why startups
TRANSCRIPT
Why Startups?by James Chan
@m0t0chanwww.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
Thank you!