Beyond labs and hubs, it's time for some real action - http://bit.ly/kK7anU
Starting 2009, Kenya has been slowly emerging as a hotbed of innovation and differentiated thinking in matters technology. Numerous accolades and awards later, are we resting on our laurels? I have in the past couple of months had the opportunity to interact on a day to day basis with many developers - from solo fliers to organized teams based in Nairobi. While it is a given that the town is awash with brilliant ideas, I think we need to increase the rate at which these ideas get into the market. The ideas and concepts need to be given the opportunity to stand on their own and scale, or fail and fail fast, to allow for the crucial pivot or a trip back to the drawing board. While the current growth in co-shared spaces has been a shot in the arm for a hither to ailing developer ecosystem, it may also create a cocoon of comfort that sees what I call continuous development in the pursuit of perfection.It seems that we may be massaging and coercing many ideas to make business sense while in the real-world with brutal honesty some models are not viable for the current market and may best be shelved, hibernating as the market develops into one that will be conducive for their growth. We need to find a way to deliver the honest truth for the many ideas that are out there. Maybe culturally we are a polite people or more appropriately we are afraid of expressing honest opinion to colleagues operating in the same space. Beyond labs and hubs, it's time for some real action - http://bit.ly/kK7anU
On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 11:39 AM, Mbugua Njihia <mbugua@symbiotic.co.ke>wrote:
Starting 2009, Kenya has been slowly emerging as a hotbed of innovation and differentiated thinking in matters technology. Numerous accolades and awards later, are we resting on our laurels?
Hello @Mbugua my buddy, please don't mind my comment, though a bit frank. Kindly take the above line to your masters and ask them why you, as a smart, intelligent and tech savvy kenyan, did not get to play a part in the national technology infrastructure? Actually I'd have loved to see symbiotic, virtual city do the digitization projects. At least then we would have had some innovation taking place. Asante. :-)
I always say, Landlords are some of the best motivation for progress When someone doesnt need to pay office or home rent ,they dont think. Ask any entrepreneur what pushes them to think hard and it will boil down to Landlords, salaries and hunger.... On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 12:35 PM, aki <aki275@gmail.com> wrote:
On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 11:39 AM, Mbugua Njihia <mbugua@symbiotic.co.ke>wrote:
Starting 2009, Kenya has been slowly emerging as a hotbed of innovation and differentiated thinking in matters technology. Numerous accolades and awards later, are we resting on our laurels?
Hello @Mbugua my buddy, please don't mind my comment, though a bit frank.
Kindly take the above line to your masters and ask them why you, as a smart, intelligent and tech savvy kenyan, did not get to play a part in the national technology infrastructure? Actually I'd have loved to see symbiotic, virtual city do the digitization projects. At least then we would have had some innovation taking place.
Asante. :-)
_______________________________________________ Skunkworks mailing list Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------ Skunkworks Rules http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 ------------ Other services @ http://my.co.ke
-- Sent from my Voice Recognition Watch© -------------------------------------------------------------------- Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,but that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.As we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear,our presence automatically liberates others.
@Joram, you must have meant "ask any (*kenyan)* entrepreneur what pushes them to think hard ..." because founders of many now-famous enterprises that begun in garages "out there" seem to have found motivation to think hard that did not include landlords or hunger. If your statement is true - and it very well may be - then it is a serious indictment against our "entrepreneurial spirit" here in Kenya. If that's what it takes for us to think hard or to be a thinking society, then we're in trouble. - Chris On 2 June 2011 12:51, Joram Mwinamo <joram.mwinamo@gmail.com> wrote:
I always say, Landlords are some of the best motivation for progress
When someone doesnt need to pay office or home rent ,they dont think.
Ask any entrepreneur what pushes them to think hard and it will boil down to Landlords, salaries and hunger....
