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Event Recap: The Startup Game with Bill Draper and Federico Faggin

On June 22, 2011 at the historic San Francisco Orrick Building and sponsored by Sotheby’s International Realty, BAIA hosted the much awaited event with guest speakers William H. Draper III, the legendary venture capitalist, and Federico Faggin, technology entrepreneur and designer of the world’s first microprocessor.

Awhile everyone enjoyed the time to socialize and get a bite to eat, the sold-out audience was eager to engage in Mr. Draper’s conversation with Mr. Faggin, who had a selection of carefully crafted and inspiring questions for Mr. Draper. From which, Mr. Faggin’s first question was: Are there any start-up companies that have had a strong impact on you and therefore stand up in your mind? As Mr. Draper lightheartedly commented, the above question is the same as asking which child is your favorite one! As readers may know, Mr. Draper invested in the first defibrillator, in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test technology, which years later saved his life, and was an early investor in Skype. Three investments that he considers to stand out.

 

Nowadays, entrepreneurs have the daunting task to find fifteen minutes of a venture capitalist's time. In most cases, you get an impersonal "No, thanks, not interested." In a few instances, you are privileged enough to have a venture capitalist tell you everything that is wrong with your company. It is hard to believe that in the early days of venture capital Mr. Draper was actually the one who came to your door. Even more so, Mr. Draper told us the story of how he got into contact with Zilog, a technology start-up: by placing his business card between the windscreen wipers of the founder’s car!

From Mr. Draper’s conversation with Mr. Faggin, my personal highlight was when Mr. Draper referred to venture capital as a "force of change" for the technology industry, but equally important for society. In this respect, for example, the availability of capital to Skype has enabled people from different parts of the world to communicate at little cost and as a result the way we do business and interact in society has changed because of that. The same belief and passion seem to motivate Mr. Draper's foray into social investing through the Draper Richards Caplan Foundation. 

BAIA readers and entrepreneurs, do you think that your company is creating a positive “force of change” for society?

Thanks to all of you who have attended the event and we will keep you updated on all future ones. A special thanks to Mr. Draper and Mr. Faggin who took the time to share their insight and offered us to listen in on their conversation.

Sergio Mandrone

 

Resource Links: 

• Official event photos
• Examiner article
• Examiner video
• "The Startup Game" book official web site

UPDATE:

Grazia Bennett's introductory remarks:

"Good evening. I am Grazia Bennett and I am a member of the Governance Board of BAIA. Tonight I have the honor to introduce Federico Faggin and Bill Draper.

Federico is one of those persons that makes me proud to be Italian. He represents the intelligence, creativity, flexibility of mind and charm that make Italians irresistible. Federico Faggin is an inventor and a successful entrepreneur. I need only to mention that the 4004, the world's first microprocessor, is signed with the initials F.F., for Federico Faggin, its designer. He has been awarded many honors including in 2010 the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Barack Obama, the highest honor given by the United States government to scientists, engineers, and inventors.

Bill Draper, is one of the fathers of the venture capital business. If you go to his office there is a picture of him posing as 007 “Dr. Yes” instead of “Dr. No”. A yes attitude and optimism are the qualities that have driven his life. In 1962 he and his best friend Pitch Johnson moved West and embraced the venture capital profession in stride. They committed themselves to make money, create significant companies while having fun doing it. They did exactly that and are still best friends. Bill started not one but four VC firms. In 1994 he was the first VC to invest in private companies with operations in India ending up returning 16 times the limited partners money in about 6 years.

Bill dedicated 10 years of his life to public service. He was the second highest ranking person at the U.N, travelled to 101 developing countries and met some of the 20 century most prominent leaders including having a 5 hours lunch with Fidel Castro.

Bill is also a generous man. He has been supporting many non-profit organizations and through his Foundation he has given seed capital to several social entrepreneurs.

Bill is the first one to admit that he is better in valuing people than technology or businesses. He has to see drive and vision in the eyes of the people that he is funding as a VC or as a philanthropist. Rarely has he been wrong.

Bill has been in my life for many years. I was mesmerized from the get go by his huge personality, brilliant mind but above all by his childlike curiosity for everything. He is a loyal friend and I love him dearly.

Please join me in welcoming Bill Draper and Federico Faggin."

An Interview with Carlo Alberto Degli Atti, CEO at Concept

Carlo Alberto Degli Atti is an Italian entrepreneur with a strong passion for technology. He is the founder and the CEO of Concept, an Italian consulting software-house that helps customers make decisions by providing business intelligence consulting services and software solutions.

Q: How did your adventure start?  

Everything started in the 1996, when -as a student in Computer Science at the University of Milan- I developed my dissertation in “Business Intelligence software & Data-warehouses systems” at Birra Moretti, an Italian brewing company. That experience was a magical and incredible series of events that led me to the idea of “software helping managers make decisions” which is the base of MyK. 

How would you describe your product, MyK?

In 2004 we started to work on MyK, our EFM (Enterprise Feedback Management) software solution. Our product is a flexible data collection and analysis platform which can be used to perform market research on costumers and employees in order to optimize certain processes. Our customers can easily and quickly understand what their stakeholders want, what they expect, and say about their products, services and/or organization. This way they can act before those opinions become actual behaviors, such as switching to competitors' products or spreading bad opinions online. This has been shown to be very useful and powerful today in this fast changing, competitive and global world.

