Having recently returned from a first-time visit to Silicon Valley, I was struck by a recent guest post at OnStartups.com.
The piece was written by Jason Evanish of GreenhornConnect.com, a hub for Boston's early-stage entrepreneurs, who coincidentally had taken his first trip to the Valley at the same time I had.
I was struck by how similar Jason's observations were to my own - that the Valley oozes openness, unbridled optimism and a fantastic working culture - but I also realized these same descriptors apply to Waterloo Region's tech scene in general, and to the Communitech Hub in particular.
After just six months at Communitech, I've already lost count of how many visitors to the Hub have been struck by the spirit of helpfulness and palpable sense of positivity as they moved through our sunwashed spaces in the former Lang Tannery.
Our tech ecosystem shares structural similarities with the Valley, too, in that top-notch engineering schools sit at the centre of each, seeding the surrounding ground with the kind of ideas and talent that spawn innovative entrepreneurship.
If there is a key difference in the Valley (aside from the almost painfully pleasant weather there), it is mainly one of scale: There are more companies and more talent, which means more capital and more opportunity, which, in turn, means more success, and thus, recognition as the centre of the tech universe.
It is important, especially for self-doubting Canadians, to remember that bigger does not have to mean better. Not only do our talent and startups stack up against anyone's, but Waterloo and Canada enjoy strong brand equity throughout the Valley, where a quarter-million of us work, many in high-level positions at tech's most influential companies. Just ask our friends at the C100, a group of California-based Canadians who are ready to help their countrymen and women make strategic connections there.
That brand equity gives Canadian companies a distinct advantage over those from other non-Valley locations, including many American ones, when we go there seeking capital and customers.
In other words, going to the Valley is not about seeking approval; we've been earning that for some time now. Nor is it about trying to be "more American." It's about being ourselves, diving into the world's largest tech pool and bringing home our share of well-earned opportunity.
