Kevin's Great Adventure

Disrupting the disruptors

2009-11-03T16:55:00.000-08:00

In the early nineties, as Internet usage began to spread, the word “disintermediation” was widely used to describe the power of online businesses to transact directly with their customers, removing the need for a middleman or broker in a wide variety of transactions. Take online securities trading for example – set up an account with Schwab or E-trade and there’s no need to deal with a human stockbroker. The same holds true for travel: Kayak, Expedia, Tripit, Orbitz and the rest have removed the travel agent from the equation.

As Internet technologies evolved, disintermediation gave way to wholesale disruption. Wikipedia defines “disruption” as a term used in business and technology literature to describe innovations that improve a product or service in ways that the market does not expect. Disruption has caused the fall of huge industries that have given way to cheaper, more effective innovations enabled mainly by the Internet.

There are many examples: the way we buy music (iTunes store); the way we read news and magazines (online and for free); where we place classified ads (Craigslist instead of newspapers); the way we research information (Wikipedia instead of Encyclopedia Britannica); the way we search for real estate (Trulia, Zillow and other real estate websites); making overseas calls (Skype); the way we purchase books (Amazon), the way we buy all sorts of stuff (Ebay), and the list goes on. I enjoyed Tom Foremski’s thoughts on this subject in his post “The Internet Devalues Everything it Touches”.

But what is the term given to the process where the disruptors themselves are being disintermediated?

Google has recently released a plethora of new products, and this week announced the release of two new products that have attracted widespread comment.

The first is Adwords Comparison Ads. This is a new type of sponsored ad on Google that formats the ads in a special layout that allows users to easily make side-by-side comparisons. The comparison ads are limited to mortgages for now, but Google has plans to extend this to other products. My colleague ran a search on mortgages with Google and with Bankrate, and Google returned more mortgages at a lower rate. They also asked for more information so it's probably better customized than Bankrate.

With this service, Google could potentially spell trouble for online mortgage comparison sites like Lending Tree, Mortgage Marvel, Zillow and the newly launched home-account.com. If they extend to other products, like consumer electronics, many comparison shopping sites might feel the heat too.

The other product launched in the past several days is turn-by-turn navigation on the Android platform. This is a free navigation system from Google that makes use of the smart engine behind Google Maps which runs on every Android 2.0 phone. The map layout includes a satellite view for better visual reference, plus many other great features. So where does this leave the SatNav companies? How can they compete not only with the Google Maps engine, but with “free”. Short answer – it’s going to be tough.

Google is disrupting the disruptors. Now what’s the new term for that?

Engaging with customers on Yelp

2009-10-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

Social media gurus like Chris Brogan and Mitch Joel encourage companies to engage with their community online. You should be jumping into Twitter (and other online social hubs, blogs etc), seeing what customers are saying about your business and being part of the conversation. You should be building trust by responding to customers in an open and honest way.

Of course I’m over-simplifying what these and other media experts have shared with us over the years in their blogs and published books, but I couldn’t agree more.

Many companies aren’t doing this yet. Part of the problem is that you need to tap into a community or create your own community where you can engage with clients, customers, or potential customers. You can start identifying these communities and conversations by “listening” on the web for what people are saying about your company or product in multiple ways, like Google Alert, Twitter Search and others. Then you can respond by leaving comments on blogs, replying to tweets or building your own blog to create a platform for discussion between yourself and your customers. But it takes time and work and effort.

But now let’s say you own a restaurant in the Bay area or elsewhere in the States. Most of this work has already been done for you. Why? Because there is this thing called Yelp, where customers leave reviews about your restaurant. So you have a community already set up for you, and all you have to do as a restaurant owner is show up to the party. But its not happening.

What amazes me is that restaurant owners don’t take time to respond to reviewers on Yelp, even when very poor reviews are written. I have written dozens of reviews and only one restaurateur has ever responded.

