel is knee deep in tech and has been for a long time. Remember ICQ ? 🙂
Keep it comin’
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Robert – It’s good you’re there. Israel is knee deep in tech and has been for a long time. Remember ICQ ? 🙂
Keep it comin’
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Robert – It’s good you’re there. Israel is knee deep in tech and has been for a long time. Remember ICQ ? 🙂
Keep it comin’
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Hey Robert. It was great to meet you at last. Hope you got a good rest.
Thank you very much for mentioning the Democracy Censorship Law.
Tech companies that do business with Israel should know that Israel might get too similar to its Mid East neighbors and show their concerns.
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Hey Robert. It was great to meet you at last. Hope you got a good rest.
Thank you very much for mentioning the Democracy Censorship Law.
Tech companies that do business with Israel should know that Israel might get too similar to its Mid East neighbors and show their concerns.
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Hey Robert. It was great to meet you at last. Hope you got a good rest.
Thank you very much for mentioning the Democracy Censorship Law.
Tech companies that do business with Israel should know that Israel might get too similar to its Mid East neighbors and show their concerns.
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Now i understand why u said “It’s inspirational.”
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Now i understand why u said “It’s inspirational.”
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Now i understand why u said “It’s inspirational.”
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My Father used to say
“Never let the true facts get in the way of a Good story” I guess this was before blogging then.
It is interesting though that in a technology that is supposed to make physical locations irrelevant that conversations still seem to be very “SF, London, Paris, Hong Kong ” based.
Ben Metcalfe has commented before that the reason he went to SF was to be taken seriously as a professional in the industry. To a certain extent the scene is eating its own catfood with the belief that location is equal to respect.
I know I have ranted on this topic quite a few times pointing out that the tech scene in the UK is quite USA focussed. Which is suprising when you consider how much in the eighties we were driving the computer scene. Oh well things move on but stay the same eh.
Thanks for the Post and thanks for getting out of the Valley.
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My Father used to say
“Never let the true facts get in the way of a Good story” I guess this was before blogging then.
It is interesting though that in a technology that is supposed to make physical locations irrelevant that conversations still seem to be very “SF, London, Paris, Hong Kong ” based.
Ben Metcalfe has commented before that the reason he went to SF was to be taken seriously as a professional in the industry. To a certain extent the scene is eating its own catfood with the belief that location is equal to respect.
I know I have ranted on this topic quite a few times pointing out that the tech scene in the UK is quite USA focussed. Which is suprising when you consider how much in the eighties we were driving the computer scene. Oh well things move on but stay the same eh.
Thanks for the Post and thanks for getting out of the Valley.
LikeLike
My Father used to say
“Never let the true facts get in the way of a Good story” I guess this was before blogging then.
It is interesting though that in a technology that is supposed to make physical locations irrelevant that conversations still seem to be very “SF, London, Paris, Hong Kong ” based.
Ben Metcalfe has commented before that the reason he went to SF was to be taken seriously as a professional in the industry. To a certain extent the scene is eating its own catfood with the belief that location is equal to respect.
I know I have ranted on this topic quite a few times pointing out that the tech scene in the UK is quite USA focussed. Which is suprising when you consider how much in the eighties we were driving the computer scene. Oh well things move on but stay the same eh.
Thanks for the Post and thanks for getting out of the Valley.
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Robert, now I think you are being a bit cheeky. I might even go so far as to call Linkbait. The fact is that Mike Arrington has made a huge commitment to European startups, and between me (UK, Ireland, Europe) and Ouriel (France, Israel and other European startups) TechCrunch is well on its way to covering companies far away from Mike Arrington’s house. For instance, did you see our recent overage of Zemanta in Slovenia? Or PutPlace in Ireland? Or Twingly in Scandinavia? Or eBuddy in the Netherlands? Or Tripsay? To name just a few. I don’t doubt Tel Aviv is rocking – that’s what I hear too and I daresay Ouriel is on it. Let’s see if you’re still covering all these areas as enthusiastically in 5 years time when you’re back in Menlo Park, etc and we’re still here, doing it.
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Robert, now I think you are being a bit cheeky. I might even go so far as to call Linkbait. The fact is that Mike Arrington has made a huge commitment to European startups, and between me (UK, Ireland, Europe) and Ouriel (France, Israel and other European startups) TechCrunch is well on its way to covering companies far away from Mike Arrington’s house. For instance, did you see our recent overage of Zemanta in Slovenia? Or PutPlace in Ireland? Or Twingly in Scandinavia? Or eBuddy in the Netherlands? Or Tripsay? To name just a few. I don’t doubt Tel Aviv is rocking – that’s what I hear too and I daresay Ouriel is on it. Let’s see if you’re still covering all these areas as enthusiastically in 5 years time when you’re back in Menlo Park, etc and we’re still here, doing it.
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Robert, now I think you are being a bit cheeky. I might even go so far as to call Linkbait. The fact is that Mike Arrington has made a huge commitment to European startups, and between me (UK, Ireland, Europe) and Ouriel (France, Israel and other European startups) TechCrunch is well on its way to covering companies far away from Mike Arrington’s house. For instance, did you see our recent overage of Zemanta in Slovenia? Or PutPlace in Ireland? Or Twingly in Scandinavia? Or eBuddy in the Netherlands? Or Tripsay? To name just a few. I don’t doubt Tel Aviv is rocking – that’s what I hear too and I daresay Ouriel is on it. Let’s see if you’re still covering all these areas as enthusiastically in 5 years time when you’re back in Menlo Park, etc and we’re still here, doing it.
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Nice to see you’re showing interest in the Israeli high tech startups. You’re schedule is probably very busy here, so I won’t bother. Anyways I’m a co-founder in TripCart, an internet startup located in Israel, and I thought you might be interested to learn about us. If so, you’re welcome to start with what others had said about us at http://www.tripcart.com/AboutUs.aspx?Display=PressRoom
Have a nice stay in Israel
Yotam
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Nice to see you’re showing interest in the Israeli high tech startups. You’re schedule is probably very busy here, so I won’t bother. Anyways I’m a co-founder in TripCart, an internet startup located in Israel, and I thought you might be interested to learn about us. If so, you’re welcome to start with what others had said about us at http://www.tripcart.com/AboutUs.aspx?Display=PressRoom
Have a nice stay in Israel
Yotam
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Nice to see you’re showing interest in the Israeli high tech startups. You’re schedule is probably very busy here, so I won’t bother. Anyways I’m a co-founder in TripCart, an internet startup located in Israel, and I thought you might be interested to learn about us. If so, you’re welcome to start with what others had said about us at http://www.tripcart.com/AboutUs.aspx?Display=PressRoom
Have a nice stay in Israel
Yotam
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Robert – it’s true that blogosphere is very SiliconValley centric. It’s also true that TC can be very anti-european (just to remember the EUvs. Microsoft Case). But TC is the only service that has seperate european subdivision (UK, with Mike) so they kind of make up for their sins 😉
Anyway, maybe it’s time for some innovation that would bring tech world closer together – like a virtual conference or something.
