As the Startup Grind Director of the Guangzhou, China chapter, I had the
privilege of participating in the first Startup Grind conference in Mountain
View, California, referred to by some as Silicon Valley. Startup Grind is all about
educate, inspire and connect with fellow startup entrepreneurs and people that
like to be involved with startups. I would like to use this opportunity to share
insights gained from this priceless experience and tell you why travelling over
8000 miles to attend this event was something that I would encourage you to do
as well.
Educate
I left college 15 years ago and have been living in China for the last 8. During
the past few years I have noticed that in many ways I have lost touch with
new scientific research and ideas. 24 hours a day, seven days a week, were
dedicated to my company. After a couple of years in the entrepreneurial world,
I felt as though I had figured it out. That was until I met Steve Blank at Startup
Grind 2013. Steve is the author of the “Startup Owners Manual.” A book that
provides a simple methodology on buidling Startup’s. I quickly learned that Steve
is considered a Startup hero in the Valley and beyond. Steve’s insight on the
process of validating ideas and running experiments was a take-away I started to
apply immediately upon my return to China. So, thank you Steven for educating
me.
Inspire
The Startup Grind 2013 line-up was impressive, to say at the least. I was inspired
over and over again by individuals who have successfully created and managed
the start-up process. Clayton Christiansen, for example, shared insights about
disrupting industries; Mark Suster discussed the importance of the founding
team and investor perspectives and Greg Tseng’s talked about virility. These
were just three of many speakers that impacted me. However,I would like to use
this opportunity to thank one of the brightest ladies in the Valley , an individual
who had a profound impact on me. Ann Miura Ko, is the managing partner of
Micro VC Floodgate, lecturer at Stanford University School of Engineering and
mother of 3 young children. Ann presented an inspiring talk about life work
balance and management. In addition to many practical tips, she shared her
vision of “being world class”. The idea of “being world class” resonated with me,
in that it really inspires people to go the extra mile knowing that the extra mile
has the potential to determine success or failure. Ann, thanks for inspiring me to
push myself beyond my limits and doing a world class job regardless the task.
Connect
Midway through the conference I felt that I already got more than my money’s
worth in terms of education and inspiration. Yet, similar to any conference
where like minds come together the connections you can make at Startup Grind
are amazing! Silicon Valley, the holy land for every Start Up entrepreneur used
to be an untouchable realm, but thanks to the opportunities provided by Startup
Grind I can now say, “yes, I have friends in the Valley.” Derek, Erica, Denise,
Francisco, Joel, Brian, thanks for the hospitality and warm welcome. A special
thank you to Melonee. How kind of you to offer me a place to stay for the week!
It was amazing to meet all of the Startup Grind chapter directors and exchange
ideas while having a great time. I never expected that I would also walk away
with some business from the conference, however I also met Bruce from
Nephoscale cloudhosting and we began working together immediately upon my
return home.
Bonus track
Not many conferences deliver upon their promise but Startup Grind 2013 was
able to do this and more. The good news for you is that there are monthly meet-
up’s all around the world and you can join at any point. However, if there is
no event taking place near you, and you would like to be a part of this unique
network, reach out to Derek and the rest of the team and perhaps you will be
able to be educated, inspired and connect with people in your local community
and the Valley next year.
For those of you that would like to learn more about China or are looking for
connections in the East, feel free to contact me at carel@startupgrind.com.
Hope to see you at Startup Grind 2014, Carel van Apeldoorn, Chapter Director Guangzhou, China.