It was 2016, and I had the incredible opportunity to visit Silicon Valley with the MDEC delegation as part of the Silicon Valley Immersion Program. I had always considered myself a future CTO in a big corporation and had never considered entrepreneurship. However, this trip was about to change my whole perspective.
As a first-time visitor, I was excited to see famous companies like Hewlett-Packard, GE, Cisco, Apple, Google, and Facebook logos. It was amazing to be at the birthplace of the technology and products I used daily.
The Computer History Museum in Mountain View was a must-visit for any computer enthusiast like myself. Seeing how computer history began with the vacuum valve to integrated circuits and the first PC and Apple computer was an unforgettable experience. It was awe-inspiring to think that the power of our computers and smartphones could be traced back to the brilliant minds of the inventors and innovators of Silicon Valley.
I was also amazed to learn that many unicorns started from humble beginnings, like Dropbox, PayPal, LendingClub, Guardant, and Hippo. Some started at the Plug and Play Tech Center, such as Dropbox, which began from a small cubicle and now has a valuation of $10 billion. Seeing their logos on the walls made me realize that if they could do it, why couldn't we?
The opportunity to pitch our ideas to investors at Hero City, Draper University, was an exhilarating experience. Although we had practiced the pitch multiple times before arriving in Silicon Valley, it was still a nerve-wracking experience. Pitching seemed to be an everyday thing in Silicon Valley, and the friendly and constructive feedback we received was invaluable.
The startup ecosystem in Silicon Valley was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The sharing culture was apparent, and everyone was bursting with new ideas. No one seemed to worry about their ideas getting stolen, and they were more than willing to share and improve ideas with others. There were so many startup founders and investors; we felt lucky to meet some of them during lunch or dinner.
The highlight of our visit was walking around the campuses of Google and Facebook. It felt like we were in a small city dedicated to technology and innovation.
The energy and excitement of Silicon Valley made us believe that anything was possible. Age was not a factor; anyone could start their entrepreneurial journey with a small cubicle or co-working space. Ideas sparked quickly, and the conducive startup ecosystem of supporting each other made us believe we were not alone. Everyone seemed open enough to help us.
Looking back at that trip, it was a turning point in my life. It inspired me to become an entrepreneur and start my own IoT company (FAVORIOT). In another article, I will share the rest of my entrepreneurship journey and explain why we chose IoT as our business focus and how we built the first IoT solution that we believe can conquer the world.
Based on the original article "How Silicon Valley Changed My View on the World of Startups."