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Robert – it’s true that blogosphere is very SiliconValley centric. It’s also true that TC can be very anti-european (just to remember the EUvs. Microsoft Case). But TC is the only service that has seperate european subdivision (UK, with Mike) so they kind of make up for their sins 😉
Anyway, maybe it’s time for some innovation that would bring tech world closer together – like a virtual conference or something.
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Robert – it’s true that blogosphere is very SiliconValley centric. It’s also true that TC can be very anti-european (just to remember the EUvs. Microsoft Case). But TC is the only service that has seperate european subdivision (UK, with Mike) so they kind of make up for their sins 😉
Anyway, maybe it’s time for some innovation that would bring tech world closer together – like a virtual conference or something.
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There is talk out of the start-up community in D.C. about how hard it is to get the attention of VCs because they are not in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley is the tech start-up center of the universe right now and I think it will take awhile for those in the “provinces” to get noticed. The advent of social networking should help flatten the community as it is easier to self-promote through Facebook and Twitter, et.al.
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There is talk out of the start-up community in D.C. about how hard it is to get the attention of VCs because they are not in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley is the tech start-up center of the universe right now and I think it will take awhile for those in the “provinces” to get noticed. The advent of social networking should help flatten the community as it is easier to self-promote through Facebook and Twitter, et.al.
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There is talk out of the start-up community in D.C. about how hard it is to get the attention of VCs because they are not in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley is the tech start-up center of the universe right now and I think it will take awhile for those in the “provinces” to get noticed. The advent of social networking should help flatten the community as it is easier to self-promote through Facebook and Twitter, et.al.
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Hi Robert,
In Ireland we use forums such as open coffee to promote startups and related research. We also have events such as it@cork (you gave a talk at this event in 2005). We don’t have the VC culture that you have in california which is why the collison brothers headed over there last year to setup auctomatic which they sold to live media a few weeks ago.
Failure is not tolerated by Irish banks and the majority of govt agencies. We do have agencies such as enterprise Ireland who provide incubator services and grants to allow companies to find their feet over a 2 – 3 year period. You still have to figure out how you are going to eat and pay the bills however.
Trips such as Paddy’s valley have been organised in a response to this. Techludd is also proving very popular. Companies such as microsoft now realise that they should be supporting these fledging events as it may pay dividends in the future.
In the past 18 months we have started to get more organised about startups and research as lecturer in Tipperary Institute we continue to push this agenda.
Keep up the good work
Regards
Liam @vpn
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Hi Robert,
In Ireland we use forums such as open coffee to promote startups and related research. We also have events such as it@cork (you gave a talk at this event in 2005). We don’t have the VC culture that you have in california which is why the collison brothers headed over there last year to setup auctomatic which they sold to live media a few weeks ago.
Failure is not tolerated by Irish banks and the majority of govt agencies. We do have agencies such as enterprise Ireland who provide incubator services and grants to allow companies to find their feet over a 2 – 3 year period. You still have to figure out how you are going to eat and pay the bills however.
Trips such as Paddy’s valley have been organised in a response to this. Techludd is also proving very popular. Companies such as microsoft now realise that they should be supporting these fledging events as it may pay dividends in the future.
In the past 18 months we have started to get more organised about startups and research as lecturer in Tipperary Institute we continue to push this agenda.
Keep up the good work
Regards
Liam @vpn
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Hi Robert,
In Ireland we use forums such as open coffee to promote startups and related research. We also have events such as it@cork (you gave a talk at this event in 2005). We don’t have the VC culture that you have in california which is why the collison brothers headed over there last year to setup auctomatic which they sold to live media a few weeks ago.
Failure is not tolerated by Irish banks and the majority of govt agencies. We do have agencies such as enterprise Ireland who provide incubator services and grants to allow companies to find their feet over a 2 – 3 year period. You still have to figure out how you are going to eat and pay the bills however.
Trips such as Paddy’s valley have been organised in a response to this. Techludd is also proving very popular. Companies such as microsoft now realise that they should be supporting these fledging events as it may pay dividends in the future.
In the past 18 months we have started to get more organised about startups and research as lecturer in Tipperary Institute we continue to push this agenda.
Keep up the good work
Regards
Liam @vpn
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so when you are visiting India? and writing about indian startups
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so when you are visiting India? and writing about indian startups
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so when you are visiting India? and writing about indian startups
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This posting makes me understand why Loren Feldman thinks you’re an idiot.
this statement is so fucked up:
“if you’re a blogger and let the facts get in the way of a good headline you’ll never go anywhere”
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This posting makes me understand why Loren Feldman thinks you’re an idiot.
this statement is so fucked up:
“if you’re a blogger and let the facts get in the way of a good headline you’ll never go anywhere”
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This posting makes me understand why Loren Feldman thinks you’re an idiot.
this statement is so fucked up:
“if you’re a blogger and let the facts get in the way of a good headline you’ll never go anywhere”
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Hi Robert,
stop by in Slovenia when you have time! We’ll show you around, you won’t regret it. 🙂
bye
andraz
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Hi Robert,
stop by in Slovenia when you have time! We’ll show you around, you won’t regret it. 🙂
bye
andraz
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Hi Robert,
stop by in Slovenia when you have time! We’ll show you around, you won’t regret it. 🙂
bye
andraz
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“Venture Capitalists” capitalized? Are they G*ds?
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“Venture Capitalists” capitalized? Are they G*ds?
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“Venture Capitalists” capitalized? Are they G*ds?
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I totally agree that there is a strong correlation between coverages and beers. So maybe the question should not be why valley blogs cover so locally but more if my personal blog selection sufficiently covers the countries, scenes, areas I am interested in.
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I totally agree that there is a strong correlation between coverages and beers. So maybe the question should not be why valley blogs cover so locally but more if my personal blog selection sufficiently covers the countries, scenes, areas I am interested in.
