Comments on: Finding the Golden Path: Can Singapore be a Silicon Valley? http://sgentrepreneurs.com/commentary/2006/03/29/finding-the-golden-path-can-singapore-be-a-silicon-valley/ Entrepreneurship in Singapore (Asia) Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:52:37 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Bernard Leong » Aggregators, Blogs and Credibility: The “ABC” for Citizen Journalism http://sgentrepreneurs.com/commentary/2006/03/29/finding-the-golden-path-can-singapore-be-a-silicon-valley/comment-page-1/#comment-129284 Bernard Leong » Aggregators, Blogs and Credibility: The “ABC” for Citizen Journalism Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:20:50 +0000 http://sgentrepreneurs.com/wordpress/?p=100#comment-129284 [...] example of a blog article translated to a proper article in the journal is by the author, entitled “Finding the Golden Path: Can Singapore be a Silicon Valley?”. The article is first written as a blog entry and through recommendation by experts in the area, [...] [...] example of a blog article translated to a proper article in the journal is by the author, entitled “Finding the Golden Path: Can Singapore be a Silicon Valley?”. The article is first written as a blog entry and through recommendation by experts in the area, [...]

]]> By: PA-1650-02 http://sgentrepreneurs.com/commentary/2006/03/29/finding-the-golden-path-can-singapore-be-a-silicon-valley/comment-page-1/#comment-128905 PA-1650-02 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:48:55 +0000 http://sgentrepreneurs.com/wordpress/?p=100#comment-128905 Seems great, however, I do not think singapore will become the silicon valley, sorry. Seems great, however, I do not think singapore will become the silicon valley, sorry.

]]> By: JonnyL http://sgentrepreneurs.com/commentary/2006/03/29/finding-the-golden-path-can-singapore-be-a-silicon-valley/comment-page-1/#comment-81013 JonnyL Wed, 28 Nov 2007 18:35:50 +0000 http://sgentrepreneurs.com/wordpress/?p=100#comment-81013 I think the key to entrepreneurship in Singapore is to have more willing entrepreneurs who do not shun the risks involved in building a business. No matter how good the structure and schemes offered by the government, without the stream of entrepreneurs who are willing to make it or break it, nothing will ever bear fruit. And the way to do that requires a major shift in the Singaporean and Asian mindset, which is almost impossible to change. If an entrepreneur really wants to incubate his business and grow it into a global behemoth, he would sure be able to overcome them despite the absence of many schemes which we see today. We need more of such people who would build a business for the sake of building the business, with or without external help. How to do this is really another matter, beginning from how others view failures all the way to the education system. As Guy Kawasaki said, people in the US would say, "Why are you working in that company for so long?," while the opposite happens in Singapore," Why did you quit that job? Didn't it pay very well?" Another point was one that I derived after a conversation with a scientist working at A*Star. Upon achieving user-driven research outcomes the scientist at A*Star is given the option to spin off the discovered technology into a company with funding by A*Star (the government) which essentially causes it to be government-linked in the end. Many iconic Singaporean companies have the same thing in common. (They are private companies with the Government as the major shareholder) The presence of the government in the entrepreneurship scene can be unsettling and (as seen in the scenario today) counterproductive. I think the key to entrepreneurship in Singapore is to have more willing entrepreneurs who do not shun the risks involved in building a business. No matter how good the structure and schemes offered by the government, without the stream of entrepreneurs who are willing to make it or break it, nothing will ever bear fruit. And the way to do that requires a major shift in the Singaporean and Asian mindset, which is almost impossible to change. If an entrepreneur really wants to incubate his business and grow it into a global behemoth, he would sure be able to overcome them despite the absence of many schemes which we see today. We need more of such people who would build a business for the sake of building the business, with or without external help. How to do this is really another matter, beginning from how others view failures all the way to the education system. As Guy Kawasaki said, people in the US would say, “Why are you working in that company for so long?,” while the opposite happens in Singapore,” Why did you quit that job? Didn’t it pay very well?”

Another point was one that I derived after a conversation with a scientist working at A*Star. Upon achieving user-driven research outcomes the scientist at A*Star is given the option to spin off the discovered technology into a company with funding by A*Star (the government) which essentially causes it to be government-linked in the end. Many iconic Singaporean companies have the same thing in common. (They are private companies with the Government as the major shareholder) The presence of the government in the entrepreneurship scene can be unsettling and (as seen in the scenario today) counterproductive.

