Inventing, is, after all, the business of Silicon Valley. After some of the conference attending and blog reading, one might think otherwise. One might conclude it's about a lot of other things. I have a feeling, however, the wheat will be separated from the chaff.
As the curtain closes on another phase of irrational greed unencumbered by either ethics or babysitting, it's interesting to contemplate what happens next here in the land of startups. While some master bloggers issue warnings and promote fear -- none of which I recommend reading -- the real work of this corner of the world continues.
Last night I attended a panel discussion, sponsored by Business Association Italy America, chaired by Professor Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli of University of California Berkeley and Co-Founder, Cadence Design Systems. He assembled a group of inventors who specialize in wireless sensor networks [WSNs], and they shared their stories and perspective on what lies ahead for their specialty and the industrial customers who use their products. It struck me that while they, like us, will have to think about what's happening in the financial markets, their focus remains invention and bringing products to market. A market they seek to serve, not to manipulate.
Last week, I read Calley Nye's heartfelt yet business savvy prospectus-on-a-blog about a startup she is launching. Calley, who works out of LA and through relationships here in Silicon Valley, has come up not only with an idea for managing one's social interactions on the Web, she is attempting a new business model for funding her product development. Read about it here and make sure to read her followup post. Calley is relentless in her creativity. I hope her initial funding approach works.
These are the stories that are just as important as the very painful market correction we suffer today. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.
