My guest post on Forbes Velocity Blog on Data, The Facebook Nation, And New Opportunities was published today. In it I talk about how the sophistication in data and computing power available is producing the next generation of technology companies.
Posts Tagged ‘venture capital’
Jul
21
Washington, D.C. Needs More Entrepreneurs
My guest blog post for Forbes Velocity was published today. In it, I write about how neither the Legislative Body or the Executive Branch seem to understand that focusing on making funding more easily available to entrepreneurs will ultimately drive economic growth and job creation. There just aren’t enough entrepreneurs in D.C.!
Apr
20
Why Entrepreneurs Don’t Need VCs
I wrote a guest post for Forbes last week called Why Entrepreneurs Don’t Need VCs. In it I talk a little about how the economics of launching an internet business today has the potential to make venture capital irrelevant for internet entrepreneurs, unless we fundamentally rethink our role in the venture industry. I also outline some thoughts on how our roles need to evolve to stay pertinent.
The bottom line is entrepreneurs have a lot more options today on how they choose to build their business than ever before. Would love to hear your thoughts on how you think these dynamics will play out for entrepreneurs and investors alike, and welcome any experiences that you’re willing to share about your choices with regards to taking on (or ignoring) institutional capital.
Mar
03
Weak Signals
Saad Khan
At the World Economic Forum this past January, there was a two-hour session of the program devoted to the topic of “Weak Signals.” This didn’t turn out to be a warning about bad communications infrastructure (as the crackberry addict in me feared), but instead addressed the concept of:
incipient and invisible changes of activity in a given area that are bound to have broader consequences in years to come.
In other words, a weak signal is something that is beginning to happen and could lead to a larger trend. The session explored weak signals across economics, science, and society; from the potential effects of restrictive immigration policy on America’s status as a research powerhouse, to the implications of global connectedness enabled by new communications infrastructure. The purpose of the program was to amplify the weak signals around the group, and by doing so to identify future opportunities while also recognizing possible pitfalls.
As someone who has the privilege of regularly interacting with many of the entrepreneurs, technologists, and designers creating the future, it got me thinking about activity and changes happening now that may point to interesting trends to watch in the months and years to come. Some of these may be things that we witness everyday but deserve more reflection; others may be relatively new additions to our lexicon.
I thought I’d start the conversation and introduce seven of the “weak signals” that have my antennae at attention. I’ll be expanding on them in future posts.
1. Free at last … Entrepreneurs are free at last
Much has been written about the “lean startup” and the ability of companies that leverage Internet technologies to be highly capital efficient. Fundamental enablers of this phenomenon include open source infrastructure, cloud resources, global talent, and new platforms that are available for viral growth and distribution. Extrapolating current trends, it’s clear that launching a software product will eventually approach “free”. What are the economics of this freedom and its implications for the venture capital industry?