]]> By: chong3 http://sgentrepreneurs.com/commentary/2006/03/29/finding-the-golden-path-can-singapore-be-a-silicon-valley/comment-page-1/#comment-4201 chong3 Mon, 09 Oct 2006 06:23:39 +0000 http://sgentrepreneurs.com/wordpress/?p=100#comment-4201 Entrepreneur Is Born Or Could Be Cultivated? Wild animals are born with instinct and skill on survival. Human are born with instinct to adapt in and be affected by the process of life growing. To be entrepreneur, the germ factor is generally not a decisive factor. Many great men were the next generation of the poor and the uneducated. The human survival and development base on its capability on the existing condition to explore the commonly unknown or unexplored. The same apply to individual and nation. Individual was born with a value of capability. The value moving up or down is the result of the interacting between the social interaction and the germ. The same is the world environment to a nation. Entrepreneurial Spirit In Singapore Singapore, in the process of nation building, has refined all the rules and setup in places to ensure the nation survival. This value of the instinct, or the germ factor inclining for developing entrepreneurial spirit has not disappeared, but has just been contained unconsciously. Should a right and clear direction is guiding and make the value conscious and this value could be ignited, people mindset could be changed in days or months, it could evolve to form a kind of world wonder in its own way different from the Silicon Valley culture within the next 10 years- due to the advance and growth of quality of its people and business infrastructures in the knowledge base economy and connection to the world, the opportunity the globalization offers and the nation desire to survive- stay ahead and create new value before the competitors do. The Ignorance Of Marketplace Idea By The Descision Makers Entrepreneur spirit, seeking and inviting great idea has long and much been studied and promoted. The assisting schemes available to new startup and existing business have been in place for submission of business plan or business idea in detail for valuing. Because of accountability and compliance, the decision makers would base on the known conditions for the existing and the future to value all the submissions. Those who possess the entrepreneur spirit and the marketplace idea may not approach for help, as they know what they know could not make the decision maker known. Instinctively they know they have to work a long and hard way before they become known. Chance of success is getting slim in the midst of globalization. If a marketplace idea could develop to be emerging world brand name within the next 5 year, it may serve as an ignition to the contained entrepreneurial spirit to evolve to leverage on the Singapore brand name. Every supporting resource, just as the waiting is in place for such marketplace idea to grow or more often die naturally. It is therefore critical to create such ignition power before too late. Gamble For The Marketplace Idea.......... Entrepreneur Is Born Or Could Be Cultivated?
Wild animals are born with instinct and skill on survival. Human are born with instinct to adapt in and be affected by the process of life growing. To be entrepreneur, the germ factor is generally not a decisive factor. Many great men were the next generation of the poor and the uneducated.

The human survival and development base on its capability on the existing condition to explore the commonly unknown or unexplored. The same apply to individual and nation.

Individual was born with a value of capability. The value moving up or down is the result of the interacting between the social interaction and the germ. The same is the world environment to a nation.

Entrepreneurial Spirit In Singapore
Singapore, in the process of nation building, has refined all the rules and setup in places to ensure the nation survival.

This value of the instinct, or the germ factor inclining for developing entrepreneurial spirit has not disappeared, but has just been contained unconsciously. Should a right and clear direction is guiding and make the value conscious and this value could be ignited, people mindset could be changed in days or months, it could evolve to form a kind of world wonder in its own way different from the Silicon Valley culture within the next 10 years- due to the advance and growth of quality of its people and business infrastructures in the knowledge base economy and connection to the world, the opportunity the globalization offers and the nation desire to survive- stay ahead and create new value before the competitors do.

The Ignorance Of Marketplace Idea By The Descision Makers
Entrepreneur spirit, seeking and inviting great idea has long and much been studied and promoted. The assisting schemes available to new startup and existing business have been in place for submission of business plan or business idea in detail for valuing. Because of accountability and compliance, the decision makers would base on the known conditions for the existing and the future to value all the submissions.

Those who possess the entrepreneur spirit and the marketplace idea may not approach for help, as they know what they know could not make the decision maker known. Instinctively they know they have to work a long and hard way before they become known. Chance of success is getting slim in the midst of globalization. If a marketplace idea could develop to be emerging world brand name within the next 5 year, it may serve as an ignition to the contained entrepreneurial spirit to evolve to leverage on the Singapore brand name. Every supporting resource, just as the waiting is in place for such marketplace idea to grow or more often die naturally. It is therefore critical to create such ignition power before too late.

Gamble For The Marketplace Idea……….