In this regard, kudos to Eric at Los Altos Grill who took the time to send me a message on Yelp. This goes a long way to earning the trust of customers, and I will definitely be back to Los Altos Grill for another try.

But the point is that far more restaurants, shops and other services could easily be doing the same thing, with minimal effort – and for huge gain over the longer term.

One thing to do right now (it takes 45 seconds)

2009-10-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

This post is with thanks to my colleague Simon Roy (Simon, I hope you pick up a Google alert that directs you here:)).

No doubt you have important financial information, photos, scanned documents and lots more saved on your PC, but what if your PC is stolen, crashes, gets attacked by a virus etc? All that stuff may be gone for good.

I thought my computer had crashed the other day (thankfully it was something minor), but it prompted Simon to recommend a great backup service - http://mozy.com/ It has given me huge peace of mind knowing that everything is backed up online, and I can access my stuff even if my computer is stolen or crashes (or my kids spill soda all over the keyboard).

You get 2GB of backup absolutely free - if you need more space, you can buy it at very reasonable rates.

If you do this one thing right now, I guarantee you'll feel good about it. And no, I am not affiliated with Mozy in any way. Just spreading the good stuff around :)

4 basic questions to ask yourself about your start-up

2009-10-15T03:02:00.000-07:00

If you are starting out with a new venture, ask yourself (sooner rather than later):

1. What problem are you solving for people? You need to be solving a fairly significant problem that people care about and would be willing to pay money to have solved.

2. Is there a large target market that requires the problem solved? No good solving a problem that impacts only a very small subset of people. You need scalability and growth prospects.

3. How are you better from others offering a similar service? Do homework into the market to see whether there is competition and how you would differentiate yourself.

4. Can you explain your value proposition in 20 seconds? If so, this bodes well that you are focused, directed and understand what your core objectives are. To be successful, people also need to be able to “get” what you are all about quickly and with out too much convoluted noise.

After this you need to look at revenue models, distribution, funding and everything else to see how viable the business is. But until you've answered these questions convincingly, you shouldn’t be looking at going much further.

What do you think? I have definitely missed some other core upfront questions - please add your thoughts.

Further reading: http://thenetsetter.com/blog/startups/so-you-want-to-start-a-startup-5-places-to-start/

Two minute book review

2009-10-06T22:45:00.000-07:00

Sticks & Stones: Larry Weber

Trust Agents: Chris Brogan & Julien Smith

Larry Weber's "Sticks and Stones" serves as a wake-up call to any business leader that is not taking the online environment seriously when it comes to protecting reputation, building trust and engaging with customers. He offers practical action items, useful hints and valuable nuggets, all rooted in real-life examples, that will make you want to take action immediately.

Amazon shows that people who buy this book also buy "Trust Agents", by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. These books seem to tackle the same space, but are vastly different. I recommend Weber's book for CEO's, business-leaders and other business people (of large or small enterprises) who aren't deeply ensconced in the social media phenomenon at the moment. This book is an excellent way to begin learning how impactful it can be and what steps should be put in motion.

Trust Agents is more suited to those who have some experience in this environment and I found it a little more engaging on a deeper level.

In truth, the books compliment each other and reinforce their core messages about online reputation and the power of social media. Both are worth reading...and acting upon.

Next book review in this space will be Six Pixels of Separation, which I have ordered from Amazon.

Jemstep Newsletter - September 2009

2009-09-18T09:09:00.001-07:00

"With the first official commentary coming through that the recession is finally over, I'm glad to also speak of good tidings regarding developments within Jemstep over these past few weeks..." Michael Blumenthal, CEO, Jemstep.

Jemstep's newsletter for September can be found here.

Google Labs

2009-09-15T06:33:00.000-07:00

Google Labs keeps churning out superb stuff.

When it comes to news and topics of interest, the guys at Labs have been busy. Google Hot Trends has for some time now been a great way of keeping up with the public's collective mind by showing the fastest-rising searches on Google at a point in time, and then showing articles and blog posts on that topic.