Is it something new to the market?

Definitely our product is something new because we're bringing tools to gather and analyze feedback, which are typical instruments of market research guys, to managers and organizations. However we use a business approach because we don't want our customers to become IT specialists and we don't want them to specialize in market research.

Which market do you want to reach?

Our market is the enterprise: every organization, for profit or non profit, with a large base of customers, employees or suppliers.

How did you end up here in Silicon valley? What was hard? What’s surprised you?

I chose to come here to Silicon Valley because this is an excellent observation point: a lot of things happen here very quickly. It's a simple and effective way to test your own ideas and get clear feedback. The first impression was a shock because of the many cultural differences; but in a few days you can understand how things work. And you can shift into high gears very quickly! It's really surprising and impressive to see how the technology is pervasive in everyday life; it's not a matter of how advanced this or that device is, but how widespread its use is. Another really striking point is related to speed and ease of networking: you can basically get to anyone very quickly, but you probably have just one opportunity to do, so you must be well prepared!

If there is a measure of the success of the team, what would that be?

Yes, we're still a small Italian company. Our measure of the success is to be able to install our software in Fortune 500 companies.

What’s next for the company?

We're working on two main things: we're trying to scale our business out of the borders of Italy in a very short time. The second one is undisclosed :-)

How did the Baia Network help or how could it be of greater value to Italian entrepreneurs and investors?

I don't know very much about the Baia Network, so I cannot answer precisely. But this is also a good point: as an italian entrepreneur I hadn't heard about BAIA before I decided to fly to the US. So maybe you could spread the word more in Italy by “bringing the American way” to the Italian context (ie working very closely with the local associations, such as Assolombarda, Giovani Imprenditori, Roberto Bonzio and so on). By that I mean “doing team building in Italy”.

Rossella Florio

PS: Please feel free to share your experiences, questions or comments.
We would love to hear from you!

Event recap: Women Entrepreneurs, the US vs. the European/Italian Experience

BAIA organized an inspiring event on January 19th, hosted at the offices of Cooley LLP in San Francisco and sponsored by Studio Design Solutions. Enjoying appetizers catered by C’Era una Volta, a sold-out, diverse audience participated in a spirited debate about a hot topic: Women entrepreneurs in growth businesses: why so few? Why are men much more likely than women to be entrepreneurs?

Despite representing the majority at colleges and universities and despite their increased participation in science and engineering, women are still underrepresented among business leaders especially in high tech and other high growth fields. In addition, there seems to be a disconnect between opportunities and resources in equity funding for high-growth, women-owned/led businesses.

Wendy Beecham, moderator of the panel and CEO of Watermark, an organization whose mission is to connect women leaders in a manner that leads to purposeful, meaningful, and enduring relationships, and amplifies their collective professional community, tried to capture the different perspectives among the panelists. "Women in our association are accomplished, confident, but they don’t get access to capital. Why are women out of the loop?"

Sharon Vosmek, CEO of Astia (a non profit global organization with a distinct focus and mission – to propel women’s participation as entrepreneurs and leaders in high-growth businesses, fueling innovation and driving economic growth) brought her professional experience to the discussion with an important question: even though women make up more than half of the students in technology and are receiving Phds from major colleges around the country, less than 10% get access to capital. Why is it it they have more trouble getting access to funding? One explanation some of our panelists emphasize is the lack of situational confidence: "walking in a room with mostly business men can be intimidating".

For Laura Ventura, VP of Marketing and Co-Founder of CumuLogic, with 15 years experience in high tech marketing, being one of the few women entrepreneurs is actually an advantage because "men remember you, because there are just a few of us, such a small group. In my last meeting there were 5 women versus 80 men. Getting exposure to large companies is vital, being in the right place at the right time is the key." Another reason is networking: "women tend to network with women and men tend to network with men" says Sharon Vosmek, "it plays out on the golf course, in the boardroom and it is certainly playing out in the world of high-growth entrepreneurship." 

Certainly women tend to be found more in small business groups where their connections are based on longevity and trust, which is seen not as a limit but as a strength by Joanna Rees, Founder of VSP Capital (a San Francisco based venture capital firm). "Venture capitalists work together with entrepreneurs. Both have the same goal: go out there to the community and raise money. There are some potential avenues for getting capital, and Non profit organizations like the National Center for Women and Information Technology, Astia and Springboard Enterprises, are trying to raise awareness by mentoring business women and introducing them to investors. When you don’t have a large amount of funding for your projects- continues Joanna-, work together with venture capitalists on the business plan and ways to source more capital". Don’t be intimidated by the networking process, "stand out and be different, thinking always: I deserve to be here."  What about the difference between the US vs the European model? It seems that European entrepreneurs have a hard time getting access to capital as well: first of all European networking is full of individuals who are skeptical, plus the entrepreneurs don’t articulate their pitch properly with investors: "there’s no access point if you don’t know the venture capital language." 