]]> By: troodon http://sgentrepreneurs.com/commentary/2006/03/29/finding-the-golden-path-can-singapore-be-a-silicon-valley/comment-page-1/#comment-1554 troodon Mon, 31 Jul 2006 21:42:06 +0000 http://sgentrepreneurs.com/wordpress/?p=100#comment-1554 Another requirement of Silicon Valley is the fact that Silicon Valley has 2 great universities in the world: Stanford and Berkeley. The amount of technology transfer between such academic institutions and the companies within Silicon Valley has been tremendous. Also take note of the amount of talent in Silicon Valley compared to Singapore. It might be painful for me to say this but Singapore just does not have the people needed to create a Silicon Valley. This is not an unfair statement in anyway. Silicon Valley takes in the top 1%(or even less) of the brightest, smartest people in the world. A lot of them are not Americans but really smart, bright people(often students) from their respective countries. Without a strong, open culture of R&D Singapore will never succeed as a Silicon Valley. It is not Singapore's fault for this depressing outlook however. Singapore just does not have enough people to sustain a top 1% "brilliant people" population that Silicon Valley requires. One can keep talking about entrepreneurship and what not but that is not the main problem that Singapore faces. Even with good entrepreneurs, Silicon Valley in Singapore just will not happen because there will be no smart people to drive the companies. Another requirement of Silicon Valley is the fact that Silicon Valley has 2 great universities in the world: Stanford and Berkeley. The amount of technology transfer between such academic institutions and the companies within Silicon Valley has been tremendous. Also take note of the amount of talent in Silicon Valley compared to Singapore. It might be painful for me to say this but Singapore just does not have the people needed to create a Silicon Valley. This is not an unfair statement in anyway. Silicon Valley takes in the top 1%(or even less) of the brightest, smartest people in the world. A lot of them are not Americans but really smart, bright people(often students) from their respective countries. Without a strong, open culture of R&D Singapore will never succeed as a Silicon Valley. It is not Singapore’s fault for this depressing outlook however. Singapore just does not have enough people to sustain a top 1% “brilliant people” population that Silicon Valley requires. One can keep talking about entrepreneurship and what not but that is not the main problem that Singapore faces. Even with good entrepreneurs, Silicon Valley in Singapore just will not happen because there will be no smart people to drive the companies.

]]> By: It's our BBA blog! http://sgentrepreneurs.com/commentary/2006/03/29/finding-the-golden-path-can-singapore-be-a-silicon-valley/comment-page-1/#comment-457 It's our BBA blog! Thu, 22 Jun 2006 09:04:20 +0000 http://sgentrepreneurs.com/wordpress/?p=100#comment-457 <strong> Quick Tips for Networking I ...</strong> Networking is an important skill that any students and entrepreneurs must have. It requires more than...... Quick Tips for Networking I …

Networking is an important skill that any students and entrepreneurs must have. It requires more than……

]]> By: Singapore Entrepreneurs » BestBlogForward Meme: Why I wrote the “Finding the Golden Path: Can Singapore be a Silicon Valley?” http://sgentrepreneurs.com/commentary/2006/03/29/finding-the-golden-path-can-singapore-be-a-silicon-valley/comment-page-1/#comment-263 Singapore Entrepreneurs » BestBlogForward Meme: Why I wrote the “Finding the Golden Path: Can Singapore be a Silicon Valley?” Mon, 29 May 2006 18:00:44 +0000 http://sgentrepreneurs.com/wordpress/?p=100#comment-263 [...] Why I am writing this, because I want to support this entrepreneurial BestBlogForward Competition by Kevin Lim in theory.isthereason. . The idea is to blog about the most popular entry in your blog and here is how I am going to begin I am telling the story behind why I decide to write this earlier article: “Finding the Golden Path: Can Singapore be a Silicon Valley?” [...] [...] Why I am writing this, because I want to support this entrepreneurial BestBlogForward Competition by Kevin Lim in theory.isthereason. . The idea is to blog about the most popular entry in your blog and here is how I am going to begin I am telling the story behind why I decide to write this earlier article: “Finding the Golden Path: Can Singapore be a Silicon Valley?” [...]

]]> By: Singapore Entrepreneurs » Why I wrote the “Finding the Golden Path: Can Singapore be a Silicon Valley?” http://sgentrepreneurs.com/commentary/2006/03/29/finding-the-golden-path-can-singapore-be-a-silicon-valley/comment-page-1/#comment-254 Singapore Entrepreneurs » Why I wrote the “Finding the Golden Path: Can Singapore be a Silicon Valley?” Sun, 28 May 2006 16:11:22 +0000 http://sgentrepreneurs.com/wordpress/?p=100#comment-254 [...] The story behind why I decide to write this earlier article: Finding the Golden Path: Can Singapore be a Silicon Valley?” And why I am writing this, because I want to support this entrepreneurial competition: [...] [...] The story behind why I decide to write this earlier article: Finding the Golden Path: Can Singapore be a Silicon Valley?” And why I am writing this, because I want to support this entrepreneurial competition: [...]

