I had promised that posting would be light - and it is. What's more it's likely to be whilst traveling, like now and therefore without significant links.
These two pieces; Why Startups Condense in America and How to be Silicon Valley by Paul Graham were the last two things that I through in to ecto to comment on. In the week that Oleg Koujikov, previously of ICap and IBS, announced that he was to head up Troika's venture fund, it seemed worthwhile to comment on them.
If you want the short version he's right. If it interests you read on.
Technology does not make a successful tech company, entrepreneurs make successful companies. Educational excellence (one the most popular misconceptions about Russia - that it has it that is) is a necessary but not sufficient condition. Entrepreneurs and environment are the key.
I could get in to a lot of trouble arguing that Russia lacks entrepreneurs. So I'll court the trouble and state based on my experience that in the technology sphere entrepreneurs are more represented by their absence than there presence. Which condition could be legitimately blamed on the environment or ecosystem.
Russia likes to compare itself with India and should be comparing itself with Israel; technologically that is. Some may say that Venezuela was more appropriate. Both are brim full of entrepreneurs with significant experience of doing business in the Silicon Valley.
I used to believe that the ecosystem was growing perceptibly. Today, my belief is that we are at least one and possibly 2 generations away from seeing a steady flow of Russian technology companies.
[composed and posted with ecto]
Technorati Tags: entrepreneur, Innovation, Russia, Technology
1 comment:
The links are plain terrific, thanks a lot.
As a lateral idea (and despite my utter disdain of russia) I could mention my former employer, www.jnetx.com
In my opinion it is a unique in many respects [by local standards] and it was a true startup when I joined it. It took just a few well-connected and seasoned international managers (and obviously western VC funding).
For sure it must be an exception but nevertheless it indicates that tech entrepreneurs & VC money can be exported (at least on a small scale) even to benighted places like this one.
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