Tuesday 21 August 2007

Energy for the entrepreneur!

Since April 2006, date in which Openbravo published its source code, our team has traveled to the US in more than 5 different occasions. The last one was some days ago when we participated for our second consecutive year in Linux World San Francisco and won an award.

This short post is to share with you what I love from the US and more specifically from Silicon Valley. So here I go with the list:
  • I love the entrepreneurial culture and how entrepreneurs are recognized by society. Success is obviously positively recognized and failure is not perceived as disaster in the professional careers of those starting up new businesses
  • I love the large concentration of entrepreneurs that exists and specially the large pool of skilled software professionals ready to jump ships to new start-ups. Synergies between the corporate world and the university and research community are much more efficient
  • I love the attitude that successful entrepreneurs have to help others, their practical advise that often give you to help you grow your business into a market leader and overall the rhythm of conversations when you talk business with them
  • I love organizations that are ready to work with start-up companies both providing services (adapting their offering) and becoming your clients (being more exposed to start-up risks)
  • I love the large number of VCs ready to invest in new breakthrough ideas taking an active role in shaping them.

Conclusion: If you are an entrepreneur go charge your batteries from time to time with energy shots from the Valley. It is worthwhile!

1 comment:

Sanjeev Nath said...

As you write in bullet point three, entrepreneurs helping each other, I was amazed to find exactly the same thing. While on a lunch break, the team from Untangle sat down to eat, and within minutes, were more that willing to answer my questions, give me ideas for success, and even introduce me to the VCs who have provided their round 2 financing.

People seem to ask what is so exciting about working in San Francisco and the Valley, but your post nailed it. There is something about the area that leads you to steller entrepreneurial conversations on a regular basis.