Silvia Console Battilana, co-founder of Auctionomics ( a software and consulting company for high stake auctions around the world) and just recently returned from a 3-week stint in Kenya, teaching entrepreneurship to African women, brings the European prospective with her experience in Italy and Africa. In Silvia's words, "I have been a student and a professor both in American and Italian universities. The entrepreneurship culture is not promoted in Italian universities. You can see it immediately looking at the relationship between the professor and the students. In Italy the professor is on a pedestal and is transfering knowledge to the the students. In the USA the relationship between the professor and the students is interactive and the knowledge flows in both directions". She also pointed out how in some parts of Europe "if you have a quick success they think you stole, and cannot be honest. Here in the Silicon Valley, it is different: a confident woman can have great power. If you have capabilities and ideas, there are no gender limitations."

Rossella Florio

Resource Links: 

• Official event photos
• New Scholars blog
• Watermark blog
• Astia Notes blog
• Joanna Rees blog 

 

Event recap: Transplanting startups in Silicon Valley

A cross section of the Bay Area public gathered in Palo Alto for the recent BAIA Panel event on October 14th. With the generous support of SAP Labs we were able to use the global software company’s Silicon Valley headquarters as the setting for our panel discussion.

After mingling over great wines and food, offered by Cafè Renzo of Palo Alto, Italian and American entrepreneurs, professors, students, along with many expats joined in (check out some photos) to tackle this fascinating and controversial topic: Transplanting Start ups in Silicon Valley: does it work? Can Italian tech companies be successful at home? Must international entrepreneurs move their companies to Silicon Valley if they hope to compete on a global scale? What’s the evidence?

This was the starting point for the discussion, which, along with moderator Massimo Arrigoni, BAIA Board member and CEO of Early Impact, a California-based eCommerce software company, featured prestigious and lively panelists such as Vivek Wadhwa, the inspiring Berkeley professor and senior research associate at Harvard Law school. Sharing the stage with him, seasoned and new Italian entrepreneurs such as: Fabrizio Capobianco, CEO of Funambol, Marco Marinucci, Google Manager and founder of Mind the Bridge, Aldo Cocchiglia, CEO of M31 USA, and Augusto Marietti, 22 year old co-founder and CEO of Mashape.

When talking about success in Silicon Valley, the Italian business community questions itself. It looks as if transplanting start ups from Italy hasn’t been very successful so far: why do always the same names come up? Why so few success stories? Is it an Italian problem? Has it worked with companies transplanted from other countries?

The speakers addressed these questions from different perspectives. Vivek Wadhwa, who is also a regular contributor for the online blog Tech Crunch, pointed out the importance in changing the idea of exporting Silicon Valley around the world. “Why do you bother to come into the USA? Why don’t you build a new Silicon Valley in Europe?” was his provoking question. But how do you recreate the same vibe you feel here in Silicon Valley? Vivek gave us the example of Chile. The country is hoping to lure private companies by granting $40,000 grants and providing cheap office space and accommodation to budding entrepreneurs from around the world. “We should teach each other to build ecosystems to create new Silicon Valleys around the world”, emphasized the columnist for Business Week.

So what is the “Italian problem” then? Too many internal policy issues? Or do Italians lack the attitude to succeed in this environment? Marco Marinucci, founder and executive director of Mind the bridge (a non-profit organization that aims to link the most innovative Italian start ups with Silicon Valley resources) pointed out at some of the issues: lack of management skills and auto referential politicians are important limits, or more specifically, “barriers”, as Augusto Marietti mentioned; structural barriers which limit Italian company to go global.

On the other hand success is repeatable as Marinucci emphasizes: "We need to use success stories to mentor and encourage new entrepreneurs." In a country where there is little investment in research, where the public discourse and the media are often focused on old political and economic patterns, it is important to find new ways to package content in order to reach the public. “It can be done” is the positive attitude and thinking that can persuade Italian entrepreneurs to empower new ideas, building a diverse culture that encourages risk taking and openness.

“Italy is the best place to develop software” said Fabrizio Capobianco. Italian universities produce a continuous stream of fresh bright minds even though as Aldo Cocchiglia - who has over 30 years of extensive experience in the world of start ups and technology entrepreneurship - underlined: “Professors don’t stimulate entrepreneurs as they do here in Silicon Valley”. Italian Universities lack the connection with the real world of business.

The hybrid model looks like the best option so far: it is important to keep good creative and relatively inexpensive engineers in Italy while transplanting financial and marketing resources to Silicon Valley, opening office with sales, marketing and finance teams. But still Silicon Valley seems to be the place to go “to change the world and get what you want”.

We hope you will join us at our next events!