Yesterday they launched Fast Flip, which is yet another way of discovering news articles in a way that combines qualities of print magazines and the web so that you can flip through articles as quickly as flipping through pages in a magazine. Its very visual, can be customized to suit your interests and is another really cool news-reader app.

Postscript: Since writing this post I have been testing out Fast Flip some more, and its excellent - really worth checking out. There has been a lot written about it - check out this article from TechCrunch.

Are we human?

2009-09-14T16:48:00.000-07:00

Image by merfam via Flickr

Have you ever had a problem with PayPal and tried to speak with a human representative? If you want to wish something on someone you don't like, then this is it - by the time they have worked through the automated prompts, menu selections, voice recordings and the rest, they will have pulled out all their hair, thrown their chair against the wall, screamed out some expletives in utter frustration and desperation, and .... oh, wait a minute, "Paypal?... um yes, I have a problem... there's a payment that was blocked and I just wanted to... hello? HELLO?!!! HELLOOOO"

OH CRAP. Mobile just died...

Making a Mint

2009-09-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

Aaron Patzer via CrunchBase

Michael Arrington broke the news on TechCrunch yesterday that Intuit is acquiring Mint for an estimated $170million. That's quite amazing considering Mint was launched only 2 years ago, and in that time has been beating Intuit's Quicken hands-down in the personal finance space. Congratulations to the founder and CEO, Aaron Patzer and his team.

Investing in Mutual Funds

2009-09-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

My colleague, Cliff Schoeman, has written an excellent post on Jemstep's blog about understanding risk-adjusted returns. It's written in a way that is easy to understand, regardless of your level of investment expertise. It's well worth a read, and you can go there by clicking here.

On another note, I see that Michael Arrington of Techcrunch has well passed one million followers on Twitter - that's an incredible following, and will most likely be an up-to-date source of all the news and info during next week's TechCrunch 50 conference which is taking place in San Francisco.

University Avenue

2009-09-06T23:51:00.001-07:00

I live in Los Altos which has its own quaint and village-like downtown area. Its the kind of place where you can take a leisurely stroll with your family, eat some frozen yoghurt along the way, and pick up your fresh produce from the weekly farmer's market. There are book fares and antique fares, and the occasional parade. Its the kind of place where if you'd happen to spot the Mayor you'd imagine him tipping his hat and saying "Mornin ma'am"!" Its filled with niche boutiques and eateries, and people walking their dogs, and is so peaceful and friendly that it just leaves a big, broad smile on your face.

But every once in a while, I enjoy going to University Avenue in Palo Alto. I just came back from having an an al fresco dinner there with a work colleague of mine, and the place was teeming with people, the restaurants were bustling and everyone was out and about taking advantage of the last few days of summer. Favorites here are Gyros, Gyros (Mediterranean); Plutos (salads, fresh food); Tamarine (Vietnamese); Evvia (Greek, just off the main drag); Borders (bookstore); Shokolaat (great desserts), Pampas (Brazilian - for meat lovers only), and of course - the cheese or carrot cake from the Cheesecake Factory, of which I've just had my fill.

Check them out on Yelp. Anywhere else you'd recommend?

The Mortgage Professor

2009-09-05T15:32:00.001-07:00

With the Finovate Conference coming up later this month, I have been reviewing several of the companies that will be featured at the annual event. One that caught my eye was home-account.com - I read with interest that Professor Jack Guttentag has taken a position on the company's board.

Professor Jack Guttentag is otherwise well-known on the web as the Mortgage Professor. He writes for Yahoo as a mortgage expert and has published a wealth of mortgage information on his own site - the Mortgage Professor. I met Professor Guttentag in Washington DC last year to get some advice on the mortgage industry, and it was a most enjoyable visit - the Prof very kindly agreeing to give up time on the weekend (and after a recent illness) to meet me and two of my colleagues at his office.