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I totally agree that there is a strong correlation between coverages and beers. So maybe the question should not be why valley blogs cover so locally but more if my personal blog selection sufficiently covers the countries, scenes, areas I am interested in.
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Let’s take a great example… Seesmic. Think Loic moved for the fun of it? Well, ok, maybe he did. 🙂
The Tulsa Business Journal had an article on just how biased the geography disadvantage plays out. It’s rough on us startups in mid-America.
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Let’s take a great example… Seesmic. Think Loic moved for the fun of it? Well, ok, maybe he did. 🙂
The Tulsa Business Journal had an article on just how biased the geography disadvantage plays out. It’s rough on us startups in mid-America.
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Let’s take a great example… Seesmic. Think Loic moved for the fun of it? Well, ok, maybe he did. 🙂
The Tulsa Business Journal had an article on just how biased the geography disadvantage plays out. It’s rough on us startups in mid-America.
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@chuck3d are you really quoting a guy whos only decent content is a puppet show? Really? Got it.
Mike Butcher yes, that was link bait. You really need to get a better radar for link bait. I think we’ll call that “lbdar.”
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@chuck3d are you really quoting a guy whos only decent content is a puppet show? Really? Got it.
Mike Butcher yes, that was link bait. You really need to get a better radar for link bait. I think we’ll call that “lbdar.”
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@chuck3d are you really quoting a guy whos only decent content is a puppet show? Really? Got it.
Mike Butcher yes, that was link bait. You really need to get a better radar for link bait. I think we’ll call that “lbdar.”
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Actually Techcrunch’s international coverage is quite well-developed, wrong target to harp on. But the entire smug tech Silicon Valley blog/press itself is nearly microscopic in the larger sense. And after the next bubble, only the mediaite Denton’s will be left standing.
Tech in the Valley is just like Film in LA, VCs slash Studios are too lazy to sniff at anything more than a hours drive away, and view anyone not ‘here’, as not worthy. A systematic approach irrespective of geography-eliteism, focusing on the quality and marketability of said development, is the best (but never taken) route. Welcome to the den of common sense default, but nothing so invisible as the obvious.
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Actually Techcrunch’s international coverage is quite well-developed, wrong target to harp on. But the entire smug tech Silicon Valley blog/press itself is nearly microscopic in the larger sense. And after the next bubble, only the mediaite Denton’s will be left standing.
Tech in the Valley is just like Film in LA, VCs slash Studios are too lazy to sniff at anything more than a hours drive away, and view anyone not ‘here’, as not worthy. A systematic approach irrespective of geography-eliteism, focusing on the quality and marketability of said development, is the best (but never taken) route. Welcome to the den of common sense default, but nothing so invisible as the obvious.
LikeLike
Actually Techcrunch’s international coverage is quite well-developed, wrong target to harp on. But the entire smug tech Silicon Valley blog/press itself is nearly microscopic in the larger sense. And after the next bubble, only the mediaite Denton’s will be left standing.
Tech in the Valley is just like Film in LA, VCs slash Studios are too lazy to sniff at anything more than a hours drive away, and view anyone not ‘here’, as not worthy. A systematic approach irrespective of geography-eliteism, focusing on the quality and marketability of said development, is the best (but never taken) route. Welcome to the den of common sense default, but nothing so invisible as the obvious.
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“Ask yourself, have you ever heard of PerfTech? Kulabyte? Rackspace? Newtech?”
One of those don’t belong. Rackspace is a well known name that I think a lot of people have heard.
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“Ask yourself, have you ever heard of PerfTech? Kulabyte? Rackspace? Newtech?”
One of those don’t belong. Rackspace is a well known name that I think a lot of people have heard.
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“Ask yourself, have you ever heard of PerfTech? Kulabyte? Rackspace? Newtech?”
One of those don’t belong. Rackspace is a well known name that I think a lot of people have heard.
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Well, if I knew you were in my neck of the woods (or, rather, Mediterranean), I would’ve invited you out for coffee. Don’t forget the Ramat HaChayal area of North Tel Aviv… I’m originally from the Silicon Valley and this feels like the Israeli version.
I reiterate what Yotam said, enjoy your stay here. (and I’m a tourguide… in case you get lost 😉 )
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Well, if I knew you were in my neck of the woods (or, rather, Mediterranean), I would’ve invited you out for coffee. Don’t forget the Ramat HaChayal area of North Tel Aviv… I’m originally from the Silicon Valley and this feels like the Israeli version.
I reiterate what Yotam said, enjoy your stay here. (and I’m a tourguide… in case you get lost 😉 )
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Well, if I knew you were in my neck of the woods (or, rather, Mediterranean), I would’ve invited you out for coffee. Don’t forget the Ramat HaChayal area of North Tel Aviv… I’m originally from the Silicon Valley and this feels like the Israeli version.
I reiterate what Yotam said, enjoy your stay here. (and I’m a tourguide… in case you get lost 😉 )
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Its indeed very hard to get any good PR for companies outside the Silicon Valley. Consider Pakistan, though unfortunately all the PR we get is thanks to the mess in Afghanistan but there are quite few startups who are trying to breakout and do interesting stuff but unfortunately they never get motivated as no limelight is shed on them, just not giving enough inspiration to young lot.
You can check out Zigron Inc (www.zigron.com) which I co-founded but the imp fact is look at the work our offshore resources have done for startups like Wherever.tv, ourlikes.com,persontation.com, ibeatyou.com or qpondirect.com . You will be surprised that alot of the product development was done by these developers who are in this far away land.
You can also find some energy at http://buzz.ittazee.com
I know that this offshore work in Pakistan is not at all comparable to Silicon Valley but be careful like everything else anyone can catch up or even by pass by just like Tel Aviv is doing 🙂
So Robert, it will be great if you can a specific blog just to cover regions mainstream blogs ignore.I am sure like me many people will love to be volunteer reporters for you.
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Its indeed very hard to get any good PR for companies outside the Silicon Valley. Consider Pakistan, though unfortunately all the PR we get is thanks to the mess in Afghanistan but there are quite few startups who are trying to breakout and do interesting stuff but unfortunately they never get motivated as no limelight is shed on them, just not giving enough inspiration to young lot.
You can check out Zigron Inc (www.zigron.com) which I co-founded but the imp fact is look at the work our offshore resources have done for startups like Wherever.tv, ourlikes.com,persontation.com, ibeatyou.com or qpondirect.com . You will be surprised that alot of the product development was done by these developers who are in this far away land.
