HOW TO SURVIVE OUTSIDE
OF SILICON VALLEY
Michael Galpert

Silicon Valley

Everywhere Else

HOW TO SURVIVE OUTSIDE
OF SILICON VALLEY

NOT EASY TO START
A BUSINESS

PERIOD.

EXCLAMATION POINT!

Open Source
Real Time Semantic
NanoBlogging
Flux Capacitors

Nuclear Winter

We are in drastic times. Drastic times mean drastic
measures must be taken to survive. Forget about getting
ahead, we're talking survive. Get this point into your heads.
~Mike Moritz of Sequoia

How to Survive
Outside of Silicon Valley
Community
Team
Passion

• 1856 Members
• Charlie O’Donnell
www.nextny.org

Informational

Social

Recreational

• 2681 members
• 83 Cities
• Saul Klein
opencoffee.ning.com

• 6 Continents
• 55 Cities
• Piers Fawkes & Noah Brier
• Next one is next friday - 10/17
www.likemind.us

• Scott Heiferman
www.meetup.com

• Amit Gupta & Luke Crawford
www.workatjelly.com

How to Survive
Outside of Silicon Valley
Community
Team
Passion

Talent

Competition

Global Team

How to Survive
Outside of Silicon Valley
Community
Team
Passion

VC

Michael Galpert @msg www.michaelgalpert.com
Thank You FOWA LONDON 2008

Haeundae Beach . Some Chick Lost Her Fake Boobs by Stinkie Pinkie
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stinkiepinkie_infinity/2722385906/
Silicon Valley by Allifan
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alifaan/2677816438/
it seems i/u need a break!! by Muha
http://www.flickr.com/photos/muha/637014823/
First Aid Kit by wallyg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/519214345/
\"1.21 jigawatts, Great Scott!\" by H4NUM4N
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hanuman/2696307083/
Dessert Snow Storm, Mojave by iva_01
http://flickr.com/photos/janewaterbury/400432590/
Snow Dog by Ming de Nasty
http://www.flickr.com/photos/49257229@N00/260578685/
Sany0005 by ceonyc
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ceonyc/166876755/
DSC06856 by epc
http://www.flickr.com/photos/epc/383062421/
P1020247 by shawn.l
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phluke/135958265/

Caution Magician Ahead! by The Rocketeer
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kt/120468504/
Harry Jumps Again by Ian Boyd
http://www.flickr.com/photos/itsaboyd/2350110882/
Weekend Love by Always Be Cool
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alwaysbecool/2871346522/
crazy n love ! by moirabot
http://www.flickr.com/photos/moirabot/2266225534/
Buddy, snow dog by hefftech
http://flickr.com/photos/hefftech/2193888307/
The Atomic Explosion and Mushroom Fallout at Sunset by stuck in customs
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/2675676767/

Andy McLoughlin
andy@huddle.net
@bandrew

Not everything cool
comes out of Silicon Valley

<eyy> </eyy>

How to survive
outside Silicon Valley

Silicon Roundabout circa 2008?

Is it bollocks.

How to survive prosper
outside Silicon Valley

1) Community
2) Team
3) Customers
4) Money

So, does London
make the grade?

Community?

DrinkTank, OpenCoffee,
YC Hackers, FB Garage, Silicon
Stilettos, Bootlaw, TechTerrace,
TechCrunch Talk, Geektails,
Internet People, Geekgirls,
Swedish Beers, Minibar, Mashup*,
Barcamp, First Tuesday,
Glasshouse, OpenSoho, Pizza on
Rails

• Dreamt up at Le Web 07
• First event March 2008
• Attracts 120+ founders and
investors every month
• RSVP @ www.drinktank.co.uk

Team?

London = 7 million
Within 1 hour = 20 million?
Plus, plenty of talent now
becoming available!

Customers?

Ready-made access to
massive local markets that
Silicon Valley can’t match:
Finance, legal, creative,
advertising, fashion, music,
construction, government

Money?

DFJ Esprit, Accel, Atlas,
Eden, Index, Intel Capital,
Wellington, Balderton,
Advent, Atomico, European
Founders, Spark, Pentech,
Amadeus, SEP, Close,
Doughty Hanson, 4ip

What about earlier stage?
Seedcamp, TAG, Straub Ventures,
London Business Angels

But where are the other
British Super Angels?

Do we make the grade?
Broadly, yes

But we want prosperity, not
survival, right?

Take advantage
of your locality

Remember the
global market

Sales shouldn’t
be a dirty word

Don’t be scared to
get involved
in Silicon Valley

Relationships
Partnerships = WIN
Networking

How to survive prosper
outside Silicon Valley