Rossella Florio

PS: Resource Links: 

• Official event photos
• SF Examiner article #1
• SF Examiner article #2
• SF Examiner video #1
• SF Examiner video #2
• Chile entrepreneurial stimulus case study

An Interview with Nora Archambeau, Intern Placement Specialist

Internship in the US is for many people a life-changing experience; usually a very positive one. When young European men and women return home after a few months spent working in an American company they are changed. It's a difference many of them carry with them for the rest of their lives that makes them special and more valuable on the professional level as well as individuals. Some might find their own country too small to fit in as before, and feel a strong desire to explore more of the world. They are no longer Italian or French anymore, nor are they Americans. They have simply become citizens of the world -- a special category of open-minded, free-spirited, multi-cultural people. On the other hand, US companies hosting interns from Europe get exposure to a pool of fresh, determined, brilliant young talents. They get new ideas, enthusiasm, and the opportunity to test-drive some of their best future employees. In order for the two halves of the internship to meet successfully, both sides may need some help. Nora Archambeau with Intern Abroad USA, is one of the few people able to make the magic happen. Here is her interview.

Nora, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your professional activities?

I’m a native San Franciscan, born into a big French-Irish Catholic family of four sisters and one brother (poor guy!).  Exposure to different cultures began early on living in the Mission District, where Mexican-Americans, Italian-Americans, and Irish-Americans all shared the same neighborhood.  The family eventually moved to the East Bay where I completed schooling, then attended Holy Names University.  It was here that my passion for internationals grew since there was a school for English as a Second Language (ESL) on campus.  Meeting people from Italy, France, Brazil, Venezuela, Germany, Japan, etc. made my “little world” so much bigger and exciting!  Having a B.A. in Psychology and a Minor in French, I decided my 1st real career would be in International Education.  I also wanted to fulfill a dream and experience living in France.  It’s been a blessing that I’ve lived in both Paris and Dijon, have spent time in South India, and have traveled to several Eastern and Western countries. I have an M.A. in East-West Psychology and think it’s fun to be called an Indophile and a Francophile.  In this highly changeable world, many of us are pushed to and often have a thirst to fulfill many gifts.  One of these gifts is using the combination of business, education, and internationalism to find clients interns from Europe, and hopefully, later the world, through Intern Abroad USA!

Internships can be a great opportunity not only for young students but also for companies.  What are your recommendations for small companies looking to hire a few interns?

Here are a few of my recommendations: (a) Clarify your reasons for hiring an intern; (b) What are the primary goals you’d like to see fulfilled in 4, 6, or 9 months? (c) Which country would you be interested in hosting an intern for your business? (d) How can you best support bringing out the talents and gifts of a young professional? (e) What is there to learn from hiring and working with an intern? (f) Which service company can you trust and could offer the smoothest hiring process?

In a few words, can you tell a young European student why s/he should leave the comfort and beauty of a European city for an internship in Florida or California?

For the sheer adventure of doing it! The word ad-ven-ture is defined as: (1) an exciting or extraordinary event or series of events; (2) the participation or willingness to participate in things that involve uncertainty and risk; (3) to dare to go somewhere new or engage in something dodgy!
Adventure, newness, and risking all provide the ingredients that shape and mold us into strong, more capable, and creative individuals. Opening up to new experiences, new cultures and people, and exposure to different beauties expand and stretch our thinking, beliefs, and approaches to problem-solving.  If I hadn’t adventured out at night on the streets of Venezia and trusted I’d find my way back, well, I’d probably still be wondering around, living in basilicas here and there, having never again found my pensione in Dorsodoro!

Many interns come from Europe mainly to improve their English.  Which other, less evident, benefits can they receive working in a foreign country and a unique environment such as the San Francisco Bay area?

Some of the benefits they can receive are: (a) Learn to trust more in themselves and in others; (b) Hone their intuitive and intellectual abilities; (c) Build on adaptive and flexibility skills; (d) Increase culture-to-culture communication proficiency; (e) Add new conduits in the brain; (f) Willingness to accept a larger variety of ethnicities! (g) Know that there are differences working in SF and Silicon Valley.  SF offers warmth, friendliness, cultural variety, intuitive thinking, city excitement with a hometown feeling; Silicon Valley presents self-sufficiency, methodical thinking, high energy environments, and a constant production of innovative ideas.

Based on your experience, what are the most common realistic and unrealistic assumptions interns have about the San Francisco Bay area?

Realistic
(a) working in America can sometimes lead to a permanent job; (b) having a U.S. company listed on one’s  resume or CV may open more doors once having returned home; (c) their English will most definitely improve; (d) most Americans are sincerely friendly and helpful whenever possible.
Unrealistic
(e) working in America guarantees permanent employment; (f) the opportunities to advance economically are unlimited; (g) Americans have ALL the answers!
Last, You just may fall in love… with the City, with technology, with Noah’s Bagels… or maybe even with the love of your life!

As Europeans, we look to Silicon Valley as a reference model for business and technology.  When looking at Europe at large, what do you see that could be successfully imported to help Americans perform even better in the SF Bay area?

(a) To take a longer time to work on the product before it is launched to the market so that less recalls occur; (b) To cultivate the social side of a business relationship more before launching into potential business deals; (c) Communicating more from a cross-cultural perspective can lessen conflicts and allow for smoother decisions to be made, e.g., the EU; (d) To encourage Americans to increase their attention span from nano-seconds to minutes!
Franco, thank you for inviting me to be interviewed!

I would like to thank the Nora Archambeau for taking the time for this interview and for the important work she does every day with Intern Abroad USA promoting and supporting Euro-American internships. If you have a question for Nora or for BAIA please feel free to contact us or leave a comment below. Nora is also an active member of our online community BAIA Link where she can also be reached.

