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Out-Innovate: How Global Entrepreneurs--from Delhi to Detroit--Are Rewriting the Rules of Silicon Valley
The new playbook for innovation and startup success is emerging from beyond Silicon Valley--at the "frontier." Startups have changed the world. In the United States, many startups, such as Tesla, Apple, and Amazon, have become household names. The economic value of startups has doubled since 1992 and is projected to double again in the next fifteen years. For decades, the hot center of this phenomenon has been Silicon Valley. This is changing fast. Thanks to technology, startups are now taking root everywhere, from Delhi to Detroit to Nairobi to Sao Paulo. Yet despite this globalization of startup activity, our knowledge of how to build successful startups is still drawn primarily from Silicon Valley. As venture capitalist Alexandre Lazarow shows in this insightful and instructive book, this Silicon Valley "gospel" is due for a refresh--and it comes from what he calls the "frontier," the growing constellation of startup ecosystems, outside of the Valley and other major economic centers, that now stretches across the globe. The frontier is a truly different world where startups often must cope with political or economic instability and lack of infrastructure, and where there might be little or no access to angel investors, venture capitalists, or experienced employee pools. Under such conditions, entrepreneurs must be creators who build industries rather than disruptors who change them because there are few existing businesses to disrupt. The companies they create must be global from birth because local markets are too small. They focus on resiliency and sustainability rather than unicorn-style growth at any cost. With rich and wide-ranging stories of frontier innovators from around the world, Out-Innovate is the new playbook for innovation--wherever it has the potential to happen.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published April 7, 2020
53 people are currently reading
1232 people want to read
About the author
Alexandre Lazarow
5 books10 followersAlexandre Lazarow has spent his career working at the intersection of investing, innovation, and impact.
He is a global venture capitalist and has invested in startups including Chime, Kin, Neon, Sidecar Health, Facily, FinAccel, ZenBusiness, Kueski, Guiabolso, Zola, Rensource, Terminal, among others.
He works with Cathay Innovation, a Paris-based firm that invests across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. Previously, Alex worked with Omidyar Network, a philanthropic investment firm that has invested over a billion dollars in hundreds of startups around the world.
Alex is the author of Out-Innovate: How Global Entrepreneurs - from Delhi to Detroit - Are Rewriting the Rules of Silicon Valley (Harvard Business Review Press) which was a top new release on Amazon, featured on the FT Summer List and won the Axiom Gold Medal. Alex is a Senior Contributor with Forbes, a columnist with Entrepreneur Magazine, and author of the newsletter [99%Tech].
Alex is an adjunct professor specializing in social impact investment and entrepreneurship at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Alex has also served as a strategy consultant with McKinsey & Co., a financial regulator with the Bank of Canada, and an M&A investment banker with the Royal Bank of Canada. He is a Kauffman Fellow, CFA Charterholder, and CFR Term Member. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.Comm from the University of Manitoba.
Get in touch:
- Website: alexlazarow.com
- Newsletter: https://alexlazarow.substack.com/
- Book: https://amzn.to/3306fcr
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alex_Lazarow
He is a global venture capitalist and has invested in startups including Chime, Kin, Neon, Sidecar Health, Facily, FinAccel, ZenBusiness, Kueski, Guiabolso, Zola, Rensource, Terminal, among others.
He works with Cathay Innovation, a Paris-based firm that invests across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. Previously, Alex worked with Omidyar Network, a philanthropic investment firm that has invested over a billion dollars in hundreds of startups around the world.
Alex is the author of Out-Innovate: How Global Entrepreneurs - from Delhi to Detroit - Are Rewriting the Rules of Silicon Valley (Harvard Business Review Press) which was a top new release on Amazon, featured on the FT Summer List and won the Axiom Gold Medal. Alex is a Senior Contributor with Forbes, a columnist with Entrepreneur Magazine, and author of the newsletter [99%Tech].
