Description
Book SynopsisFor decades now, Silicon Valley has been the home of the future. It's the birthplace of the world's most successful high-tech companies-including Apple, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, Twitter, and many more. So what's the secret? What is it about Silicon Valley that fosters entrepreneurship and innovation? With
Silicon Valley, Planet Startup, Peter Ester and Arne Maas argue that the answer lies in Silicon Valley's culture-a corporate culture that values risk-taking, creativity, invention, and sharing. Through extensive interviews with Dutch entrepreneurs working in the area, Ester and Maas show that Silicon Valley is above all a mind-set: a belief in thinking, with passion and ambition, far beyond the here and now. Scholars and business people and budding entrepreneurs alike are sure to find both inspiration and illumination in the stories and analyses Ester and Maas have assembled here.
Trade Review"So much has been said about Silicon Valley's mystique and success. But this book nails it!" -
Vish Mishra, VC at ClearstoneTable of ContentsForeword by Acknowledgements Business Focus of Participating Startup Founders and CEOs 1. Introduction: The Silicon Valley Saga - Our fascination with Silicon Valley - Why Dutch startups? - Target groups - The way we worked - Book overview 2. The Silicon Valley Innovation & Startup Model - Path dependency of transformational technologies - A little history - Global engine of innovation 3. Product: Think Big - The Greater Idea - Coming to Silicon Valley - Push & pull factors - Entrepreneurs on Thinking Big 4. Market: Pivot & perseverance - Innovations to market - Key Success Factors - Marketing redefined - Entrepreneurs on pivot & perseverance - Pivoting the startup - Launch and sales 5. Team & talent - Startup founding teams: from pals to professionalization - Talent: excelling in hard & soft skills - By way of example: Stanford University as talent pool - Entrepreneurs on team & talent Strong teams will win Talent is gold 6. Funding - Angel investors & venture capitalists - Pitching for money - Entrepreneurs on startup funding Raising money Investment logic and exit The Pitch 7. Culture - The impact of culture - Openness and sharing - Passion and ethos - Risk-taking and failure - Cultural diversity and innovation - Immigrant entrepreneurship - Entrepreneurs on culture On risks and failure Cultural codes Work attitude, drive, and commitment Immigrant entrepreneurship 8. Universities and R&D labs - Higher education, innovation, and new ventures - Berkeley - Stanford University - San Francisco State University and San Jose State university - Santa Clara University - Concerns - Entrepreneurs on universities and R&D labs Higher education and startups Going for excellence 9. Government - Demystifying the role of government - New laws, new programs, new roles - Visa - Immigration politics - Entrepreneurs on government Government intervention: Contrasting paradigms Redefining the role of Dutch government Bankruptcy Visa, visa, visa 10. Network support system - The art of networking: Trust and social capital - Law firms as business counselors - Startup schools: Incubators & accelerators - Entrepreneurs on network support system Incubators & lawyers The need for networking 11. The Downside of the Valley - Increasing social inequality - Tech boom gentrification - Entrepreneurs on social inequality and social problems 12. Silicon Valley's Secret Sauce: (Ecosystem x Culture)2 - The Silicon Valley Innovation puzzle - The European context - Entrepreneurs on lessons to be learned from Silicon Valley - Boosting the European startup spirit 13. Go West, Young Man, Go West? Appendix 1 Interviewed Dutch Startup Founders & CEOs Appendix 2 Interviewed Silicon Valley & Dutch Stakeholders Appendix 3 Questionnaire Personal Interviews Dutch Startup Founders & CEOs in Silicon Valley Appendix 4 Questionnaire group interviews Dutch Startup Founders & CEOs in Silicon Valley