Franco Folini

An Interview with Roberto Bonzio, Reuters Journalist

A couple of months ago I received an e-mail from Roberto Bonzio, asking for an interview. Roberto told me he was here in Silicon Valley for a few months on a project about Italians. After a few e-mails, we set up an appointment and a few days later we met at my office. We spoke for a couple of hours about my experiences here in the US and my company, Novedge. A couple of days later Roberto published the interview on his blog, Italiani di Frontiera. I read the interview and was amazed to discover how much Roberto was able to capture from our talk. Despite taking few notes during the interview, he understood all the details about our online system and strategies, as well as our company strengths and weaknesses. Impressed by Roberto's professional capabilities, I've become an avid reader of his blog and discovered a mine of interesting articles, stories, and people. Despite not being a journalist myself, I wanted to return Roberto's favor and so invited him to be interviewed for the BAIA blog. Here are my questions and his responses.

Roberto, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your professional activities?

I was born in Mestre Venezia, start working as a reporter in Venice newspaper Il Gazzettino, as my grandfather Roberto, my father Giovanni "Gibo" and today my brother Giampaolo. I moved to Milan in 1986 at national newspaper Il Giorno, joining Reuters Italian service in 2001, now in a 6 months leave of absence here in California. Be pro-positive and nonconformist have been often not helpful, working in Italy, in media too. I got some more opportunities in reportages around the world for magazines. Then I found in Reuters a fantastic chance for good journalism and international perspectives. And in the web the ideal environment for my unordered curiosity. That goes from movies (I graduated at Venice University in History of Cinema, dissertation about Harpo Marx), to music (I play a lot of instruments, you wouldn't believe how many and how badly), rugby. And new media.

What is your project "Italiani di Frontiera," and how you come up with this idea?

Less than a year ago, I was just trying to figure out how "to survive" to come as a freelance journalist in leave of absence in USA, with wife Pola Science teacher and kids (Alessandro 18, Francesca 16, now happy students at Gunn High School in Palo Alto). I knew few about Italians in the Bay. Three e-mails changed my mind (and hopefully my life): from Matteo Daste (BAIA) Jeff Capaccio (SVIEC) and Palo Marenco (Silicon Valley Italian Study Tour). I understood from their committed answers there was a big story waiting to be told. And this was the right moment (not only for Super-Euro), in a blooming of activities (Baia, Sviec, Mind the Bridge...), and commitment of US Embassy too. In Italiani di Frontiera I am interviewing entrepreneurs, researchers, engineers. Some young newcomers, some veterans with outstanding records, as Federico Faggin, Roberto Crea, Enzo Torresi. They are a mine of gold of memories, enterprises, challenges. Still more precious are their thoughts and critical comments about Italy, its qualities and its faults. Now a blog, then an interactive web site with videos, Italiani di Frontiera will be a book in Italy, sponsored by Centro Formazione Management del Terziario for FrancoAngeli Publisher. And more is still in my mind...

After spending some time in the Silicon Valley, how has your opinion of America and the American way of life changed?

I first came in USA 30 years ago as a young hitchhiker At that time this was an other world from Italy. Big cars and standardized behaviors impressed me more. Today cars are a bit smaller, I'm still impressed by standardization and predictability in daily life. Sometimes I find it funny or boring. But I realize these strict rules are fundamental ground for a multicultural and multi ethnic country. Meanwhile, Italy and Italians became more standardized and stereotyped, after years of flat consumerism and silly hedonism pumped by TV model over exposition. But they lack a ground standard of rules and civic commitment, quite strong here. We still have a sense of quality of life, in terms of friendship, food, beauty. While sometimes I had the feeling that a part of American way of life, in its pursuing of success, has still the goal to make money to show money and money symbols. And then... what else?

After interviewing so many "Italians," did you find some sort of common background or shared archetype?

Yes, absolutely. And much stronger than I expected. Perhaps we managed for centuries to survive with unpredictable as individuals. And our classic roots, deeper than we realize and remember, are the best background for an open mind. Italians graduated in averaged Italian Universities act wonderfully here. Many of them told me they feel to have a special capacity to solve problems out of the standard better than others. Somebody thinks too  you can recognize a software "made by Italians" for a particular touch of creativity an aesthetic...

Once you are back in Italy, do you think you will be able to communicate and share your experience?

If I'll fail, I'll be the only one to blame. Because I think contents and thoughts from Italiani di Frontiera are of extraordinary value, for what in my view is today Italy. So many outstanding goals achieved thank to Italians to remember, while the country dramatically lacks memory. And so many examples to study and pursue, in hard work, creativity, courage, challenge on a global competition, both in entrepreneurs and in corporations. Mainly  ignored in a country dulled by local argues and silly gossip. A country of emigrants, now pretending to isolate and protect itself, than better widely exploit its talents. Let's open doors and windows in Italy, to fresh air! More web, more English speaking. More good models for young people. More chances for inspired ideas. And more sights from abroad, from Italians in the Bay too!