Alex is an adjunct professor specializing in social impact investment and entrepreneurship at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Alex has also served as a strategy consultant with McKinsey & Co., a financial regulator with the Bank of Canada, and an M&A investment banker with the Royal Bank of Canada. He is a Kauffman Fellow, CFA Charterholder, and CFR Term Member. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.Comm from the University of Manitoba.
Get in touch:
- Website: alexlazarow.com
- Newsletter: https://alexlazarow.substack.com/
- Book: https://amzn.to/3306fcr
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alex_Lazarow
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
January 31, 2020
Unlike several decades ago, innovation today no longer resides within the Silicon Valley area. Today’s innovation happens not just in the United States but especially all over the world.
This book introduces the readers like you and me to the Frontier Innovators. These are the companies that increasingly disrupt the business and social landscape as we know it. Entrepreneurs all over the world are increasingly getting more adept in introducing valuable solutions to the dilemma of our modern age. Some of the ubiquitous names now like Spotify, Waze, Alibaba originated from Sweden, Finland, and China respectively.
The book provides us the key differences between Silicon Valley start ups and those of Frontier Innovators. It also provides us numerous names of start ups all over the world.
I think that the book paves the way for readers to know the increasingly pivotal role of these new companies. This makes it valuable as we continue to navigate the dynamic world of our global economy.
This book introduces the readers like you and me to the Frontier Innovators. These are the companies that increasingly disrupt the business and social landscape as we know it. Entrepreneurs all over the world are increasingly getting more adept in introducing valuable solutions to the dilemma of our modern age. Some of the ubiquitous names now like Spotify, Waze, Alibaba originated from Sweden, Finland, and China respectively.
The book provides us the key differences between Silicon Valley start ups and those of Frontier Innovators. It also provides us numerous names of start ups all over the world.
I think that the book paves the way for readers to know the increasingly pivotal role of these new companies. This makes it valuable as we continue to navigate the dynamic world of our global economy.
April 23, 2020
Great book, finally out of the usual storytelling about what is the real secret sauce for startups' success, the Silicon Valley's one-fits all recipe.
Rich of examples and thoughts about how (successful) innovation is developing globally assuming different fashions depending on local specifics.
Living and working in a Frontier ecosystem (as Lazarow labels less developed /emerging ecosystems), I truly appreciated his precise and insightful analysis of Frontier's dynamics and got a lot of inspiration from it.
Highly recommended to Frontier practitioners and, more in general, to whom is interested in understanding what it takes to be successful innovators out of SV. Thanks!
Rich of examples and thoughts about how (successful) innovation is developing globally assuming different fashions depending on local specifics.
Living and working in a Frontier ecosystem (as Lazarow labels less developed /emerging ecosystems), I truly appreciated his precise and insightful analysis of Frontier's dynamics and got a lot of inspiration from it.
Highly recommended to Frontier practitioners and, more in general, to whom is interested in understanding what it takes to be successful innovators out of SV. Thanks!
April 18, 2020
This book was quite personal to me because of my own unique background as an Indonesian-American, former Silicon Valley transplant, and recent returnee to the emerging market tech start-up scene (via Gojek, Indonesia's first 'unicorn'). While being educated and working in the US, I became familiarized with the Silicon Valley-led narrative of the young, cerebral, risk-taking innovator, blazing a path forward with consumer-driven technology and a growth-at-all-costs mentality (the type of entrepreneurship that is very well profiled in Walter Isaacson's 'The Innovators' through the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs). In a way, it's become a sort of legend that—over the decades—has become synonymous with Silicon Valley; so much so that it's minted it's very own HBO series that satirizes this paradigm.
