Tech is easy. It uses machines to make light of manual tasks. It helps to find efficiencies. Add money into the mix and it creates a gold rush. Is Silicon Valley more than a gold rush where the guy selling the spades is getting seriously rich while once in a while some idiot or other hits a rich seam and then everyone wants to build an instagram... sorry, I mean mine in that place...
(yes, yes, I am over-dramatising, but would it be any fun if I put across something more balanced?)
... talking about “what’s wrong with the London startup
scene” to drive traffic to their site. Consider this post
two-fingers up to those people.
There is plenty of argument as to the etymology behind that, so I won't paste specific links trying to explain one theory over the other.
London doesn't have that, at least from a technical talent perspective - the area that comes close to matching that description in the UK is Cambridge (or Oxford, to some degree).
Secondly, even if you have people with good talent available, many of them see the London finance machine as their destination of choice (though they may not admit so openly). The finance culture has seeped into the startup culture as well - many of them see the finance companies as their potential clients (so that's not surprising) - but that has led to a gatekeeper culture that is prevalent to a lesser degree in the US (maybe I'm wrong here).
Lastly, the level of risk-aversion is generally higher in the UK than that in the States - the positive energy on the West Coast is _tangible_.
How many APIs have you seen coming out of London - and frameworks people can build upon? That is, raw technical products for the heck of it - not travel websites, shopping portals or phone-apps. Those are the things that form the bedrock that show the underlying passion of the startup community of an area. London (and the UK) sorely lacks that.
Are you sure? By which I mean are you aware that 2 million people pass through heathrow each day, London oscillates between 9 and 13 million people a day, it's the main gateway to Europe from the states and a financial world capital. If that doesn't attract talent from around the world I don't know what would. Sure, plenty of people would rather work at a bank than a startup but it's the same anywhere. The difference is the sheer number of people, not to mention local universities like Imperial and UCL, not forgetting other universities with niche specialisms like Royal Holloway and Westminster with information security.
> Secondly, even if you have people with good talent available, many of them see the London finance machine as their destination of choice
As I've mentioned earlier, some would rather work for a bank than a startup, but there's plenty in London that doesn't directly involve finance. If it comes across that finance companies may be potential clients, it's because they have the money to buy the products London startups can build and there's lots of them.
> Lastly, the level of risk-aversion is generally higher in the UK than that in the States - the positive energy on the West Coast is _tangible_.
I can't speak for the west coast or the states but this varies greatly. We have things like the prince's trust, the Technology Strategy Board, SEEDA and innovateuk amongst others. If you pick the right niche to get into then people will practically throw money at you to solve their problems. I will happily concede though that if you don't pick the right niche there is a level of risk aversion though but things like Seedcamp and HN London meetups are challenging that.
Oxford and Cambridge are hardly the only two universities to hire tech talent from either, there are are universities with excellent CS depts in London itself. Imperial and UCL spring to mind. There are at least a dozen more excellent universities within a couple of hours travel time from London...
However, every place has strengths that Silicon Valley does not. Both New York and London are very well connected to other industries like media, banking and fashion. They're actually great counterparts to each other- London being a gateway to Europe, and New York being a gateway to North America.
I'd love to set up some sort of intercontinental exchange programs for NY+LON startups. Companies offering desk space to their transatlantic cousins for mutual benefit. Let me know (contact details are in my profile) if you'd be interested in something like this- I want to get to know some more startups "back home" in any case!
One to check out. I would like to see a similar programme for London.
Touche!
Silicon Valley is unique and will always be. Trying to replicate this scene just won't happen. Fortunately places like London are so diverse (Americans, British, Brazilian... ) and things are happening.
You can find like minded people anywhere. If you have the enthusiasm and are willing to work - the money and people will find you.