The Italian community in California is very fragmented. Only now are Italians becoming aware of being part of a community and gaining a benefit from that. What can associations like BAIA and Italian institutions such as the Italian Consulate do in this direction?

They can act stronger, in building a powerful community here. But I really think that in this, meetings and networking must be supported by a strong cultural effort. This means first to know what other Italians are doing here around. Then be aware how strong can be their contribution and example non only each other but for their country. Business opportunities are not enough, we need a careful consideration. About qualities that let Italians here acting fantastically: open mind, improvisation, aesthetic taste etc. And a critical reflection on what obstacles the emerging of the same qualities in Italy in entrepreneurship. It is a cultural effort because from my work it emerges that bad habits, distorted traditions (for example family extensions in corporation management) are for Italy heavier chains than old infrastructure and lack of financing.

Will you come back to California with a new project?

Telling the truth, I'm just ready to stay... Kidding (not too much). At the end of July I have to go back to Reuters in Milan and finish my work on the project. For me and my family it would be a dream to come back to stay. There are a lot of subjects and links to work on, in media between Italy and the Bay. I could have ten more "start up" projects in my head, as a web radio, needing a venture capitalist I am afraid... because this adventure 'til now has been hardly self-financed. Good investment for me, my wife and mainly for my teen son and daughter, in their international open mind experience at Gunn High School (while Ale, soccer striker, scored 18 gols in 7 match with Stanford Earthquakes...). One new project is already a part of Italiani di Frontiera. I called "Italindiani" some outstanding Italians in the West, discovered by my friend Cesare Marino, anthropologist at Smithsonian Institution and one of most prominent experts of Native Americans. Nearly unknown both here and in Italy, they deserve a book for themselves, having in past centuries the same bold spirit of Italiani di Frontiera we all need to challenge the new 21th Century Global Fronter.

I would like to thank the Roberto Bonzio for taking the time for this interview and for the incredible work he has done in such a short time exploring the local Italian community and exposing the  unexpectedly long list of entrepreneurs, researchers, and influential people. If you have a question for Roberto or for BAIA please do not hesitate to contact us or to leave a comment below. Roberto is also a member of our online community BAIA Link where he can also be reached.

Franco Folini

An Interview with Fabrizio Marcelli, the New Consul General in San Francisco

Last week I received an e-mail from the Italian Consulate asking for my availability to answer a set of questions from a questionnaire. The questions were part of a survey of Italian companies in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley. I was pleasantly surprised. This was the first “business” contact with the Consulate my company had ever had. The person behind this change of style is the new Consul General Fabrizio Marcelli. He came to San Francisco just a few weeks ago and the Italian community is already noticing the difference. People who went to the Italian Consulate offices on Pacific Heights are now sharing stories of efficiency, organization, and a service-oriented approach. The old jokes about the Italian Consulate that have been circulating among Italians for decades are becoming suddenly obsolete. I personally asked the new Consul for an interview in order to get to know him and to facilitate a direct dialog with the Italian business community. Here is the interview. Thank you Consul.

Fabrizio, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your professional experience?

I have served in various capacities in the Italian Diplomatic Service. This in San Francisco is my first assignment in the United States. My previous posts abroad have been in Argentina (twice), Madagascar and Germany.  In particular, my consular expertise is based on my professional experiences both as head of a Consulate and as coordinator of a major national consular network.

Do you have some information or data you can share that would give us a better picture of the Italian community under your jurisdiction?

The impression I have gathered in this first month in San Francisco is that although Italians in the Bay Area are not as numerous as in other parts of the United States, they nonetheless are a major component of the cultural identity of the Bay Area. There are 12,780 Italian citizens registered with our consulate (our district includes seven states of the Pacific Northwest and a large part of California). Of these, over 9,000 reside in the 48 California counties that fall within our jurisdiction. Besides the San Francisco Bay Area, the Italian community in California is concentrated in the Sacramento area.

What are the major problems you currently face at the Consulate and what are your plans to address them?

My very first priority is to reorganize the Consulate. We have massive arrears in many areas. Also, due to a protracted lack of personnel, we have several hundreds applications for citizenship by descendants of Italian immigrants in the US waiting to be analyzed and sent to Italy for registration. The same applies to certificates relating to vital statistics (DATA). The visa, legal and passport sections are up to date. In addition, we are also striving to “resuscitate” the commercial office.

As the youngest Italian Consul to come to San Francisco, your presence raises large expectations from the Italian community. What changes can be reasonably expected from the Consulate?

Thank you for considering me still young at 47. I hope not to disappoint our community. Their high expectations are justified by the arrival of a new Consul General.  Mi initial effort will focus in reviewing the procedures used by consular personnel in order to find all possible ways of improving our processes and turn around time. I also involved in promoting the image of the Consulate through contacts with local entrepreneurs, authorities and organizations. I hope that the Consulate will become a full protagonist in the life of San Francisco and of the Bay Area. To this end, the Italian Cultural Institute, whose acting director is the capable and dynamic Valeria Rumori, can play a very important role.

In the local Italian community there is always a sort of unexpressed desire to give back to the motherland. What can the Consulate and the Italian community do to facilitate this flow of ideas, experiences, and business toward Italy?

