Over the past two years I have spent a lot of time in Silicon Valley. The CEO of an Internet of Things platform company there invited me to participate in thought leadership discussions. From there I joined a San Francisco-based accelerator where today I mentor five Silicon Valley start-up CEOs.
During this same time I've also worked with three Minnesota start-ups in the same advisory fashion. I've had the opportunity to observe the two tech ecosystems from the point of view of that most critical element of a tech community: the start-up founder. My conclusion, like it or not: MSP is not like Silicon Valley.
The perception is that if you aren't in Silicon Valley, you aren't innovating. As a result, regional tech leaders everywhere make claims that they are just like Silicon Valley — or even better, as was recently the case in Minnesota when Forbes reported that the state was tops in tech job growth.
A unique tech ecosystem
In Silicon Valley I work with founders from the U.K., India, Canada, Germany and the U.S. They all tell me the same thing when I ask them why they came to Silicon Valley: There's no place else like it. The Valley ecosystem is comprehensive. The web of personal connections enables things to move much faster. "There isn't anything I need that is not right here," one CEO told me. "Coders, marketing people, investors, customers — they are all just across town." My last accelerator class had founders from seven countries and three continents — and they all believe: "Silicon Valley is the place to be for tech companies."
Venture capitalists believe this to the point of operational direction. When I counseled one founder to tap into his hometown network in Toronto for engineers, I was surprised to find out that his investors directed him to hire only in the Valley. It's not that they want to be able to quickly meet everyone face to face; it's that they trust the Valley's fast-paced tech lifestyle and the intense drive for success it creates.
Uncommon investors
Investors are perhaps the biggest difference between MSP and Silicon Valley. One of the chief executives in Silicon Valley summarized it for me. VCs in other markets focus on traditional "traction" numbers like revenue, number of contracted customers and earnings. "Early round Silicon Valley VCs are more like angels," he said, referring to how angel investors tend to be more willing to trust their gut instincts. They still want proof points and "pilot customers, but they move much faster with more cash and this drives the entire Valley ecosystem."
My Minnesota start-up CEOs, on the other hand, are frustrated with the pace of fundraising. We have fewer funding sources, and they move on more traditional metrics. As a result, the transition from early proof points to scale is harder, and the whole process slows down. This is, of course, all about risk-taking. Silicon Valley investors have more experience that gives them confidence to move fast before they lose their opportunity.
Everything is awesome!
After my first accelerator experience I thought, "Wow, these people are all so confident." Confidence mitigates risk and increases speed. I have noticed that "everything is awesome" when I am at events in the Valley, but my mentoring calls are more typical. We discuss the same "mundane" subjects I do with my Minnesota start-ups — how to secure customers, how to scale sales and how to hire good people. But part of "everything is awesome" is to keep moving fast.