You can also find some energy at http://buzz.ittazee.com
I know that this offshore work in Pakistan is not at all comparable to Silicon Valley but be careful like everything else anyone can catch up or even by pass by just like Tel Aviv is doing 🙂
So Robert, it will be great if you can a specific blog just to cover regions mainstream blogs ignore.I am sure like me many people will love to be volunteer reporters for you.
LikeLike
Its indeed very hard to get any good PR for companies outside the Silicon Valley. Consider Pakistan, though unfortunately all the PR we get is thanks to the mess in Afghanistan but there are quite few startups who are trying to breakout and do interesting stuff but unfortunately they never get motivated as no limelight is shed on them, just not giving enough inspiration to young lot.
You can check out Zigron Inc (www.zigron.com) which I co-founded but the imp fact is look at the work our offshore resources have done for startups like Wherever.tv, ourlikes.com,persontation.com, ibeatyou.com or qpondirect.com . You will be surprised that alot of the product development was done by these developers who are in this far away land.
You can also find some energy at http://buzz.ittazee.com
I know that this offshore work in Pakistan is not at all comparable to Silicon Valley but be careful like everything else anyone can catch up or even by pass by just like Tel Aviv is doing 🙂
So Robert, it will be great if you can a specific blog just to cover regions mainstream blogs ignore.I am sure like me many people will love to be volunteer reporters for you.
LikeLike
Agree, When he was here, I asked Mike why he didn’t have someone here to cover the Boston market. He said, Nothing innovative comes from here. We may see more coverage of Boston companies now that he is taken with Y Combinator and YC News.
http://blog.bos.genotrope.com/2008/03/16/michael-arrington-falls-for-y-combinator/
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Agree, When he was here, I asked Mike why he didn’t have someone here to cover the Boston market. He said, Nothing innovative comes from here. We may see more coverage of Boston companies now that he is taken with Y Combinator and YC News.
http://blog.bos.genotrope.com/2008/03/16/michael-arrington-falls-for-y-combinator/
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Agree, When he was here, I asked Mike why he didn’t have someone here to cover the Boston market. He said, Nothing innovative comes from here. We may see more coverage of Boston companies now that he is taken with Y Combinator and YC News.
http://blog.bos.genotrope.com/2008/03/16/michael-arrington-falls-for-y-combinator/
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Despite the echo chamber in the valley, it’s still a far better place to start companies. Has much value been created in those other cities you mention?
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Despite the echo chamber in the valley, it’s still a far better place to start companies. Has much value been created in those other cities you mention?
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Despite the echo chamber in the valley, it’s still a far better place to start companies. Has much value been created in those other cities you mention?
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@Christopher Coulter
Couldn’t agree with you more. To some degree I don’t think it is intentional but more along the lines of meeting people after work for drinks … you just can’t do that if you aren’t in the same city.
I believe the problem for startups outside the US is market size.
Outside the US startups have a much harder time conquering a market of equal size to the US … look at Europe. Those startups need to translate their service into X languages in order to reach the same number of people. Therefore it is so much easier to simply shoot for the US market … and it is probably best/easiest to do that from within the US.
It’s the same for film and tech: in the US silicon valley is simply THE place to be just as La for film/TV.
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@Christopher Coulter
Couldn’t agree with you more. To some degree I don’t think it is intentional but more along the lines of meeting people after work for drinks … you just can’t do that if you aren’t in the same city.
I believe the problem for startups outside the US is market size.
Outside the US startups have a much harder time conquering a market of equal size to the US … look at Europe. Those startups need to translate their service into X languages in order to reach the same number of people. Therefore it is so much easier to simply shoot for the US market … and it is probably best/easiest to do that from within the US.
It’s the same for film and tech: in the US silicon valley is simply THE place to be just as La for film/TV.
LikeLike
@Christopher Coulter
Couldn’t agree with you more. To some degree I don’t think it is intentional but more along the lines of meeting people after work for drinks … you just can’t do that if you aren’t in the same city.
I believe the problem for startups outside the US is market size.
Outside the US startups have a much harder time conquering a market of equal size to the US … look at Europe. Those startups need to translate their service into X languages in order to reach the same number of people. Therefore it is so much easier to simply shoot for the US market … and it is probably best/easiest to do that from within the US.
It’s the same for film and tech: in the US silicon valley is simply THE place to be just as La for film/TV.
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Scoble,
Very true. We are down in sunny Florida. Same climate as California, but without the shiny tech scene. We recently had FOWA down in Miami and I think it helped to open eyes of what is happening down in the ‘dirty south.’
It’s a tough flight out to San Fran for a quick visit with top bloggers and industry types as opposed to a walk down the block in Silly Valley.
Hopefully with the globalization that things like Twiiter, Pownce, Blogging and other means bring, we will be able to take our excitement and share it with the people that matter.
The real question is of the VC’s. Start-ups down here should be able to connect with VC’s from Florida and not be entirely dependent on a trip your way. I think it is happening but we have a long way to go to get the people with the money in our region confident on the effects of the web.
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Scoble,
Very true. We are down in sunny Florida. Same climate as California, but without the shiny tech scene. We recently had FOWA down in Miami and I think it helped to open eyes of what is happening down in the ‘dirty south.’
It’s a tough flight out to San Fran for a quick visit with top bloggers and industry types as opposed to a walk down the block in Silly Valley.
Hopefully with the globalization that things like Twiiter, Pownce, Blogging and other means bring, we will be able to take our excitement and share it with the people that matter.
The real question is of the VC’s. Start-ups down here should be able to connect with VC’s from Florida and not be entirely dependent on a trip your way. I think it is happening but we have a long way to go to get the people with the money in our region confident on the effects of the web.
LikeLike
Scoble,
Very true. We are down in sunny Florida. Same climate as California, but without the shiny tech scene. We recently had FOWA down in Miami and I think it helped to open eyes of what is happening down in the ‘dirty south.’
It’s a tough flight out to San Fran for a quick visit with top bloggers and industry types as opposed to a walk down the block in Silly Valley.
Hopefully with the globalization that things like Twiiter, Pownce, Blogging and other means bring, we will be able to take our excitement and share it with the people that matter.
The real question is of the VC’s. Start-ups down here should be able to connect with VC’s from Florida and not be entirely dependent on a trip your way. I think it is happening but we have a long way to go to get the people with the money in our region confident on the effects of the web.