The Professor has written helpful reviews about many mortgage sites. These have included reviews about Zillow.com, Mortgagemarvel.com and others. I wonder if he will continue writing such reviews or whether the conflict of interest will be too great.

In the meantime, I am looking forward to the conference and wish all the Finovate presenters the best of luck.

Seven (2)

2009-07-19T22:05:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I posted my list of the seven websites I am finding most useful right now. In fact, the last list was in September 2008.

Here are my latest (in no particular order):

1. Schwab. Schwab's online stockbroking site has recently undergone a major upgrade to provide a comprehensive interface that allows you to effortlessly buy or sell stocks, mutual funds, ETF's and more.

2. Marketriders. ETF's are gaining in popularity as a cost effective and easy-to-manage investment vehicle. Marketriders makes recommendations as to which ETF's to buy based on your desired asset allocation. It then tells you how to rebalance your portfolio periodically. Bland interface but works. Interestingly, Jemstep will also have an ETF service so it will be interesting to see how the two services stack up.

3. xe.com. Made my list last time around and has retained its place as a quick and easy tool to get live currency quotes in an instant.

4.Yahoo. Still the best home page/portal around, and part of my daily news digest along with Yahoo Finance. I recently tried Yahoo Answers and was pleasantly surprised. Over the past couple of months the stock is up 50% at +-$16 and a Microsoft deal seems back on the cards.

5. AVC. This blog by Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures has been my favorite blog for some time. With investments in Twitter, Boxsee and others, Fred's insights are hugely relevant, intelligent and informative. A few short months ago, he told us Google stock was a sure thing at $280. GOOG is now over $430 - I should have listened.

6.Yelp. Also part of my previous list, and has managed to retain its value as a useful review site driven by ratings and reviews by actual consumers like you and me. Of course you need to read the reviews with an open mind, but they give a good sense of what to expect. I've even started writing some of my own reviews.

7.Silicon Valley Watcher. Tom Foremski's adulation of the Silicon Valley community permeates much of his writing which gives his reporting style a positive, refreshing and optimistic edge. A great blog about Silicon Valley, innovation, technology and the players behind it all.

That's it. Can you refer me to any quality sites you are using right now?

Alpha Update

2009-07-09T03:27:00.000-07:00

For those following Jemstep's progress, the company has posted an update on its Alpha testing here.

The Lighter Side

2009-07-09T02:56:00.000-07:00

My good blogging friend, Darren Gorton, runs a great South African blog focused on start-ups and technology and other business trends. Its called OutThink. He recently posted this short and clever slide-show which, although humorous, definitely has an element of truth to it:) Keep up the good work Darren.

The lighter side of startups

View more documents from Darren Gorton.

Eureka

2009-06-10T23:05:00.000-07:00

The archetypal notion of a great start-up concept is that Eureka moment, when someone suddenly cracks the next big thing whilst singing in the shower or staring at the sky. But is that really true? The truth is that the vast majority of Eureka start-ups don’t even make it out the gate.

One of the key reasons for this is that because relying on a Eureka moment alone can be a very precarious path to follow on the rocky start-up road. You may think you have stumbled upon a great idea, but have you really identified a need? Are you really solving a problem that people need solved, and will rush to use your product in order to solve it? In other words, are you satisfying customer needs? The only sure way of finding that out before spending tons of money on a product nobody will use is to embark on some in-depth customer research.

Andy Sack made brief mention of this in his blog, and the link to Jay Haynes' article is worth a quick read.

As I climb the steep learning curve here in Silicon Valley, I’ve learned that solid and deep customer research which is done correctly from the beginning will stand you in good stead in so many areas of your business, from understanding customers’ needs, to market positioning, to web-design and UX, to product management, and the list goes on.

Although it may seem like a steep upfront cost in the early days of your young company, it will save you heaps of money over the longer term.

