Silicon
Valley is one of the most coveted destinations for entrepreneurs and startup
founders. Often described by visiting entrepreneurs as Disneyland for geeks,
it has taken on an almost divine status; filled with promise and opportunity –
it’s the place where dreams really can come true.
So how
does one get their business across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge to start
building a network and getting traction in the US?
This
July, fifty international entrepreneurs were given the opportunity to see just what
Silicon Valley was all about and test out their startup ideas through YouNoodle Camp – a month long immersion
program in Silicon Valley. Participants went through a rigorous curriculum of
hands-on workshops, lecture series, networking events, mentor dinners, and
startup visits with intimate CEO discussions.
The
4-week program culminated in a Demo Day in front of an esteemed panel of judges
including: Christina
Brodbeck (founding team of YouTube, angel investor/500 startups), David Weekly
(Mexican VC and Founder of HackerDojo and PBWorks), Jeff Barco (Barco Partners),
and Chris Vargas (innovation partner at SRI, partner at Small World Group Fund)
among others.
SecQ.me
is a personal safety app that protects you and gives others peace of mind.
Based on a prevention approach, SecQ.me puts a virtual bodyguard into a user’s
smartphone, and automatically calls for help without the user’s
intervention if it senses they are in trouble.
James, like many startup founders, had a unique path to Silicon
Valley. From selling the family car in order to cut down on costs while his
wife was expecting their second child, to using his life savings to fund the
initial launch of the company, James was no stranger to bootstrapping. His efforts appeared to be paying off - the SecQ.me
app had been recognized by a number of international awards - but unfortunately
the accolades were not translating into government grants, or convincing VCs to
listen to his pitch. James was at a loss as to how to stand out and even attended
tryouts for a local TV pitch program, but did not make it to the finals.
His
luck started to change when he came across the Silicon
Valley Comes to Malaysia event, which launched the non-profit initiative StartupMalaysia.org with the mission to ignite,
inspire and catalyze the next generation of high growth companies. It was
through the pitch competition of this event that four companies were selected to
receive admission into this year’s YouNoodle Camp. James would be heading to
Silicon Valley with the founders of FanCross,
Piktochart, and Voucheres.
When the
plane touched down in San Francisco, James knew he was about to experience
something that would change his life forever. He had been to SF several times
before through his work with Sun Microsystems but had never been a part of the
startup environment there.
James told
us in a one-on-one interview that he only had one expectation for the YouNoodle
Camp: “To get more people to know about SecQ.me and to receive constructive
feedback.” He got more than he bargained for, he now admits.
Visiting
local startups and attending networking events almost every night opened his
eyes to where he needed to improve his product to be competitive in the current
market. James noted that: “things like our UI and how to make it super easy to
use, our customer acquisition strategy and how to track it, determining the
best marketing channels to get more paying customers, and our social media
presence all needed to be reassessed”
As you
can imagine, there is bound to be some culture shock after having flown over
8,000 miles. James described his biggest surprise as “the openness of the
people in Silicon Valley. They will not only share their idea with you, but
their ‘secrets’ to success as well. They are so willing to help you, and ensure
you are on the right path with your venture. The kindness of the SV
entrepreneur made me want to be a better entrepreneur.”
James’
A-ha moment came during a keynote address from Chip
Conley, veteran entrepreneur, author, and TED speaker, who spoke about the emotional equations within
entrepreneurship and how to measure/value happiness while creating a business. “Since
starting SecQ.me I was convinced that I could only be happy when SecQ.me was a
success. Chip's equations for happiness were a totally wake up call for me!
I now
know that to be successful, we need to be happy first, not the other way around.
And to be happy, we need to appreciate what we have, and not focus too much on
things we want to get.”
James’
advice for international entrepreneurs thinking about coming to Silicon Valley
through a program like YouNoodle Camp: "Just do it”
“SV is a
magical place. Anyone with an open heart, and an open mind to sharing and
helping others, with determination and passion for his/her venture will have a
place in SV. Rest assured, a 1-3 month immersion in SV will change you and make
you a better entrepreneur.”
What’s
next for SecQ.me? They are currently overhauling the products UI to make it
more user-friendly and are applying to the 2012 AngelPad
program in order to return to Silicon Valley and take the company to the next
level.
Although
Silicon Valley remains a hotbed for entrepreneurship, it is founders like
James, who will become ambassadors of change in their home countries and will
bring the SV mentality to their own communities. Stay tuned for more profiles
of some of the other 49 incredible entrepreneurs we met through this year’s
YouNoodle Camp.