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Hey Robert
Met you very briefly at Mix08, though you were interviewing Chris Saad at the time so attention was sparing 🙂
South Africa, my home country is also producing some pretty cool tech startups. Sites like http://www.afrigator.com, http://www.blueworld.co.za, http://www.synthasite.com and more are just some examples of signs that even in the Southern-most tip of Africa we’re pushing the boundaries of innovation on the Web. Though I do agree that we’re less likely to get noticed because most of the online world doesn’t know Africa exists 😛
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Hey Robert
Met you very briefly at Mix08, though you were interviewing Chris Saad at the time so attention was sparing 🙂
South Africa, my home country is also producing some pretty cool tech startups. Sites like http://www.afrigator.com, http://www.blueworld.co.za, http://www.synthasite.com and more are just some examples of signs that even in the Southern-most tip of Africa we’re pushing the boundaries of innovation on the Web. Though I do agree that we’re less likely to get noticed because most of the online world doesn’t know Africa exists 😛
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Hey Robert
Met you very briefly at Mix08, though you were interviewing Chris Saad at the time so attention was sparing 🙂
South Africa, my home country is also producing some pretty cool tech startups. Sites like http://www.afrigator.com, http://www.blueworld.co.za, http://www.synthasite.com and more are just some examples of signs that even in the Southern-most tip of Africa we’re pushing the boundaries of innovation on the Web. Though I do agree that we’re less likely to get noticed because most of the online world doesn’t know Africa exists 😛
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@Christopher Coulter
Um hello, location location location! Any respectable entrepreneur needs to be where the action is. Film -> Hollywood. Tech -> Silicon Valley. Finance -> NY, London. Fashion -> Paris. Nerds -> MIT. They are elite but not elitist and definitely not lazy. If you have something to prove, get your ass out there and prove it among the best. That is how you get respect. Remember Facebook moved from the Boston area, a tech hub, to an even bigger tech hub in Palo Alto. Expecting people to come to you is a losing strategy.
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@Christopher Coulter
Um hello, location location location! Any respectable entrepreneur needs to be where the action is. Film -> Hollywood. Tech -> Silicon Valley. Finance -> NY, London. Fashion -> Paris. Nerds -> MIT. They are elite but not elitist and definitely not lazy. If you have something to prove, get your ass out there and prove it among the best. That is how you get respect. Remember Facebook moved from the Boston area, a tech hub, to an even bigger tech hub in Palo Alto. Expecting people to come to you is a losing strategy.
LikeLike
@Christopher Coulter
Um hello, location location location! Any respectable entrepreneur needs to be where the action is. Film -> Hollywood. Tech -> Silicon Valley. Finance -> NY, London. Fashion -> Paris. Nerds -> MIT. They are elite but not elitist and definitely not lazy. If you have something to prove, get your ass out there and prove it among the best. That is how you get respect. Remember Facebook moved from the Boston area, a tech hub, to an even bigger tech hub in Palo Alto. Expecting people to come to you is a losing strategy.
LikeLike
Robert,
I think it’s great you’re traveling to different places and sharing an insightful perspective on those experiences.
And sharp job as managing director in your FastCompany videos. Hope you maintain the energy and continue sharing, it’s appreciated by a lot of people.
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Robert,
I think it’s great you’re traveling to different places and sharing an insightful perspective on those experiences.
And sharp job as managing director in your FastCompany videos. Hope you maintain the energy and continue sharing, it’s appreciated by a lot of people.
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Robert,
I think it’s great you’re traveling to different places and sharing an insightful perspective on those experiences.
And sharp job as managing director in your FastCompany videos. Hope you maintain the energy and continue sharing, it’s appreciated by a lot of people.
LikeLike
It seems even those areas that are known for tech in the US are somehow less because they aren’t in Silicon Valley. Much like Scoble mentioning San Antonio, how about Austin and Silicon Gulch, the Raleigh-Durham Triangle, Urbana-Champaign and the NSCA (remember Mosaic and Marc Andreessen?), the area around MIT, Stanford and Cambridge, and even the area around the Sound with all of the companies orbiting MSFT. Even if it’s just perception, not being in the Valley or transplanting to the Valley is a major disadvantage and you have to wonder what excellent stuff is being missed because the lack of funding.
Oh, and according to Wikipedia, Robert is visiting Silicon Wadi.
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It seems even those areas that are known for tech in the US are somehow less because they aren’t in Silicon Valley. Much like Scoble mentioning San Antonio, how about Austin and Silicon Gulch, the Raleigh-Durham Triangle, Urbana-Champaign and the NSCA (remember Mosaic and Marc Andreessen?), the area around MIT, Stanford and Cambridge, and even the area around the Sound with all of the companies orbiting MSFT. Even if it’s just perception, not being in the Valley or transplanting to the Valley is a major disadvantage and you have to wonder what excellent stuff is being missed because the lack of funding.
Oh, and according to Wikipedia, Robert is visiting Silicon Wadi.
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It seems even those areas that are known for tech in the US are somehow less because they aren’t in Silicon Valley. Much like Scoble mentioning San Antonio, how about Austin and Silicon Gulch, the Raleigh-Durham Triangle, Urbana-Champaign and the NSCA (remember Mosaic and Marc Andreessen?), the area around MIT, Stanford and Cambridge, and even the area around the Sound with all of the companies orbiting MSFT. Even if it’s just perception, not being in the Valley or transplanting to the Valley is a major disadvantage and you have to wonder what excellent stuff is being missed because the lack of funding.
Oh, and according to Wikipedia, Robert is visiting Silicon Wadi.
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Co-incidentally I wrote (www.tomilube.blogspot.com)about this same issue from the perspective of a UK start-up CEO looking to launch in the USA, commenting on how “closed” the valley feels from here…except that I mentioned Scoble as an arch-insider – whoops!
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Co-incidentally I wrote (www.tomilube.blogspot.com)about this same issue from the perspective of a UK start-up CEO looking to launch in the USA, commenting on how “closed” the valley feels from here…except that I mentioned Scoble as an arch-insider – whoops!
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Co-incidentally I wrote (www.tomilube.blogspot.com)about this same issue from the perspective of a UK start-up CEO looking to launch in the USA, commenting on how “closed” the valley feels from here…except that I mentioned Scoble as an arch-insider – whoops!
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I think you got something with the respect aspect. Just because we’re not at MECCA doesn’t mean we can’t worship.
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I think you got something with the respect aspect. Just because we’re not at MECCA doesn’t mean we can’t worship.
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I think you got something with the respect aspect. Just because we’re not at MECCA doesn’t mean we can’t worship.
