why startups

Why Startups?by James Chan

@m0t0chanwww.motochan.com

james@motochan.com

Startup Career Day

Technological Singularity

“Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us” by Bill Joy for Wired

“The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology”, Ray Kurzweil

18221980s1990s2000200320062010

192 years85 million years

Digitisation & Networking are contributing to economic growth at a pace outstripping that of Industrial Revolution.

99% of things in physical world not linked to the Internet (yet)..

1%

Industrial Revolution

A.D. 1760 A.D. 1945 A.D. 1982

Internet

A.D. 2013

Atomic, Jet & Space Age

Source: “The Global Information Technology Report 2013 - growth & jobs in a Hyperconnected World” - INSEAD-WEF collaboration

30%.. ..of global Internet revenue 40%.. ..of global Internet net income

Source: “Internet matters: The Net’s sweeping impact on growth, jobs and prosperity” - McKinsey & Company

2.0b connected to Internet.. ..out of global population of 7b

>50% of world’s population live in cities.. ..out of global population of 7b

The Internet matters :: almost every vertical or industry is either cannibalised by it, or scales with it.

At peak in 1996, 100,000+ staff, US$31B market value

wiped out, bankruptcy 13 staff & US$1B exit to Facebook in 2012

from printed to digital

from in-person to online

from 1-way/physical media to

2-way/digital

from discrete/in-person to on-

demand/online

At peak in 2004, 60,000+ staff, 9,000 stores, bankruptcy

from in-person/physical to card-not-present/

digital/mobile

from insecure/untraceable/upfront to secure/traceable/escrow

from time-limited/physical presence/inventory cost to always-on/digital/just-in-

time

from large pallet logistics to loose-item forward-reverse

logistics

Typewriter to Word Processor to Cloud

and many more, moving us from...

Fixed-line to Mobile Telephony to Mobile Data Mass production to mass customisation

Career

“Startup” ?gold, glory, girls

abject failure

it’s the journey

that counts.

you’re looking

at it backwards.

“Why Startups?” by James Chan © 2015

mentality, psyche

choice

do

DOUBT

self

organisation

or

“Startup”

exit free

idea, mission, passion

validation

GROWTH

“Why Startups?” by James Chan © 2015

do

DOUBT

mentality, psyche

choice

self“Why Startups?” by James Chan © 2015

My Storygetting out of comfort zone

never say never/forever

neotenypay it forward

self-awarenessid, ego, super-ego

do

DOUBT

mentality

choice

self

My Story

“Why Startups?” by James Chan © 2015

2-time college drop-out ran a nightclub started the first ISP in Japan listed a company early investor in Flickr, last.fm, Twitter… WOW guild founder/leader PADI-certified instructor of instructors*Director, MIT Media Lab*

mentality

choice

do

DOUBT

self

My Story

“Why Startups?” by James Chan © 2015

S$222,002.43

“bond breaker” & “quitter” label

leap of faith

convincing yourself vsnaysaying by others

LUCK? GRAB IT!

mentality

choice

do

DOUBT

self

My Story

“Why Startups?” by James Chan © 2015

US$5M fundReturned US$6.7M in 4 years, US$12+M in

unrealised investments

Neoteny Labs

circa Jun ‘10

70+ pax in SG, VN, IDinnovation tribe in SEA; builds products,

companies, foster communities & make early-stage investments.

Silicon Straits

circa Apr ‘13

VP InternationalGreyOrange

circa Jun ‘15

“Why Startups?” by James Chan © 2015

Failure & LonelinessL O N E L I N E S S

Resilienceover StrengthSelf-healing networks, self-governance vs regulation, compliance.

Pullover PushSearch, p2p sharing, self-paced learning vs lock-step curriculum.

Risk over SafetyLife/experience-based learning vs instutition-guaranteed competency.

Systems over ObjectsSelf-healing networks, self-governance vs regulation, compliance.

Compassesover MapsGuidance, self-direction vs teacher-led location.

Practice over TheoryDuh...

Disobedienceover ComplianceQuestion authority, what-how-why vs yes sir, yes sir, 3 bags full sir.

Emergence over AuthorityPositive deviance vs top-down

Learningover EducationToolkits, maxims, process vs certifications, degrees

“Why Startups?” by James Chan © 2015

Questions?

@m0t0chanwww.motochan.com

james@motochan.com

Thank you!