There is much that they can contribute.  As I said before, the “high-added value” of the Italians living in and around San Francisco requires a special attention by the Consulate in terms of efficiency and rapidity of services that we usually provide. I hope that those who use are consular services and are also involved with advanced technologies and software will be willing to give us their suggestions to improve our services and the interactive services available in our web page.

You mentioned a few times that California and San Francisco are not getting the attention they deserve in the relationship between Italy and US. What can be done to change that?

When I arrived in San Francisco, I was surprised by the large number of Italian entrepreneurs, researchers and University professors who settled in the Bay Area in these last years.  It is my intention to have this community adequately represented in Italy.  The first opportunity to do so is offered by the visit to San Francisco of the Italian Ambassador in Washington, Giovanni Castellaneta. We have organized for him an entire day dedicated to visiting UC Berkeley and the Silicon Valley, with a meeting including all researchers and entrepreneurs active in high tech sectors in this region. I also hope that a journalist will be willing to report on the history of the Italian presence in the Silicon Valley, starting with the important contributions given by the pioneers, many of whom were originally Olivetti employees, to the significant influx of young engineers in most recent years.

I would like to thank the Italian Consul General in San Francisco Fabrizio Marcelli for taking the time for this interview and introducing himself to the Italian community this way. If you would like to share your ideas, experiences, and opinions with the Consulate, you are encouraged to visit BAIA Link, the online BAIA community, where we have a section of our forum dedicated to this dialog.

Franco Folini

An Interview with Luca Foresti Winner of the First Edition of Mind The Bridge

A few weeks ago the first edition of "Mind-the-Bridge" final event  was held here in San Francisco. Thanks to the determination of Marco Marinucci, the extensive support of BAIA, and the hard work of the businessmen involved in the selection and tutoring process, the the entire competition was a great success.
Now, a few weeks after the final event, it's time to analyze the first results and check how the protagonists are doing and in which ways this experience is affecting their business and mostly important their entrepreneurial mindset. Who can help us with this analysis better than the winner of the competition Luca Foresti? I asked Luca a few questions. Here is the complete interview.

Luca, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your entrepreneurial activities?

I studied Physics as first degree in Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, then Financial Mathematics; therefore I have a scientific and modelistic approach to life. My first step in the productive world was in a company developing micro-finance institutions in developing countries. There I learn how to manage large groups of people and how to make things happen with no-nonsense and excuses. During the last two years in the company I moved towards  the management of ICT departments. I basically learn about technology during the nights, deciding about contracts, people and strategies during the day. It was fun and it helped me a lot in developing a basic trust in the possibility of learning fast in areas where you are not a professional at the beginning. In practice this is the main skill if you want to be an entrepreneur.
Since February 2006 I am the CEO of Econoetica and I live in Bologna. Our company is based on a concept: only people fully engaged can create a long-term competitive advantage. Therefore we look for entrepreneurs that are not aware or ready to do the big step and put them under a lot of pressure. Those that survive and are able to take responsibilities are then shareholders. We have at present three divisions: Arianna (Multimedia mobile guides for cities), Noody (Wifi infrastructure and services), E-consulting (B2B ICT complex projects).

How was your experience with the Mind-The-Bridge business competition, and what is the next step?

It was a very good possibility for us. In practice was the first time we could translate our idea of Silicon Valley in real people, companies, time spent together with exceptional leaders.  The quality of people  that organized it (Marco Marinucci as main player, in our case Luigi Orsi Carbone as mentor, but many others helped us a lot), the centrality of the location, Silicon Valley, in the ICT world, are few reasons for being absolutely satisfied with the experience. The next step is to prepare ourselves to transforms all the opportunities created and the network developed in facts. Our initial aim was to look for Business Angels or VCs. The reality is that we should enter into a process where we prepare the ground for achieving our initial goals. Today we understand this is normal, when we started we were quite naive about it.

Do you have any recommendations for young Italian entrepreneurs wishing to compete next year in Mind-The-Bridge?

Two main recommendations. Write a Business Plan that has numbers interesting for investors; don't write small plans. In Italy we are used to think small. Silicon Valley is a place where everyone thinks big and expect everyone else to do the same. The real challenge is to forget for a while the Italian way to think about business and enter into the American way. Second, If you win, think about who you want to meet there and prepare yourself before flying in Silicon Valley. I know that this is difficult, but with the help of the mentor and with a bit of ability you may transform an interesting trip in a big possibility for you and your company. This suggestion translates in what everyone there call "homework"; and it's a lot of work.

Your business idea leverages a simple and relatively inexpensive device such as a PDA that customers are supposed to rent or buy. Do you have any plan to also approach the more common mobile phone platforms?

That was exactly the plan we presented at Mind-the-Bridge. Develop a downloadable software  for mobile phones, with a back-office platform for creating personalized guides. In the next 5 years almost every piece of software will go mobile. Smartphone will be smarter and smarter, connectivity will increase and finally multimedia contents will start winning over written contents. These are the trends we aim to surf for making our Arianna the best Multimedia city guide people can have. User generated contents can integrate professional contents, creating a mass-customized guide for a city. The portal is the place where people choose and manage the contents they really want and the mobile user interface is adapted to the conditions in which people really use the product. The main asset users have today is time: and it is a scarce resource. Therefore we spend a lot of time and effort in having a very user friendly product.