In my career, I have been fortunate enough to get profound exposures to very unique, atypical business models through my work at Kiva, Oportun, and now Gojek. These organizations, while operating adjacent to this Silicon Valley paradigm, are not quite of the same pedigree and share many similarities to the unique innovators that Alexandre profiles in his book. Furthermore, as someone who operates in this 'Frontier Innovation' ecosystem through my own social enterprise, Topiku, I have literally experienced some of the struggles of emerging market entrepreneurship that Alexandre has described in his book very well. As a venture capitalist based in Silicon Valley himself, I was struck by how well Alexandre empathizes with global entrepreneurship circles and his conscientious way of recognizing that Silicon Valley is not a one-size-fits-all (or even most) model. His caricature of the 'Camel' is a term that will no doubt stick with my vernacular!
This book is not only a must-read for folks like myself—young professionals operating in emerging market entrepreneurship circles—but also for venture capitalists looking to better understand not only emerging market entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship in lesser-developed markets within the US itself (such as the ones that Venture For America has focused on: Detroit, Cleveland, etc.); as well as governments, financial institutions and other corporations in the emerging markets that have recently began to consider how they can better position themselves as enablers of this dynamism through corporate venture capital, flexible 'sandbox' regulations, and providing alternative financing mechanisms for these emerging market entrepreneurs.
In my career, I have been fortunate enough to get profound exposures to very unique, atypical business models through my work at Kiva, Oportun, and now Gojek. These organizations, while operating adjacent to this Silicon Valley paradigm, are not quite of the same pedigree and share many similarities to the unique innovators that Alexandre profiles in his book. Furthermore, as someone who operates in this 'Frontier Innovation' ecosystem through my own social enterprise, Topiku, I have literally experienced some of the struggles of emerging market entrepreneurship that Alexandre has described in his book very well. As a venture capitalist based in Silicon Valley himself, I was struck by how well Alexandre empathizes with global entrepreneurship circles and his conscientious way of recognizing that Silicon Valley is not a one-size-fits-all (or even most) model. His caricature of the 'Camel' is a term that will no doubt stick with my vernacular!
This book is not only a must-read for folks like myself—young professionals operating in emerging market entrepreneurship circles—but also for venture capitalists looking to better understand not only emerging market entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship in lesser-developed markets within the US itself (such as the ones that Venture For America has focused on: Detroit, Cleveland, etc.); as well as governments, financial institutions and other corporations in the emerging markets that have recently began to consider how they can better position themselves as enablers of this dynamism through corporate venture capital, flexible 'sandbox' regulations, and providing alternative financing mechanisms for these emerging market entrepreneurs.
May 14, 2020
Out Innovate is a much-needed book that captures how entrepreneurs on the border (i.e., everyone outside Of Silicon Valley and maybe London and New York) are changing the way we do impact entrepreneurship.
From Wisconsin to Winnipeg, from Indonesia to Brazil, entrepreneurs from all over the world are changing the way they start. The author recognizes the importance Silicon Valley has had in the world, but believes it is a exhausted model that needs to be renewed.
That renewal, that innovation occurs at the border where companies have to be more resilient, innovative, more social and cannot embrace the Silicon Valley model in a comprehensive way. The author introduces very interesting themes that I found also very funny like the "Camel" Start-ups, which seek to survive long periods in the desert, or the Cockroach Start-ups, which survive everyone.
I am sure that entrepreneurs in developing countries will feel identified with these models. It also describes new forms of venture capital through more patient alternative forms of business and use of technology that opened my mind.
The book is instructive and accessible to those who are not familiar with entrepreneurship and at the same time it is interesting for the people of this field.
From Wisconsin to Winnipeg, from Indonesia to Brazil, entrepreneurs from all over the world are changing the way they start. The author recognizes the importance Silicon Valley has had in the world, but believes it is a exhausted model that needs to be renewed.
That renewal, that innovation occurs at the border where companies have to be more resilient, innovative, more social and cannot embrace the Silicon Valley model in a comprehensive way. The author introduces very interesting themes that I found also very funny like the "Camel" Start-ups, which seek to survive long periods in the desert, or the Cockroach Start-ups, which survive everyone.
I am sure that entrepreneurs in developing countries will feel identified with these models. It also describes new forms of venture capital through more patient alternative forms of business and use of technology that opened my mind.
