Good morning, All,
First, a big thank you to Jeanne Sullivan, who was the Investor at last week’s SOS Breakfast with an Investor. Amazing advice, as always, and she held court and stayed an extra two hours in order to speak to everyone who wanted her ear and pearls of wisdom. Our thanks to all of you who attended as well and hope to see you next month. Details for our next breakfast coming next week.
Every now and then, an article or two come to our attention and it’s stop the presses time. Peter Thiel is on a book tour ("Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future) and has a lot to say about this industry. Technology Stalled in 1970. Peter Thiel says he’s trying to get entrepreneurs to go after bigger problems than the ones Silicon Valley is chasing. He makes excellent points and also makes you wonder - with the exception of the Elon Musks of the world - if Silicon Valley has truly produced Masters of the Universe. Self-driving cars and Droids aside, Google sells soap. And your information, with greater accuracy than Nielsen. The cars and smart phones aren’t their bread and butter. They’re merely other vehicles for gathering information, no pun intended. Yes, having information at your fingertips on demand is wonderful, but the overarching revenue model – advertising and information-gathering: underwhelming. Invasive. And certainly at least several degrees short of genius. Here’s another thought piece, that’s worth your time: Free Is the Curse of the Internet. Read More...