On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 12:35 PM, aki <aki275@gmail.com> wrote:
On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 11:39 AM, Mbugua Njihia <mbugua@symbiotic.co.ke>wrote:
Starting 2009, Kenya has been slowly emerging as a hotbed of innovation and differentiated thinking in matters technology. Numerous accolades and awards later, are we resting on our laurels?
Hello @Mbugua my buddy, please don't mind my comment, though a bit frank.
Kindly take the above line to your masters and ask them why you, as a smart, intelligent and tech savvy kenyan, did not get to play a part in the national technology infrastructure? Actually I'd have loved to see symbiotic, virtual city do the digitization projects. At least then we would have had some innovation taking place.
Asante. :-)
_______________________________________________ Skunkworks mailing list Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------ Skunkworks Rules http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 ------------ Other services @ http://my.co.ke
-- Sent from my Voice Recognition Watch© -------------------------------------------------------------------- Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,but that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.As we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear,our presence automatically liberates others.
_______________________________________________ Skunkworks mailing list Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------ Skunkworks Rules http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 ------------ Other services @ http://my.co.ke
Hi Chris Well even those in garages still had to eat and pay house rent :-) i may have oversimplified it but truth be told, hard times in kenya make you test just how passionate you are about your entrepreneurial idea. In other markets, there may be higher spending power or easier uptake of products that can give those entrepreneurs the comfort of doing it because they love it without ever having to see a landlord knock on their door, or VC funds and bank loans with low interest may be easier to come by. Until all those conditions change in Kenya we are in for a lot of thinking and fearing the landlord. Please note that the thinking im talking about here is one that comes about when you have already launched your venture and seeking your survival income from it. On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 1:00 PM, Chris Kiagiri <ck@google.com> wrote:
@Joram, you must have meant "ask any (*kenyan)* entrepreneur what pushes them to think hard ..." because founders of many now-famous enterprises that begun in garages "out there" seem to have found motivation to think hard that did not include landlords or hunger.
If your statement is true - and it very well may be - then it is a serious indictment against our "entrepreneurial spirit" here in Kenya. If that's what it takes for us to think hard or to be a thinking society, then we're in trouble.
- Chris
On 2 June 2011 12:51, Joram Mwinamo <joram.mwinamo@gmail.com> wrote:
I always say, Landlords are some of the best motivation for progress
When someone doesnt need to pay office or home rent ,they dont think.
Ask any entrepreneur what pushes them to think hard and it will boil down to Landlords, salaries and hunger....
On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 12:35 PM, aki <aki275@gmail.com> wrote:
On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 11:39 AM, Mbugua Njihia <mbugua@symbiotic.co.ke>wrote:
Starting 2009, Kenya has been slowly emerging as a hotbed of innovation and differentiated thinking in matters technology. Numerous accolades and awards later, are we resting on our laurels?
Hello @Mbugua my buddy, please don't mind my comment, though a bit frank.
Kindly take the above line to your masters and ask them why you, as a smart, intelligent and tech savvy kenyan, did not get to play a part in the national technology infrastructure? Actually I'd have loved to see symbiotic, virtual city do the digitization projects. At least then we would have had some innovation taking place.
Asante. :-)
_______________________________________________ Skunkworks mailing list Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------ Skunkworks Rules http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 ------------ Other services @ http://my.co.ke
-- Sent from my Voice Recognition Watch© -------------------------------------------------------------------- Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,but that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.As we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear,our presence automatically liberates others.
_______________________________________________ Skunkworks mailing list Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------ Skunkworks Rules http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 ------------ Other services @ http://my.co.ke
_______________________________________________ Skunkworks mailing list Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------ Skunkworks Rules http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 ------------ Other services @ http://my.co.ke
-- Sent from my Voice Recognition Watch© -------------------------------------------------------------------- Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,but that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.As we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear,our presence automatically liberates others.
participants (4)
-
aki -
Chris Kiagiri -
Joram Mwinamo -
Mbugua Njihia