Silicon Valley: Planet Startup

Peter Ester is Professor of Human Capital & Entrepreneurship at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands. Arne Maas is Professor of Marketing at Rotterdam Business School, Rotterdam University, the Netherlands.

• Foreword by Acknowledgements Business Focus of Participating Startup Founders and CEOs 1. Introduction: The Silicon Valley Saga - Our fascination with Silicon Valley - Why Dutch startups? - Target groups - The way we worked - Book overview 2. The Silicon Valley Innovation & Startup Model - Path dependency of transformational technologies - A little history - Global engine of innovation 3. Product: Think Big - The Greater Idea - Coming to Silicon Valley - Push & pull factors - Entrepreneurs on Thinking Big 4. Market: Pivot & perseverance - Innovations to market - Key Success Factors - Marketing redefined - Entrepreneurs on pivot & perseverance - Pivoting the startup - Launch and sales 5. Team & talent - Startup founding teams: from pals to professionalization - Talent: excelling in hard & soft skills - By way of example: Stanford University as talent pool - Entrepreneurs on team & talent Strong teams will win Talent is gold 6. Funding - Angel investors & venture capitalists - Pitching for money - Entrepreneurs on startup funding Raising money Investment logic and exit The Pitch 7. Culture - The impact of culture - Openness and sharing - Passion and ethos - Risk-taking and failure - Cultural diversity and innovation - Immigrant entrepreneurship - Entrepreneurs on culture On risks and failure Cultural codes Work attitude, drive, and commitment Immigrant entrepreneurship 8. Universities and R&D labs - Higher education, innovation, and new ventures - Berkeley - Stanford University - San Francisco State University and San Jose State university - Santa Clara University - Concerns - Entrepreneurs on universities and R&D labs Higher education and startups Going for excellence 9. Government - Demystifying the role of government - New laws, new programs, new roles - Visa - Immigration politics - Entrepreneurs on government Government intervention: Contrasting paradigms Redefining the role of Dutch government Bankruptcy Visa, visa, visa 10. Network support system - The art of networking: Trust and social capital - Law firms as business counselors - Startup schools: Incubators & accelerators - Entrepreneurs on network support system Incubators & lawyers The need for networking 11. The Downside of the Valley - Increasing social inequality - Tech boom gentrification - Entrepreneurs on social inequality and social problems 12. Silicon Valley's Secret Sauce: (Ecosystem x Culture)2 - The Silicon Valley Innovation puzzle - The European context - Entrepreneurs on lessons to be learned from Silicon Valley - Boosting the European startup spirit 13. Go West, Young Man, Go West? Appendix 1 Interviewed Dutch Startup Founders & CEOs Appendix 2 Interviewed Silicon Valley & Dutch Stakeholders Appendix 3 Questionnaire Personal Interviews Dutch Startup Founders & CEOs in Silicon Valley Appendix 4 Questionnaire group interviews Dutch Startup Founders & CEOs in Silicon Valley

"So much has been said about Silicon Valley's mystique and success. But this book nails it!" - Vish Mishra, VC at Clearstone