{"id":107,"date":"2013-10-28T15:00:25","date_gmt":"2013-10-28T07:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.www.innovationiseverywhere.com\/?p=107"},"modified":"2013-10-28T15:00:25","modified_gmt":"2013-10-28T07:00:25","slug":"russia-tanzania-indonesia-us-analyze-startup-ecosystems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/innovationiseverywhere.com\/fr\/russia-tanzania-indonesia-us-analyze-startup-ecosystems\/","title":{"rendered":"How Russia, Tanzania, Indonesia and the US analyze their own startup ecosystems"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is there a 2nd best innovation ecosystem?<\/h2>\n

Answering the question\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0what is the 2nd best innovation ecosystem in the world\u00a0\u00bb<\/em>\u00a0is both provocative and eye-opening.\u00a0No one seems to be able to identify a comparable model to what Silicon Valley<\/strong>\u00a0has built over the last 50-60 years (see this cool\u00a0timeline<\/a>\u00a0from NPR). And the second \u00ab\u00a0rank\u00a0\u00bb, if it still makes sense to\u00a0compare<\/strong>\u00a0ecosystems (we should\u00a0connect ecosystems instead<\/strong>, as we wrote in a previous\u00a0article<\/a>) is a good way to start a never-ending debate. The\u00a0Global Entrepreneurship Summit<\/strong>\u00a0offers the best possible platform to gather\u00a0thoughts on ecosystem building and management<\/strong>. It is a\u00a0political<\/strong>\u00a0summit, where government agencies meet community leaders and builders. It is an event with more than 100 countries represented. You can read the\u00a0wrap-up<\/a>\u00a0of the\u00a0opening keynotes by John Kerry and Malaysia PM Najib Razak<\/strong>. The panel we attended on emerging markets was a key opportunity to hear ecosystem players from\u00a0Russia, Tanzania, Indonesia and the United States\u00a0<\/strong>on one stage.<\/p>\n

\"Global<\/a>

All continents under one roof at Kuala Lumpur’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit<\/p><\/div>\n

Startups must think big<\/h2>\n

Russian<\/strong>\u00a0speaker\u00a0Peter Tatischev<\/a>\u00a0assessed a similar issue in Russia and in Asia, where\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0there is\u00a0no global vision<\/strong>\u00ab\u00a0<\/em>. The modern world is not bound by any borders so we must address the global market, but few actually do it.\u00a0A successful innovation ecosystem must help startups go global<\/strong>. The risk of not doing this is to find many local\u00a0copycats<\/strong>\u00a0(such as the countless cab sharing or ticketing apps), with little reach. Without a vision, he adds,\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0people start a business for the\u00a0lifestyle<\/strong>, not to solve real problems, local problems\u00a0\u00bb<\/em>, which is something that echoes in any\u00a0city too focused on copying the Silicon Valley model<\/strong>, forgetting the local context that they work in.<\/p>\n

For startups to thrive, government must facilitate, not manage<\/h2>\n

Indonesia<\/strong>, says\u00a0Salahuddin Sandiago<\/a>, is not exactly Silicon Valley, as\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0our culture is\u00a0not fostering entrepreneurship<\/strong>\u00ab\u00a0.<\/em>\u00a0The government used to be very much in control of the economy and as a result, only\u00a00.18% of Indonesian people are entrepreneurs<\/strong>. The question posed to the family of Salahuddin, now an established player of the tech and VC scene in Indonesia, is always the same:\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0now that you are a successful entrepreneur, when are you going back to school to get a PhD\u00a0\u00bb<\/em>. With\u00a019 million more middle-class consumers<\/strong>\u00a0in the next 15 years in Indonesia, any new product is bound to be a success. It is a huge field of opportunities. Still, issues remain: it can take\u00a0up to 6 months to create a company<\/strong>\u00a0in Indonesia, and only a few hours to have it closed down.<\/p>\n

\"Global<\/a>

Alternatives to the Silicon Valley (note: Morocco will host the next GES in 2014)<\/p><\/div>\n

Startups must Connect & Cooperate, instead of Compete<\/h2>\n

Adam Stelle<\/a>, from\u00a0UP Global<\/a>, the umbrella brand behind\u00a0Startup Weekend and Startup Digest<\/strong>, tries to\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0ignite the initial spark\u00a0\u00bb<\/em>\u00a0with hackathons taking place worldwide, because this is how you can start to\u00a0gather a community<\/strong>\u00a0of entrepreneurs, VCs, mentors, tech brands, bottom-up. And\u00a0an ecosystem is not only about startups<\/strong>, he adds.\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0In the Middle-East, the startup ecosystem rose at the same time as the political activity, probably not coincidentally\u00a0\u00bb<\/em>. This is the vision that\u00a0Obama’s<\/strong>\u00a0Global Entrepreneurship Summit embodies, to create\u00a0links between the youth of Muslim and Western worlds<\/strong>\u00a0through entrepreneurship. At Kuala Lumpur, a new partnership between the US administration and UP Global was also announced, to support\u00a0500 000 entrepreneurs in 1 000 cities<\/strong>\u00a0with a connection to mentors and investors.<\/p>\n

Startups must focus on their local context<\/h2>\n

David Rose<\/a>, a\u00a0super-angel<\/strong>, gave insights from\u00a0New York<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0NY is the\u00a0capital<\/strong>\u00a0city for finance, for advertising, and many other industries. An ecosystem is anchored\u00a0locally<\/strong>, and must take advantage of the\u00a0existing entrepreneurial base<\/strong>\u00ab\u00a0.<\/em>\u00a0This is clearly a good approach as it will help innovation ecosystems across the world to\u00a0differentiate<\/strong>, be complementary rather than competing. The internet makes it possible to connect established industries in a new startup model.\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0Silicon Valley is an unusual creature, and\u00a0you don’t have to be Silicon Valley<\/strong>\u00ab\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0he adds. \u00ab\u00a0Find people fit for entrepreneurship, find your\u00a0local identity<\/strong>\u00a0and key strength, and then you can start to push an ecosystem\u00a0\u00bb<\/em>.\u00a0Nairobi<\/strong>\u00a0in Kenya, for instance, is seen by many as both the most advanced African hub and a top global player for mobile payment technologies and service.<\/p>\n

\"martin<\/a>

The map of startups in NY as seen on http:\/\/mappedinny.com\/<\/p><\/div>\n

George Mulamula<\/a>, CEO of\u00a0Tanzania ICT incubator (DTBi)<\/strong>, confirms the necessity for an ecosystem that is both\u00a0locally<\/strong>\u00a0relevant, and\u00a0globally<\/strong>\u00a0recognized. The DTBi entrepreneurs program he manages for the government of Tanzania has a\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0copycat syndrome\u00a0\u00bb<\/em>\u00a0like anywhere else, but people are also\u00a0keen to work on rural issues which are important for the surrounding countries.<\/strong>\u00a0This makes even more sense in\u00a0Asia<\/strong>, where as some say, the great divide is between an\u00a0urban elite<\/strong>\u00a0(they have smartphones, they know about apps), and the\u00a0countryside<\/strong>, where feature phones are still used a lot and numerous problems remain unsolved (you can read this\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0from Gwendolyn Tan, a key observer of the Singapore and ASEAN tech scene). Again,\u00a0the topic of innovation ecosystems invites a few conclusions<\/strong>:<\/p>\n