As an entrepreneur you have been exposed to the Silicon Valley way of doing business. Which aspect of the Silicon Valley model do you think can be successfully adapted to the Italian economic system and culture?

In the world of the economy every model that works spread in any areas where there are no barriers of entrance and no cultural clash. Italy is full of both. Therefore a very honest answer to your question is: none. First we have to destroy our barriers! Then there are many ideas, models and opportunities to be copied and implemented in Italy if those barriers disappears. Most likely the most important change we need are all those decisions that enhance meritocracy in our society. The creation of an ecosystem that can sustain an high tech industry in the long run is something very difficult to do. We need entrepreneurial spirit, and this is not something you can study in books. I have the feeling that first we have to send our people abroad for a while and then, when they come back, they will have a different mindset.

With the new BAIA LINK online community we are now trying to create a connection between Italy and the Italian community in Silicon Valley. What can this community do for Italian entrepreneurs like you?

BAIA Link can help us to find the right connections to spend a few months or even a year working there, with successful companies and creating a strong network that can be then used in developing companies in Italy. Another way could be to have there a company that commercialize services and products developed by Italian start-ups.

I would like to thank Luca Foresti for taking the time to speak with me today. If you have any questions for Luca or for BAIA, please leave a comment below or contact Luca or me on BAIA Link and we will be glad to answer.

Franco Folini

A Call for Energetic Optimism

Today, and in the months ahead, we must think and act with keen optimism and determination.

While I was traveling back home during the holidays, in my native Torino – which is also the 2008 World Design Capital – I witnessed the usual warmth and cheerfulness of familiar faces in an atmosphere fueled by the holiday spirit.

At the same time, I had the chance to browse through some of that more casual and disparate holiday reading material, ranging from the history book found at home, to the arts catalogs in the bookstore of the Civic Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art to some mundane magazines which tend to materialize in your laps at the airport or at the hair dresser’s. Among tales of beauty, technology gadgets (I especially like the 500-shaped USB I received from my Dad), and daily happenings, a common theme was surfacing across the press:  the need for optimism.

Usually, when a state of mind is summoned by multiple parties, it means there has been a lack of it, or lackluster presence at least.  So I sniffed around for supporting data.

An article I came across in one of my “holiday magazines”, (A) by Giancarlo Bruno, manager of Banking and Capital Marketing for the World Economic Forum, was reporting data about Italy’s classification among the world economies, based on overall competitiveness (World Economic Forum competitiveness index). The current ranking: 46; down from 42 and 38 in the previous years.  By digging in a little deeper, it shows business competitiveness (ranking: 42) is more favorable in terms of “Sophistication of company operations and strategy”(32) rather than “Quality of the national business environment” (45) (link).

Given that Italy should be among the top five or six world economies, a 46th overall place sounds very much like the C series.  Or, with a different cultural metaphor, if you are an A student it is a shame to get anything less than a B, just because you can so easily do better. Two years ago, I attended a business breakfast where an economist from BNP Paribas stated: “Italy is dying” (he also mentioned oil prices were not going to rise ...). At the end of the presentation I raised my proud Italian hand and clarified that, thank you for the concern, but Italy was alive and well, despite aggressive competition in certain sectors, from high-growth emerging economies.  A few weeks later I flew to Torino to witness first-hand the sparkling beauty of the Olympic Torch and the rebirth on the world stage of the first capitol of Italy.  My country still looked very much alive.  Today we should not be in 46th place and, most important, we should be competitive, jostling for the top 5, top 10 positions.  Not for sake of the ranking per se, but because that’s a sign of the dreams, work and achievements that lie beneath the digits.  Hence my urge to blog on the topic.

Two weeks ago a business delegation with the Partnership for Growth program, accompanied by US Ambassador Ronald Spogli, visited the Bay Area.  There was much enthusiasm and no shortness of energy among the Italian visitors, eager to absorb information and to interact constructively, to build on their ideas.  Matteo Fabiano of BAIA opened his introductory note on BAIA, during a lunch session at Stanford (sponsored by YourTrumanShow), exactly on the topic of optimism, and on how it pervades the business climate of Silicon Valley. It was nice to see the light shining in the eyes of the audience, they grasped the message!

So, let’s capitalize on our talent, passion for quality, business acumen and scientific skills, to invigorate our country’s competitiveness and to keep our ability to dream alive. Dreams become reality when you believe in them and work hard toward their achievement. Optimism is not just a word, but the positive attitude and energetic drive required to move forward in spite of temporary obstacles and challenging circumstances.

Lucia Panini

A Silicon Mind

Following an extensive trip in California and other parts of the country, LA7, a major Italian television broadcaster, has produced a reportage that is now available online. A sweeping view of the opportunities, challenges and motivations of Italian entrepreneurs and professionals in Silicon Valley, including startups, BAIA, SVIEC, Google, Stanford, Tim Draper, John Hennessy,… Interviews and reportage by Frediano Finucci and Damiano Ficoneri, LA7 News.

Matteo Fabiano