Disqus

2009-06-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

I have just added Disqus to make it easier to leave comments (finally). It was easy to do - basically a cut and paste - and is highly recommended if you don't already have it on your blog.

Upside Down?

2009-06-06T23:47:00.000-07:00

Cover of The Incredibles [UMD for PSP]

I took the kids to the Century 20 cinema complex in Mountain View today to see Pixar's new movie, UP.

The work emanating from Pixar Studios is pure genius. From Toy Story to Finding Nemo to Wall-E, they never cease to amaze me with their sheer artistry on a visual and emotional level. They have forever changed the way that animated films are perceived.

My favorite Pixar movie? Tough call, but probably The Incredibles. Pure escapist enjoyment with tons of wit and depth. And, most importantly, my kids loved it. And that’s the main point – when I go see a Pixar movie with my family, it’s so that my kids can have a good time. Sure I get to enjoy a brilliant slice of movie making in the process, but Pixar movies are not about me. They’re about the pure enjoyment I see on my kids’ faces when Buzz Lightyear somersaults through the air or Nemo rides the Australian Current on Squirt’s back or Lightning McQueen goes high-octane down Route 66.

So where does Pixar’s latest creation, UP, fit into the picture? It has received amazing reviews, earning 98% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer. But for me, this movie brings into sharp focus the question about the target audience – is it aimed at kids or adults?

I don’t want to give anything away and you can judge for yourself. But most telling, perhaps, is that a group of elderly people were the last to leave the theatre after the credits had finished rolling, trying to squeeze out every last drop of the movie. By that time my kids were already out the door, making a beeline for the video arcade and leaving me behind to carry all the left over popcorn and soda.

Where in the world is Los Altos? (Using Google Elements)

2009-06-02T07:02:00.001-07:00

If you've read my tweets and other feeds you'll probably know I am pretty enchanted by a small town in Silicon Valley called Los Altos.

A lot of people (outside the Valley) have no idea where that is, so I thought I'd use Google Elements - the great GOOG's new product which was unveiled last week - to mark the spot on Google maps. The interesting thing is that Google Elements allows you to simply cut and paste code of Google products onto your site. So in this case, I used Elements to cut and paste Google maps onto my site, and below is a working, functional version of Google maps that you can use to get directions, scroll in, change view etc. It was a simple cut and paste that took about 2 seconds.

You can do the same with a bunch of other Google products, such as news feeds and search functions. I am not sure whether mainstream publishers will make use of this, or just casual bloggers like me, but its pretty neat.

The other product which Google unveiled to much applause last week is Google Wave - something we'll be hearing a lot of in the near future.

In the meantime, if you"re ever up in San Fran, come catch a frozen yoghurt in Los Altos...

