Scaling Up the Next Silicon Valley

Scaling Up the Next Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley has a remarkable track record of producing valuable technology companies. Of the 13 high-tech companies in the world that are worth over $100 billion, six of them hail from Silicon Valley. All of their headquarters sit in a 50-mile stretch from San Francisco to San Jose. Not bad for a region that accounts for less than 0.1% of the world's population! So the question on many minds is, “Where is the next Silicon Valley?”

In this week's Masters of Scale podcast, we ask this of Linda Rottenberg, the CEO and co-founder of Endeavor, which selects, mentors, and accelerates high-impact entrepreneurs around the world. When Linda started Endeavor with co-founder Pete Kellner, there literally wasn't a word for “entrepreneur” in Spanish. Today, Endeavor has mentored over 1,500 entrepreneurs, whose companies have created over 650,000 jobs and generated $10 billion in revenues in 2016. Not bad for a woman who was dubbed “La Chica Loca” by Argentinian entrepreneur Eduardo Elsztain, who thought she was crazy...and became Endeavor's first investor.

You'll learn why the “kitchen table moment” makes entrepreneurship so challenging (and mentorship so essential), and why Linda told Mexico's richest moguls that, as “big fish”, they should “feed the little fish” instead of eating them. You'll also hear the story of Endeavor's first entrepreneur, Wences Casares, and how his success with Patagon.com changed everything for Endeavor and the aspiring entrepreneurs of Latin America.

We'll also be joined by marine biologist Kristen Marhaver, who explains why startups are like baby coral, and how building a scaleup ecosystem is like growing a coral reef, and by leaders from “Next Silicon Valleys” around the world. MIT's Joi Ito explains how Boston regained its startup mojo by focusing on biotech, while Tel Aviv's Yossi Vardi explains the unexpected source of Israeli entrepreneurial success. And we'll also learn from Andrew Ng why China is already the Next Silicon Valley.

As always, I'd like to hear your thoughts and reactions to this conversation. What are some of the ways that you're helping develop the “coral reef” of your ecosystem?

Please write a short post on your LinkedIn newsfeed to share your answers with the wider community. Tag your post #mastersofscale so I can find it. And if you’d like, tweet it at me (@ReidHoffman) and @MastersOfScale.

R. Joe Ottinger

Strategic Advisor, Management Consultant, Board Member, Author, 2022 Cornell Entrepreneur Of The Year

6y

I loved the whole mastering scale podcasts. Thank you for putting this together. I shared it with a broad group of tech CEOs in Seattle.

It's all fantastic that the planet Earth is seeing brilliant technologies. But the very survival of most of the Earth is in danger.... The Water Crisis looms large. Pl do something for this.

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Stephen Mctaggart

International Business energy communication consultant

6y

Reid Hoffman : Stephen Mc Taggart . Have concept for transmission of wireless Internet charging device for mobile products have received provisional pat . In process of applying for utility pat need research and development funding . Contact if interested . Stephenmctaggart@aol.com

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Bianca J. Jackson, MBA, PMP®

Innovation Strategy Consultant | Tech for Good Advocate | Public Speaker | PM for Pulitzer Prize Winning Virtual Reality Project | Founder @ Award-Winning, Startup: BrickRose Exchange

6y

What are some of the ways that you're helping develop the “coral reef” of your ecosystem? Great question. Empowering women with the tools and confidence to do meaningful work. Work that's purpose driven. #mastersofscale

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