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Keep up the recordings on FastCompany TV—enjoy staying connected to you while your in Israel!
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Keep up the recordings on FastCompany TV—enjoy staying connected to you while your in Israel!
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Keep up the recordings on FastCompany TV—enjoy staying connected to you while your in Israel!
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Hey Robert… dont forget what also makes Israel so unique is that much of its technology comes from spin-offs from the Army/AirForce/Navy. And much of their business training comes from….well, the Army/AirForce/Navy. And finally, there is a very good and very solid Venture Capital infrastructure which mirrors the U.S.
Have a great trip!
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Hey Robert… dont forget what also makes Israel so unique is that much of its technology comes from spin-offs from the Army/AirForce/Navy. And much of their business training comes from….well, the Army/AirForce/Navy. And finally, there is a very good and very solid Venture Capital infrastructure which mirrors the U.S.
Have a great trip!
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Hey Robert… dont forget what also makes Israel so unique is that much of its technology comes from spin-offs from the Army/AirForce/Navy. And much of their business training comes from….well, the Army/AirForce/Navy. And finally, there is a very good and very solid Venture Capital infrastructure which mirrors the U.S.
Have a great trip!
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To say that, “I’ve been all over the world” comes off as disgustingly pretentious which you may or may not care about. All over the world is not two cities in Asia, places in Europe and the US.
Furthermore, not a very astute commentary you’re trying to make with this whole post. It is a no brainer that the locality you live in biases how much focus you give on a topic.
Kambiz
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To say that, “I’ve been all over the world” comes off as disgustingly pretentious which you may or may not care about. All over the world is not two cities in Asia, places in Europe and the US.
Furthermore, not a very astute commentary you’re trying to make with this whole post. It is a no brainer that the locality you live in biases how much focus you give on a topic.
Kambiz
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To say that, “I’ve been all over the world” comes off as disgustingly pretentious which you may or may not care about. All over the world is not two cities in Asia, places in Europe and the US.
Furthermore, not a very astute commentary you’re trying to make with this whole post. It is a no brainer that the locality you live in biases how much focus you give on a topic.
Kambiz
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Now, when’s the long-awaited visit to India coming? Perhaps you could come around July, when our Demo/TC50 style Proto.in and Headstart.in are going on 😛
http://desistartups.wordpress.com/2008/04/16/open-invitation-to-scoble-from-desistartups/
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Now, when’s the long-awaited visit to India coming? Perhaps you could come around July, when our Demo/TC50 style Proto.in and Headstart.in are going on 😛
http://desistartups.wordpress.com/2008/04/16/open-invitation-to-scoble-from-desistartups/
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Now, when’s the long-awaited visit to India coming? Perhaps you could come around July, when our Demo/TC50 style Proto.in and Headstart.in are going on 😛
http://desistartups.wordpress.com/2008/04/16/open-invitation-to-scoble-from-desistartups/
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@26. How does what Loren choose to do as satire relate to his opinion of you? Fred Thompson got elected Senator but had a career as an actor. George Clooney played Batman. Does that minimize his positions on Darfur? Your response is illogical.
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@26. How does what Loren choose to do as satire relate to his opinion of you? Fred Thompson got elected Senator but had a career as an actor. George Clooney played Batman. Does that minimize his positions on Darfur? Your response is illogical.
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@26. How does what Loren choose to do as satire relate to his opinion of you? Fred Thompson got elected Senator but had a career as an actor. George Clooney played Batman. Does that minimize his positions on Darfur? Your response is illogical.
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Robert,
I agree with you. The further companies are from silicon valley, the less respect they get from the ‘technorati’ – the bloggers, the press, the VC community, even though their innovation is in many cases extraordinary.
That’s exactly why I started the VC CAFE (http://www.vccafe.com)in 2005 – to give visibility to early stage Israeli startups and venture capital deal flow in Israel.
VC Cafe has been featured by the WSJ and ranked as one of the top 100 vc blogs.
Following a successful Israeli startup roundtable in March, We’re having a local gathering here in San Francisco.
Join Israeli entrepreneurs, VCs, bloggers, investors and members of the press on May 2nd in the financial
district in San Francisco.
RSVP in the event page on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=16708300870
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Robert,
I agree with you. The further companies are from silicon valley, the less respect they get from the ‘technorati’ – the bloggers, the press, the VC community, even though their innovation is in many cases extraordinary.
That’s exactly why I started the VC CAFE (http://www.vccafe.com)in 2005 – to give visibility to early stage Israeli startups and venture capital deal flow in Israel.
VC Cafe has been featured by the WSJ and ranked as one of the top 100 vc blogs.
Following a successful Israeli startup roundtable in March, We’re having a local gathering here in San Francisco.
Join Israeli entrepreneurs, VCs, bloggers, investors and members of the press on May 2nd in the financial
district in San Francisco.
RSVP in the event page on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=16708300870
LikeLike
Robert,
I agree with you. The further companies are from silicon valley, the less respect they get from the ‘technorati’ – the bloggers, the press, the VC community, even though their innovation is in many cases extraordinary.
That’s exactly why I started the VC CAFE (http://www.vccafe.com)in 2005 – to give visibility to early stage Israeli startups and venture capital deal flow in Israel.
VC Cafe has been featured by the WSJ and ranked as one of the top 100 vc blogs.
Following a successful Israeli startup roundtable in March, We’re having a local gathering here in San Francisco.
Join Israeli entrepreneurs, VCs, bloggers, investors and members of the press on May 2nd in the financial
district in San Francisco.
RSVP in the event page on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=16708300870
LikeLike
feldman is right. you’re fairly clueless. if you can get over your fawning (or is it hero worship) over arrington, maybe you’d be worth listening to. doubt it. the fact that you’re only now waking up to the depth of israel’s high-tech prowess speaks volumes about your appalling ignorance. this story’s been profiled indepth on wired, cnet, the wall street journal, business week, forbes…ugh, must i go on?
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feldman is right. you’re fairly clueless. if you can get over your fawning (or is it hero worship) over arrington, maybe you’d be worth listening to. doubt it. the fact that you’re only now waking up to the depth of israel’s high-tech prowess speaks volumes about your appalling ignorance. this story’s been profiled indepth on wired, cnet, the wall street journal, business week, forbes…ugh, must i go on?
