So, about two dozen high-profile and quasi-high-profile young business leaders were invited to Washington, D.C., to meet with senior Obama administration officials Friday to discuss the future of the ravaged U.S. economy. And I've got to respect the fact that the administration wants to hear from young, outside-the-box entrepreneurs. But, of course, the dial on the snark machine has been turned up to 11.
I don't have a complete list of attendees, but we've learned through various channels that the roster includes Kluster founder Ben Kaufman, Zappos founder Tony Hsieh, Toms Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie, Threadless exec Jake Nickell, marketer Josh Spear, former Googler Chris Sacca, and the one everyone's making the jokes about--Twitter co-founder Evan Williams. The punch line, of course, is why the Obama administration would ever want to hear economic advice from the head of a company that has been fueled by buzz rather than profits thus far. (Side note: Were any women invited?)
As Hsieh Twittered, the purpose of the visit was to discuss "ways to help economy that administration may not have thought of yet." It's arguable that administration officials could learn more sage advice from, say, a bright young thing who's made a quick ascent at an existing corporation rather than founded a quirky start-up that's only a few years old.
But at the same time, the White House invitees have all had interesting ideas (with varying degrees of innovation) that they've gotten off the ground and turned into businesses, and it sounds like ideas are what are on the agenda here. I highly doubt that President Obama will suddenly decide that economic recovery isn't important simply because Twitter currently preaches a gospel of growth over profits.
One thing I hope is discussed: what these young business leaders, regardless of what you think about their companies' moneymaking prospects, have to say about getting many of their smart, well-educated peers back in the workforce. I'm in my mid-20s, and have seen scores of my high school and college classmates ravaged by layoffs, particularly in the finance sector. Many others who are in grad school are uncertain of their post-graduation opportunities. In the past week alone I've learned about two more of my acquaintances leaving town to seek employment somewhere where the cost of living is lower.
Some industry figureheads, like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, himself a veteran entrepreneur, have started making strides to put laid-off professionals back to work at start-ups and forward-thinking small businesses. That's a great idea, and obviously, the people who run existing start-ups both inside and outside the digital space are going to be the ones who have the most to say about it.
Josh Spear posted to Twitter on Friday that he believes the contents of the meeting will be public record. I'm looking forward to hearing what was talked about.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg rarely writes for the company blog, typically taking a byline only when the company is doing some damage control. But on Thursday, the young executive penned a post for the Facebook Blog about his recent trip to Europe, which included a speaking engagement at the Future of Web Apps conference in London.
There's nothing ground-breaking in the post, titled "Hello from Madrid." But considering Zuckerberg is known for keeping to himself, a mild irony for the young fellow who facilitated the sharing of ten billion photos and a cascade of personal information, it's a surprise. Zuckerberg gives few interviews, and when he speaks at conferences, he sticks to talking points.
Mark Zuckerberg (right) at the Future of Web Apps conference in London, with FOWA organizer Ryan Carson.
His focus? How Facebook is having an impact beyond U.S. borders. "A Spanish developer told me how she reconnected with her cousins in Latin America --something that may have not been possible if our users hadn't translated Facebook into Spanish," he wrote. "In Paris, a group of people in the Marais district organized a neighborhood protest against the filming of a TV show in their district. In the U.K., Cadbury brought back the Wispa candy bar after thousands of users campaigned for it on Facebook."
It's not particularly personal. But I'm all for hearing more from Zuckerberg. He's clearly a bright guy, not to mention the fact that he created one of the biggest cultural phenomena of the past decade, and maybe a more open image could help deal with the oft-vicious gossip about Facebook that's constantly swarming around the Web. Plus, one of Facebook's board members is Marc Andreessen, one of the tech industry's most high-profile "CEO bloggers," so Zuckerberg has a good example right in front of him.
That said, it's good to be careful: Some might interpret this kind of post as a sign that the 24-year-old is spending too much time globe-trotting and "focusing on growth" while the rest of Silicon Valley is veering into panic mode.
Either way, travel-related blog posts are way more exciting when they're accompanied by dance videos. Get on it, Zuck.
I'm sitting in the audience at DemoFall listening to organizer Chris Shipley interview three young entrepreneurs (Emile Petrone, 22; Michale Callahan, 24; Arash Sabet, 25) about their innovations. The technology they're talking about is fascinating: Sabet, for example, designs surgical equipment, including a brain retractor he's developed in his work with neurosurgeons. Callahan showed off his Audeo throat mic that reads silent, pre-vocal utterances and converts them into computer input or audible speech. Petrone is working on Knowble, which looks like a social network for researchers.
How do these young guys do what they do? They're smart, but Shipley is digging in to find that they are not loners. These inventors seek out and work with smart teams and with mentors. They don't even like being called "inventors," since it connotes a solo stereotype they're trying to move beyond.
They are not from Silicon Valley, either. They have to work harder for the money. Callahan is "pro-California" though. It's clear he'd rather invent than scramble for money. All of them are idealists. And why not? At this point in their lives they can afford to be.
L to R: Chris Shipley of Demo, Arash Sabet, Emile Petrone, Michael Callahan
(Credit: Rafe Needleman / CNET)All you angel investors, do us all a favor: Take that money you were going to give to your next me-too Web 2.0 startup and shunt it over to people like these.
Bambi Francisco, formerly of MarketWatch, is taking the wraps off her own business tonight: Vator.tv. It's a YouTube for entrepreneurs, a place where people looking for funding or partners for their business ideas can display their "elevator pitch," and connect with those who can help them out. Other people in the entrepreneurial ecosystem can also post pitches. There are venture capitalists explaining what they want to invest in, for example, as well as service providers pitching their services.
The embedded video here is a sample from the site: A pitch from a company making emergency evacuation systems for skyscrapers.
There's nothing terribly complex about the site, but it could work very nicely for all parties involved. The site's focus makes it a better destination for people who are pitching businesses than either an undifferentiated video site like YouTube, or even a business-focused social network like LinkedIn.
The focus also reveals itself in a few pitch-centric functions and editorial features. For example, each idea pitch has a "pitch network" of people listed on it, and each of these people can have his or her own profile page on Vator.tv. These profile pages list affiliations with other pitches. This bare-bones social network helps the potential funder see who's behind a company or idea. Although Francisco told me she's trying to create a "network around ideas," not people, in truth the smart funder or investor only invests in people. Ideas are easy. Implementation and passion to follow through is the hard part.
Vator.tv will also run contests. For example, there's a Wine 2.0 competition run by Redpoint Ventures on the site right now. This VC firm is looking for wine-related businesses to fund, and entrepreneurs can add their pitches to this competition page. Vator.tv users can then vote on these pitches, which makes the business into a bit of a game.
Francisco will also contribute editorial features to the site in the News Room, where she also has commentary on some of the video pitches people have uploaded.
The site is free, and will carry advertising and sponsorships. (I think Vator.tv should also charge service providers to post their videos; Francisco said she'd consider this later.)
As a network of ideas and the people behind them, Vator.tv looks very promising. In addition to offering good functionality for entrepreneurs and their potential partners, the site is well organized and has good entertainment value. It's interesting to browse even if you are neither an entrepreneur yourself nor a venture capitalist with millions to invest. If you want to see great ideas (and bad ones) communicated directly by the people who are most passionate about them, spend some time looking through the site.
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