It's crazy out there

2009-05-16T08:03:00.001-07:00

It's Saturday morning. I'm posting articles via email directly onto my blog. I'm using my laptop, sitting at a coffee shop in Mountain View, accessing free Google Wi-Fi. I'm done with my coffee, and go browsing at a bookstore across the road. I see a book I'm interested in buying, but I'm not certain. I whip out my iPhone. Using one of the cool apps I recently downloaded (SnapTell), I take a picture of the book. The iPhone returns to me all the reviews and info I could ever want on the book, including the cheapest place to buy it - new or used (mental note to order it from Amazon and save a few bucks). I hear some nice background music playing in the bookstore. I love that song! I think its The Fray but I'm not sure. I hold my iPhone near to the speaker. I'm using the Shazam app. The iPhone "listens" to the music and then returns the name of the track, the artist and the album (it is The Fray - mental note to purchase the song and download from iTunes later). Oops, its getting a bit late - I'm due for an important lunch meeting (business) in Menlo Park. Sushi is his preference, but nothing too fancy. Where should we go? Think, think. I could send out a tweet asking for recommendations... no. Out comes the iPhone again. I surf the Internet. Go to Yelp.com. Search "Sushi, Menlo Park". Results - Naomi's sushi - four stars, 96 reviews, spot on. Email my business colleague, and then send him a Facebook message, a Twitter DM, a text, an IM and a message on LinkedIn to be sure he gets the details. Hop in the car (no, its not a battery-powered Tesla, but that would have been a nice touch). Plug the address into the Garmin GPS or just use Google maps on the phone? I go with the GPS. Oops, wrong choice. It takes me onto highway 101 and traffic is backed up to the hilt. It's an older version with no traffic detection. Should've gone Google maps with latest news on traffic... Oh well, too late. Should've bought Google stock when it was around $280. Check my market-watchlist on the iPhone... GOOG is now $389. Yep. Should've listened to all those expert blogs that feed through to MyYahoo page. Or did I use iGoogle as my reader for all those feeds? Can't remember. Doesn't matter. I should transfer all my services and stuff to Google anyway. Except for Gmail - just can't get used to the interface. And why the heck are they still in beta after five years? So maybe I'll keep my Yahoo account going for personal email, and Zimbra for business email, and Gmail for odds and ends. Maybe I shouldn't order that book from Amazon after all - I should look into getting a Kindle instead and downloading books directly onto that. Nice gift from the wife for our next wedding anniversary? Mmmm. That reminds me, I mustn't forget to check out the CNET reviews on the new Nikon 5000 SLR with over 15 megapixels and new motion picture HD functionality; also a nice option. Almost there. Focus on the meeting. This could be the big one. A new email ... who can it be on a Saturday morning? Google News Alerts or Twitter notification of new follower? No. Its the wife: "Am waiting for you at Straits, Santana Row, for lunch, remember?" Holy crap. Where's that app.......
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Jemstep launches its company blog

2009-05-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

Co-inciding with the release of its alpha testing version, Jemstep has also launched its official company blog. There you'll be able to find lots of news, information and updates as to Jemstep's progress. Please also feel free to leave comments:)

A number of friends and colleagues have asked for an update on progress with our website, so here's a brief summary of our plan: Jemstep is first introducing an invitation-only alpha version of the site for testing. We'll look at the test results and feedback, and then modify the site for a beta release which will be launched to a wider audience. If you'd like access to the beta version once it is ready, you may sign-up for access at jemstep.com.

We'll be posting regular updates on our blog, and you can also follow Jemstep on Twitter.

So we're very close now - and thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement!

The rise and rise of Social Media

2009-03-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

Evan Williams Image by Getty Images via Daylife

There haven’t been many new posts on this blog over the past several weeks. Have I stopped blogging? Not entirely. But time is at a premium, and for a casual blogger like me, there are a great many social online tools competing for a slice of my (limited) online social activity.

So if I’m sharing little snippets here and there, Twitter and Facebook have become key platforms (for me and – I believe – many others). A blog post is reserved for those occasions where there is something longer to say, when time permits. And these days, time is not very forgiving.

So the microblogging premise of Twitter, for example, which limits tweets to 140 characters, is hugely time-saving and a lot less hassle. I can choose to post a message on Twitter, or Facebook – or both – depending on the nature of the message. By using an interface like Ping.Fm, Yoono (Firefox plug-in) or by linking my Facebook profile with Friendfeed (just a few examples) I can disseminate a single status update to multiple platforms simultaneously.

The other thing of course is that with these microblogging platforms or status updates, I can engage in almost instant and open (and very often lively) conversation.

I think blogging will remain an important element of the social media universe for a long time, but will become more and more reserved for professional bloggers, those whose careers are closely linked to (or depend upon) their blogs and online journalists who can dedicate the time and effort required to write quality content on an ongoing basis. For the casual online trooper, Twitter and Facebook hit the mark with their many different uses, and their popularity will continue to soar.

That’s not to say I won’t be posting any more blogs here. Jemstep is ripping ahead, things are frenetically busy and our private launch is around the corner. I’ll keep you posted.