LikeLike
feldman is right. you’re fairly clueless. if you can get over your fawning (or is it hero worship) over arrington, maybe you’d be worth listening to. doubt it. the fact that you’re only now waking up to the depth of israel’s high-tech prowess speaks volumes about your appalling ignorance. this story’s been profiled indepth on wired, cnet, the wall street journal, business week, forbes…ugh, must i go on?
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Hey Robert – so I always raised this as an issue for your PodTech shows – very US centric, what about the cool stuff happening in other parts of the world.
I realise it’s impossible to travell to these places, so you need local contacts.
Think about how the news is done today – more often than not there will be a chief reporter local in most regions.
Nige
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Hey Robert – so I always raised this as an issue for your PodTech shows – very US centric, what about the cool stuff happening in other parts of the world.
I realise it’s impossible to travell to these places, so you need local contacts.
Think about how the news is done today – more often than not there will be a chief reporter local in most regions.
Nige
LikeLike
Hey Robert – so I always raised this as an issue for your PodTech shows – very US centric, what about the cool stuff happening in other parts of the world.
I realise it’s impossible to travell to these places, so you need local contacts.
Think about how the news is done today – more often than not there will be a chief reporter local in most regions.
Nige
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Oh and your point about getting “your” attention … it sounds like Fast Company need a local employee in Israel now ….
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Oh and your point about getting “your” attention … it sounds like Fast Company need a local employee in Israel now ….
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Oh and your point about getting “your” attention … it sounds like Fast Company need a local employee in Israel now ….
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Expecting people to come to you is a losing strategy.
That statement is not overall always true, as it depends on whom you are dealing with, though some won’t sniff unless you are on Wilshire or in the Bay Area area (true enough), but you will get the usual copycat-churn that way. And it is also a losing strategy expecting everyone to just handfeed/worship you (Blogger, Sand Hill or New Line style). Sometimes the best things are the things you hunt for, finding the real hidden talents. Investigative reporting can pay dividends. The VC/Dev Exec that discovers the “killer app” that no one else has a lock on, wins that much bigger. A good enough quality product with a good enough market demand, and people do end up coming to you.
Geography makes not the Great American Script nor the Great American Software. John Hughes operated from Illinois, and true, he went to people, but he always HQ’ed in the Midwest. And most of the (even still) current comedy vets came from Second City alumni. And the entire INDIE Sundance scene is a testament that there is actual life beyond LA, they didn’t play the Studio dance tunes. Plus EVERYONE in in Vancouver these days anyways, forget LA and the high prices, defecting to Canada is the old (but still new) trend.
Expecting everything to come to you works BOTH ways you know. You only applied that formula in one direction.
LikeLike
Expecting people to come to you is a losing strategy.
That statement is not overall always true, as it depends on whom you are dealing with, though some won’t sniff unless you are on Wilshire or in the Bay Area area (true enough), but you will get the usual copycat-churn that way. And it is also a losing strategy expecting everyone to just handfeed/worship you (Blogger, Sand Hill or New Line style). Sometimes the best things are the things you hunt for, finding the real hidden talents. Investigative reporting can pay dividends. The VC/Dev Exec that discovers the “killer app” that no one else has a lock on, wins that much bigger. A good enough quality product with a good enough market demand, and people do end up coming to you.
Geography makes not the Great American Script nor the Great American Software. John Hughes operated from Illinois, and true, he went to people, but he always HQ’ed in the Midwest. And most of the (even still) current comedy vets came from Second City alumni. And the entire INDIE Sundance scene is a testament that there is actual life beyond LA, they didn’t play the Studio dance tunes. Plus EVERYONE in in Vancouver these days anyways, forget LA and the high prices, defecting to Canada is the old (but still new) trend.
Expecting everything to come to you works BOTH ways you know. You only applied that formula in one direction.
LikeLike
Expecting people to come to you is a losing strategy.
That statement is not overall always true, as it depends on whom you are dealing with, though some won’t sniff unless you are on Wilshire or in the Bay Area area (true enough), but you will get the usual copycat-churn that way. And it is also a losing strategy expecting everyone to just handfeed/worship you (Blogger, Sand Hill or New Line style). Sometimes the best things are the things you hunt for, finding the real hidden talents. Investigative reporting can pay dividends. The VC/Dev Exec that discovers the “killer app” that no one else has a lock on, wins that much bigger. A good enough quality product with a good enough market demand, and people do end up coming to you.
Geography makes not the Great American Script nor the Great American Software. John Hughes operated from Illinois, and true, he went to people, but he always HQ’ed in the Midwest. And most of the (even still) current comedy vets came from Second City alumni. And the entire INDIE Sundance scene is a testament that there is actual life beyond LA, they didn’t play the Studio dance tunes. Plus EVERYONE in in Vancouver these days anyways, forget LA and the high prices, defecting to Canada is the old (but still new) trend.
Expecting everything to come to you works BOTH ways you know. You only applied that formula in one direction.
LikeLike
yeh I remeber a comment that the guys from sand hill road dont like to drive more than 20 miles of so to visit a company.
but CA and MAs have the infrastructure dont forget that SV grew out of the masive space and defence industrys – its intersting though the both MA and CA have more employee friedly laws
still at last you have a VC culture in the uk teh dominant role model is the failed barow boy “sirallen” and his motley crew of “property developers”
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yeh I remeber a comment that the guys from sand hill road dont like to drive more than 20 miles of so to visit a company.
but CA and MAs have the infrastructure dont forget that SV grew out of the masive space and defence industrys – its intersting though the both MA and CA have more employee friedly laws
still at last you have a VC culture in the uk teh dominant role model is the failed barow boy “sirallen” and his motley crew of “property developers”
LikeLike
yeh I remeber a comment that the guys from sand hill road dont like to drive more than 20 miles of so to visit a company.
but CA and MAs have the infrastructure dont forget that SV grew out of the masive space and defence industrys – its intersting though the both MA and CA have more employee friedly laws
still at last you have a VC culture in the uk teh dominant role model is the failed barow boy “sirallen” and his motley crew of “property developers”
LikeLike
Why would you honor Israel with a visit? That nation has corrupted the USA with AIPAC’s donations to Congressmen. It’s neocons infiltrated the Republican Party, destroyed it, lobbied until the Iraq War ruined the economy of the United States. Don’t give Israel a dime in travel money.
http://www.jewwatch.com has all of the facts on that nation including 5,000 stories per day outlining their constant murders in Gaza and elsewhere.
