There is just something about it

Having traveled back to Silicon Valley this past week, it was fascinating to re-experience the pace, the confidence, and the overall activity.

In the Bay Area of California, AKA Silicon Valley, you will find people from every corner of the globe converging together to “build”. Build new business models, new products, new services, new everything. You’ll find the worlds largest concentration of early and later stage venture capital and investment banking firms who specialize in high technology. You will find some of the worlds finest universities, attracting the brightest minds from around the globe.

Come to think of it. Silicon Valley is made up of very driven people from around the world. The collective experiences and perspectives of these people propel the area faster than any other place.

Whether you are at work, the pub, the grocery store, the soccer pitch or the gym discussion centers around building business. Silicon Valley is all about networking. In every discussion about building business, people are connecting people of common interest or expertise. “Oh, you really need to connect with _____, she is an expert in _______, also you must connect with _______, he built then sold _________ which was in a very familiar space.” And so it goes.

I lived and worked in Silicon Valley from 1999 trough 2005. Through the boom, the bust, and recovery I and 10,000’s of others worked at a pace and style unlike any other place on earth.

The buzz you get from the above, combined with the amazing weather, food, access to the great outdoors (desert, mountains, snow, beach all within 20 minutes to 3 hours) and wine makes Silicon Valley a fantastic.

Yes the traffic can be ugly, the house prices are #@$%^&*! but what place in the world doesn’t have a issue or two ?

Jurisdictions all over the world have tried to mirror Silicon Valley’s recipe for success.
In my opinion, it would be like setting out to create Paris. While very different in almost every way, Paris is uniquely Paris, and Silicon Valley is uniquely Silicon Valley.

That being said, jurisdictions can take some great lessons from the history of Silicon Valley and look to upgrade/tune their own relevant economic and social ecosystem.

Silicon Valley. Hmm…Boy do I miss it.

There is just something about it.

Dan MacDonald