]]> By: chong1 http://sgentrepreneurs.com/commentary/2006/03/29/finding-the-golden-path-can-singapore-be-a-silicon-valley/comment-page-1/#comment-116 chong1 Thu, 11 May 2006 05:24:00 +0000 http://sgentrepreneurs.com/wordpress/?p=100#comment-116 As involved in the ecommerce business in Singapore, I have been searching in search engines related article and speech. I found only few relating to Singapore ecommerce from the period Internet burst and until a year ago. It has been encouraging and enlightening to read all the postings here. To my thinking, the development of the dotcom business in Asian is approx. 3 years behind the US and 2 years the UK. Globalization provides the opportunity for other countries fast catching up, especially for the Singapore companies leveraging on the Singapore brand name. The Silicon Valley model, the Singapore story, in less than ten years the most successful dotcoms with the market cap. of more than 80B US are all unique in their path of growth and have been the wonder of today world. In the dotcom business, size of geographic and population no longer matter, what matters is the business value that a company could bring to the worldwide market, the fastest the impact. Globalization has leveled up the playing ground. Creativity or the capability to fill the cavity of the world supplies matter. Singapore as a traditional world known trading port, with the advances in its business and ecommerce infrastructural, the ever growing Singapore brand name, and the switching of the world economic pole from the west to the east, has a great chance today to develop Singapore as a global hub of e-retailing. Can a small company in Singapore without investing fund be a big leading e-retailer in the world market? My experience in the ecommerce is positive though I run a small e-retailing business www.pchub.com as stock provider shipping order placed online to more than 120 countries. My business was bootstrap, and grows according to the model of reinvented new economy As involved in the ecommerce business in Singapore, I have been searching in search engines related article and speech. I found only few relating to Singapore ecommerce from the period Internet burst and until a year ago. It has been encouraging and enlightening to read all the postings here.

To my thinking, the development of the dotcom business in Asian is approx. 3 years behind the US and 2 years the UK. Globalization provides the opportunity for other countries fast catching up, especially for the Singapore companies leveraging on the Singapore brand name.

The Silicon Valley model, the Singapore story, in less than ten years the most successful dotcoms with the market cap. of more than 80B US are all unique in their path of growth and have been the wonder of today world.

In the dotcom business, size of geographic and population no longer matter, what matters is the business value that a company could bring to the worldwide market, the fastest the impact. Globalization has leveled up the playing ground. Creativity or the capability to fill the cavity of the world supplies matter.

Singapore as a traditional world known trading port, with the advances in its business and ecommerce infrastructural, the ever growing Singapore brand name, and the switching of the world economic pole from the west to the east, has a great chance today to develop Singapore as a global hub of e-retailing.

Can a small company in Singapore without investing fund be a big leading e-retailer in the world market? My experience in the ecommerce is positive though I run a small e-retailing business http://www.pchub.com as stock provider shipping order placed online to more than 120 countries.

My business was bootstrap, and grows according to the model of reinvented new economy

]]> By: BjornLee http://sgentrepreneurs.com/commentary/2006/03/29/finding-the-golden-path-can-singapore-be-a-silicon-valley/comment-page-1/#comment-115 BjornLee Thu, 30 Mar 2006 20:46:00 +0000 http://sgentrepreneurs.com/wordpress/?p=100#comment-115 I am flattered. =) Insightful article here that captured many opinions on the debate of why Singapore cannot recapture the Silicon Valley spirit of success. I thought there was one phrase that jumped out from the article -> Fire in the Belly. Let me link this phrase with the comment that Singaporeans lives in too cloistered and comfortable an environment. Thats not true, from a hypthetical outsider view, because all Singaporean males went through military service, which is supposed to rough us up for the challenges in future. But Singaporean males will somewhat agree with me that the entire military service is not all too satisfying. Despite the mental and physical strenousness, there is an overarching environment of corporate restrictiveness that limits creativity and advocates a culture of conformity. Yes, discipline is an important component of the military structure but it does not have to be linked with a clamping down on innovation and creativity. My opinion here on a quickfire way to ramp up innovation in Singapore and to inculcate a more innovative and resilient spirit in Singaporeans starts from this stage of Singaporeans' lives. Look towards the Israelis and develop a culture that advocates discipline, resilience and innovation. I am flattered. =) Insightful article here that captured many opinions on the debate of why Singapore cannot recapture the Silicon Valley spirit of success.
I thought there was one phrase that jumped out from the article -> Fire in the Belly. Let me link this phrase with the comment that Singaporeans lives in too cloistered and comfortable an environment. Thats not true, from a hypthetical outsider view, because all Singaporean males went through military service, which is supposed to rough us up for the challenges in future. But Singaporean males will somewhat agree with me that the entire military service is not all too satisfying. Despite the mental and physical strenousness, there is an overarching environment of corporate restrictiveness that limits creativity and advocates a culture of conformity. Yes, discipline is an important component of the military structure but it does not have to be linked with a clamping down on innovation and creativity.
My opinion here on a quickfire way to ramp up innovation in Singapore and to inculcate a more innovative and resilient spirit in Singaporeans starts from this stage of Singaporeans’ lives. Look towards the Israelis and develop a culture that advocates discipline, resilience and innovation.

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