Business

Letter from the UK: Silicon Valley Ethos Alive And Well in Hampshire

On my travels I often hear complaints that the European entrepreneurial scene lags years behind that of Silicon Valley. The refrain is familiar: When could there ever be a British startup with the potential of a Google or a Facebook? Why do the continent’s VCs constantly struggle to find the talent to take a hot […]

Founders Forum brings Silicon Valley's spirit to Hampshire

On my travels I often hear complaints that the European entrepreneurial scene lags years behind that of Silicon Valley. The refrain is familiar: When could there ever be a British startup with the potential of a Google or a Facebook? Why do the continent's VCs constantly struggle to find the talent to take a hot local startup global?

Recently, for the first time, I felt a genuine sense that such concerns are growing less relevant. Yes, Europe's a more fragmented market than the States, with a cultural legacy that has traditionally dampened that entrepreneurial hunger to win at all costs -- even if it means publicly failing a few times on the way. But after spending eight hours at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hampshire, I came away pretty optimistic that the culture is changing. That California "fast company" spirit is finally becoming embedded in Britain, albeit in a small but growing way.

The occasion was the Founders Forum, a small private gathering of successful business founders mostly from the online, media, tech and communications sectors held on June 17. They came to network, schmooze and strike deals with investors, a handful of politicians and power-brokers, as well as some recognizable music stars and models.

Organised by Jonnie Goodwin, Marc Samwer and Brent Hoberman, the forum -- now in its fifth year -- is remarkable for the high level of talent it attracts. Entrepreneurs flew in from the US, China and Japan for the event -- but it was its significant representation of local heroes that was the real eye-opener.

Discretion prevents me from naming the delegates present, but their firms are an A-list of UK entrepreneurship: startups that have made waves including Ocado, Autonomy, Shazam, Betfair, Playfish, Net-a-Porter, Mind Candy, mydeco, Wonga, TweetDeck and TalkTalk. There were representatives of US giants such as Google and Facebook, Amazon and LinkedIn, as well as UK leaders in TV and the news business.

The investors, too, were top grade: from firms such as Accel Partners, Balderton Capital, Index Ventures, Amadeus Capital Partners, Atomico and Ariadne Capital. Put it this way, there was plenty of interest from prospective customers in the demonstration Tesla car that was available to test-drive on the lawns.

So what can I tell you without breaching the rules of engagement? Well, some of the "disruptive companies" that presented to the crowd will certainly be making appearances in future issues of Wired. These included:

  • Oblong, which demonstrated its "G-speak" spatial operating computing platform, straight out of Minority Report (quite literally -- an earlier version of the tech was used in the film)
  • Light Blue Optics, a Cambridge startup whose neat little projector can turn any flat surface into an instant touchscreen, with a 10-inch image projectable on to any table or wall
  • Fusion Garage's joojoo tablet computer, which does things that the iPad won't (such as play Flash video)
  • Plink, which makes image-recognition software so good that it was recently acquired by Google
  • SecondMarket, a secondary market for illiquid assets such as stock equity in unlisted companies
  • Masabi, whose mobile-phone app makes it "the ticket machine in your pocket"
  • Fwix, a database-led guide to local information; and Boxee, whose products connect internet TV and video to your TV.
  • And, naturally, some intelligent robots from Japan.

I'm just sorting through the 30 or 40 business cards I seem to have accumulated. Looks like we've got a head start in creating next year's Wired Digital Power 100...

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