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Why would you honor Israel with a visit? That nation has corrupted the USA with AIPAC’s donations to Congressmen. It’s neocons infiltrated the Republican Party, destroyed it, lobbied until the Iraq War ruined the economy of the United States. Don’t give Israel a dime in travel money.
http://www.jewwatch.com has all of the facts on that nation including 5,000 stories per day outlining their constant murders in Gaza and elsewhere.
LikeLike
Why would you honor Israel with a visit? That nation has corrupted the USA with AIPAC’s donations to Congressmen. It’s neocons infiltrated the Republican Party, destroyed it, lobbied until the Iraq War ruined the economy of the United States. Don’t give Israel a dime in travel money.
http://www.jewwatch.com has all of the facts on that nation including 5,000 stories per day outlining their constant murders in Gaza and elsewhere.
LikeLike
Follow-up…
A good enough product, and you can not only expect but DEMAND people come to you. Not saying that’s always a wise move, but it’s an option. Make the best product, escape expensive California, head to Utah or Nevada, clear low overhead, market to the players, and have a branch office in the centers, if such is needed.
Hubs do birth products, and sometimes the only way to be noticed, is to be there and compete in those waters, come what may. But just because you are ‘there’ doesn’t automatically mean you are ‘all that’. Most of what’s ‘there’ is half gimmickry.
And hubs change all the time, and they spread out, LA is no longer king of all, nor is Palo Alto. Not seeing where the map is expanding, can be fatal.
So yes, you can’t expect everything to come to you, nor should you, but yet sometimes you can. And sometimes you need to be there, other times it’s a waste, other sometimes you can go hybrid, being in a few or all places at once. It’s all complicated, absurd and illogical, human behavior being what it is, it won’t ever fit into neat little boxes.
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Follow-up…
A good enough product, and you can not only expect but DEMAND people come to you. Not saying that’s always a wise move, but it’s an option. Make the best product, escape expensive California, head to Utah or Nevada, clear low overhead, market to the players, and have a branch office in the centers, if such is needed.
Hubs do birth products, and sometimes the only way to be noticed, is to be there and compete in those waters, come what may. But just because you are ‘there’ doesn’t automatically mean you are ‘all that’. Most of what’s ‘there’ is half gimmickry.
And hubs change all the time, and they spread out, LA is no longer king of all, nor is Palo Alto. Not seeing where the map is expanding, can be fatal.
So yes, you can’t expect everything to come to you, nor should you, but yet sometimes you can. And sometimes you need to be there, other times it’s a waste, other sometimes you can go hybrid, being in a few or all places at once. It’s all complicated, absurd and illogical, human behavior being what it is, it won’t ever fit into neat little boxes.
LikeLike
Follow-up…
A good enough product, and you can not only expect but DEMAND people come to you. Not saying that’s always a wise move, but it’s an option. Make the best product, escape expensive California, head to Utah or Nevada, clear low overhead, market to the players, and have a branch office in the centers, if such is needed.
Hubs do birth products, and sometimes the only way to be noticed, is to be there and compete in those waters, come what may. But just because you are ‘there’ doesn’t automatically mean you are ‘all that’. Most of what’s ‘there’ is half gimmickry.
And hubs change all the time, and they spread out, LA is no longer king of all, nor is Palo Alto. Not seeing where the map is expanding, can be fatal.
So yes, you can’t expect everything to come to you, nor should you, but yet sometimes you can. And sometimes you need to be there, other times it’s a waste, other sometimes you can go hybrid, being in a few or all places at once. It’s all complicated, absurd and illogical, human behavior being what it is, it won’t ever fit into neat little boxes.
LikeLike
“China will be very important, yes. But they don’t have the entrepreneurial attitude that Israel has.”
What on Earth makes you say this? The Chinese bave been building business all around the world for hundreds of years – long before Israel’s 1948 founding. On what grounds do you say they are not as entreprenuerial as Israel? I’ve been to both countries, and China is just as entrenuerial as anywhere else.
The reason China won’t be a Silicon Valley is not going to be on account of entreprenuerial spirit. The correct reason is just as Paul Graham mentions – IT’S A POLICE STATE!
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“China will be very important, yes. But they don’t have the entrepreneurial attitude that Israel has.”
What on Earth makes you say this? The Chinese bave been building business all around the world for hundreds of years – long before Israel’s 1948 founding. On what grounds do you say they are not as entreprenuerial as Israel? I’ve been to both countries, and China is just as entrenuerial as anywhere else.
The reason China won’t be a Silicon Valley is not going to be on account of entreprenuerial spirit. The correct reason is just as Paul Graham mentions – IT’S A POLICE STATE!
LikeLike
“China will be very important, yes. But they don’t have the entrepreneurial attitude that Israel has.”
What on Earth makes you say this? The Chinese bave been building business all around the world for hundreds of years – long before Israel’s 1948 founding. On what grounds do you say they are not as entreprenuerial as Israel? I’ve been to both countries, and China is just as entrenuerial as anywhere else.
The reason China won’t be a Silicon Valley is not going to be on account of entreprenuerial spirit. The correct reason is just as Paul Graham mentions – IT’S A POLICE STATE!
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Congrats! you are the first person to use the words Israel and Respect in the same sentence.
I would not piss on it if it were on fire.
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Congrats! you are the first person to use the words Israel and Respect in the same sentence.
I would not piss on it if it were on fire.
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Congrats! you are the first person to use the words Israel and Respect in the same sentence.
I would not piss on it if it were on fire.
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You haven’t been all over the world: you do not mention Paris, France. Let’s talk, I can organize something for you there.
For sure this would not change your global view, just would give some additional items. There is not just Web3 event here 😉
Deal?
(From Phil O L I V E T)
And you’re right, Israel is a very productive land in technologies… and maybe unique place in some specific domain.
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You haven’t been all over the world: you do not mention Paris, France. Let’s talk, I can organize something for you there.
For sure this would not change your global view, just would give some additional items. There is not just Web3 event here 😉
Deal?
(From Phil O L I V E T)
And you’re right, Israel is a very productive land in technologies… and maybe unique place in some specific domain.
LikeLike
You haven’t been all over the world: you do not mention Paris, France. Let’s talk, I can organize something for you there.
For sure this would not change your global view, just would give some additional items. There is not just Web3 event here 😉
Deal?
(From Phil O L I V E T)
And you’re right, Israel is a very productive land in technologies… and maybe unique place in some specific domain.
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Philj: I’ve been to Paris three times now. Thanks for noticing.
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Philj: I’ve been to Paris three times now. Thanks for noticing.
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Philj: I’ve been to Paris three times now. Thanks for noticing.
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