All good

2009-02-27T17:45:00.000-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

What I like about Tom Foremski’s blog is that his posts are infused with a genuine love and appreciation for Silicon Valley. He lauds this amazing community for being at the epicenter of innovation and applauds its many thought leaders and entrepreneurs, who, often at great risk, take bold steps to innovate new technologies that improve our lives. He has now added a video series – Fridays with Foremski – to his blog content. Nice one, Tom.

Foremski’s adulation for the Valley feels justified when you start to learn and understand about the major breakthroughs that have occurred in this region, which stretches (roughly) from San Francisco to San Jose. I have read about many of these entrepreneurs and innovators in biographies, the press and online. But earlier this week, I was fortunate enough to meet one of the “new breed” of entrepreneurs here in the Valley that are tackling the clean tech challenge in a serious way.

His name is Shai Agassi, and his company is called Better Place. Its an incredible story so far, and if it continues to succeed it will change the world. You can read more about his story here (or just Google him). I am sure you will see this name again and again. Shai Agassi. I wish him all the success.

As the prolific Chris Brogan always says (and does), share, share share. So I will share with you another blog that I am really enjoying for its valuable information and insights: A VC by Fred Wilson. Great blog about start-ups, entrepreneurs, VC’s, social media - with regular posts daily (Fred’s firm is an investor in Twitter).

Finally, what a great week for Jemstep! Our CEO was in town and we had an insanely busy but gratifying week. Launch time is soon. Its all good.

Digital Identity

2009-02-20T16:13:00.000-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

You are involved in an Internet business. You are looking at hiring a senior business development executive. Or a PR or marketing hire. You come across a decent CV and your hopes start to rise. You sign into LinkedIn to check out the candidate's profile.

2 contacts. The candidate for the role of business development has 2 contacts within his/her LinkedIn network.

What is your immediate reaction? Are you a little disappointed, concerned even? For sure its not a positive feeling you get.

That's because people's online identities create an expectation of their offline capabilities.

Is this response justified? Maybe, maybe not. But that's the way it is, and becoming more so every day.

Netscape Time

2009-01-25T00:30:00.000-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

Netscape’s stratospheric IPO of August 1995 doesn’t seem that long ago. That juggernaut of a public offering is still indelibly printed in my mind.

At the time I was an attorney at Werksmans Attorneys in Johannesburg, focusing on mergers and acquisitions. The Internet had just piqued my interest, and I soon after founded the firm’s Internet law division, one of the first of its kind in South Africa.

It’s quite ironic that fourteen years later I would be involved as a partner in an Internet start-up, based right here in Silicon Valley, where Netscape was born.

Folklore has it that Marc Andreessen (Netscape co-founder, along with Jim Clark), loved eating at the well known restaurant chain in Silicon Valley called Hobee’s Diner. I happened to eat at Hobee’s in Palo Alto the other day. I can’t say I’ll rush back there, but places such as this are steeped in techno-folklore and urban legend. It injects a buzz into everyday life here that makes people remain optimistic, enthusiastic and always on the cusp of the next great innovation.

When I happened quite serendipitously to come across Jim Clark’s book “Netscape Time” (St Martins Press, New York 1999), I grabbed the opportunity to read it. I am half-way through, and am enthralled at the telling of the Netscape story – from Clark’s first meeting with Andreessen to the breakthrough idea that led to the Netscape browser – and the IPO that spawned an unprecedented technology boom in the USA for the next several years (and an untold number of new millionaires).

Clark shares many insights in his book. Being in the early stages of a start-up myself, this simple observation resonated with me because it is so true. Its something I have experienced tangibly at Jemstep. I’ll leave you with it and say goodbye now – I’ve still lots to read and do before the night is through:

“Every start-up has about it the quality of a friendly intramural competition: there’s no room for slacking off, and nobody wants to contribute less than anyone else (which is why start-ups are so much more exciting and productive than established companies.)”