@Phares, my bad, I know that I've not attended any of skunksworks meeting discussions. However, not attending has not stopped me from following plenty of what goes on and also realise that much more needs to be done. That is why I try and raise the issues so that before we jump at any conclusions, we have had a view and opinion from others who are also equally good at what they do.

Going on VCs etc, as I wrote earlier, that we need a system that can take something and make it different. VCs etc I have nothing against except that when we are grooming people to think along these lines, we end up doing nothing. I honestly don't know why you cannot see the pitfalls of such a system. Trying to create Tech Parks may help short term international investors to camp at the parks but for kenyans in the sector the govt has not done anything to nurture or even groom the sector, left it to "market forces shall decide your fate, its business as usual".

I've a question for you. Hope you had a chance to read my humor article. Suppose a kenyan was to create a solar tracking system, which VC would fund it ? Obviously supplying 1000 people with Solar power is no small feat in terms of costs.

On Fri, May 27, 2011 at 3:19 PM, Phares Kariuki <pkariuki@gmail.com> wrote:

@Aki You failed to show up for the Skunkworks meeting discussing some of the initiatives... :-).

We have many things that ail our tech sector, but more positives really than negatives...

VC is generally a good thing. Why? Most tech companies fail not because of poor technology, but poor business sense, which is what VC's bring to the table. The problem is in managing them. We have no clue how to negotiate with them etc... As a country shy of natural resources, we need whatever capital can be injected, we don't have the population/mineral muscle that countries like China enjoy....