Big Ideas; Small Communities

Allen Ginsberg “Howl”

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness,
starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking
for an angry fix,
angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly
connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night — Allen Ginsberg, Howl

This afternoon I had lunch with my sister, Natalia. It’s a rare event when the calendars of a startup entrepreneur and a high school teacher who is also getting her Masters at Stanford University align.

I am sure it was the conversation that got her to stay, and I am equally sure it was the lure of a free hand-me-down TV and speaker system that got her to drive from San Jose to San Mateo early on a Sunday afternoon.

While at lunch, Natalia, who works for one of the poorest schools in the East Side San Jose School District (ESSJ, yo!), Overfelt High, told me of some of the trials her students faced, from parents and friends who were unsupportive of their dreams to go to college, to the raw difficulty of finding your way socially in a community where continued education was seen as something other people do.

This year, nearly 50% of her graduating seniors are going off to college. Some will never finish college as it’s too price prohibitive, for others, it will be the challenges of being in New York, Boston, or other cities far away from their friends and families in San Jose. But most will persevere and go on to start businesses, work at great companies and generally improve the community that inspired them to reach further than their peer groups.

While I am listening to these stories I am thinking about my own community—the folks that stand so far in advance of the rest of the world technologically that technology is no longer part of our lives, but our very lives—and I think about how everyone is decrying that all of the great thinkers have been lost to lavish parties, funding rounds and secret VIP conferences that have VIP sections, and it just made me so sad.

The best minds of my generation are thinking about how to make people click ads,” [Hammerbacher] says. “That sucks.” — Jeff Hammerbacher

Over the years, I have long believed that small communities of people can drive big ideas, innovation and inspiration. My sister’s school does it daily. I have been there to see students stand and support one another.

Where did we lose this? If you were to read any tech blog, you would see publications that once celebrated technological achievement, embrace the page view generating viewpoint of a community run amok.

Here is the secret. We never did. Silicon Valley at its core has not changed since it began in the orchards of San Jose.

Recently, a friend began to explore the selling of his company. He logically came the to understanding that the likelihood of the product and company maturing to the point where the level of traction was interesting enough to potential investors was futher on the horizon than the end of his runway. No Second Seed for him.

He asked for my help. “Hey Micah,” he asked, “you know people. Can you find out if anyone would be interested in my company?”

I emailed a couple of VCs that I knew. I emailed Techstars. I emailed individual founders I knew. I expected nothing. He got everything.

For hours I responded to folks that reached out for an introduction. I got plenty of emails that simply said, “how can I help?”

Amount of money I will get from this transaction? zero.

Our community is built on the idea that small communities can drive big ideas, and that failure has to come more often than success for us to significantly change how things are done (and sometimes the world).

Our community is built on the idea that true talent and intelligence is in short supply. That people willing to risk it all are highly valuable. So we cherish and support the founders that make our community what it is.

Don’t get confused by the tight pants and beards wandering the Mission, or the Techcrunch post about the next mega-financing round. That is not what makes Silicon Valley, well, Silicon Valley.

The belief that the greatest minds are wasting away is a common one. It happened in the drug fueled Beat Generation, and its continued to be supported with each company whose business plan calls for it to send quarters to people to make doing laundry easier.

But those are the pump fakes of the startup ecosystem. They exist simply to confuse the naysayers and keep the vocal minority busy, while the real innovation in robotics, finance, medicine and yes, even ad tech are being built under your noses.

So keep talking about the latest party, or dumb idea that gets funded.

Our small community is building big ideas while you do.