The book is instructive and accessible to those who are not familiar with entrepreneurship and at the same time it is interesting for the people of this field.
January 8, 2023
Startups in frontier markets often have different needs than ones that are founded in Silicon Valley. This is something I have experienced first-hand as an advisor to a startup in Mongolia. This book goes over the characteristics of founders in frontier markets, along with the various challenges they face in scaling up their companies. As a former investor at Omidyar Network, Lazarow provides us with a practitioner guide to how startups can thrive in frontier markets.
March 6, 2021
This is definitely one of the best books I have read this year. The value add from the book is manifold. The book mainly deals with the difference between camels and unicorns.
The book also deals with the funding modes and innovations that happen at the frontier.
The author talks about how the business models that work at the heart of silicon valley are not applicable to the frontier.
The best chapters are in the first half of this book. After 10 Chapters, most of the chapters are dedicated to the aligning the ecosystem and funding around the Startups themselves. But the book is a great read as a whole. It is extremely impressive.
Here are a list of books and keywords that are mentioned in this work:
The innovators dilemma
Blitz scaling
The alliance
A theory of human motivation
Regional advantage - culture and competition in Silicon Valley en route 128
The creative class
The rain forest
Startup communities
The Silicon Valley model
Detroit moment
Frontier innovation
Ecosystem intensity vs macro economic stability
Camels vs unicorns
Okhi - jumbo - address startup
Mpesa - sms based banking
Mcopa - zola - energy
Full stack vs asset light startup’s
Personal finance manager- Ben and Thiago - giaboso - denovo financial lender
Zola lozata
Zoomia - Sasha - first African e-commerce startup
New bank - David - south america - Latin American fintech
Full stack moats - competitive, capital, technology
Horizontal stack
Gojek - Indonesia- low cost motor bike taxi
Nadiam- gopay - payment
Gomart, goshop, e-commerce
Go food - food delivery
Go massage - massages
Go send - shipping
Go pulsa- cell phone
VJs shikar Sharma - Paytm
Super apps - wechat,
Ctrip China
Focus on wedge - Silicon Valley
Zuna - Keith - booths - financial services
My other startup is a unicorn
Unicorn 1bn - decacorn 10bn
Camels for frontiers
Scaling through the valley of death
Growth over profitability
Midas list - best VCs
Extensions and bridge rounds
Fogra effect
Culture of acquahires does not exist in frontiers
No safety net of bankruptcy
Frontier ditches of death
Moic - return
Subsidised user acquisition
Product price is a feature, not a barrier
Qualtrix- Utah - feedback surveys 8bn - acquired by SAP
Mail chimp, atlassian, rxbar -
Frontier car group - used car marketplace
Portfolio entrepreneurship
Bukalapak - Indonesia
Zebras unite
Fetcher - last mile delivery in middle east- idris.
More experience startup founders in emerging markets.
Cross pollinators access - innovation supply chain.
Cross pollinators track Super conductor locations.
Cross pollinators tap scare resources
Cross pollinators access Proprietary sources of talent
Marrying local context with cross pollinators
Janakiraman - Bharat matrimony
Cross pollinators outside success depends on diversity.
Immigrants ultimate cross pollinators
Be born global
Path ui- robotic process automation
Global vs local players and models - drivers of
1. Nature of network effects(global vs local)
2. Resource intensity (asset lite - local or regional), tech, talent, concentration, capital
3. Local complexities
Strategies for frontier innovators
Born global market selection
1.Prioritising and staging expansion
2.Developing a product the localises easily
3.Building an organisation that functions across markets
Tester markets vs must win markets
Market laboratories- sky alert - earth quake early warning. Mexico City.
Zola anchor markets and proximity markets
Build adaptable product and localise.
Decentralise portion of development team.
Build org that can grow across markets
Specialist teams to scale across borders
Matt flannery 2004 kiva - non profit micro finance - 80 countries.
Branch - micro loans to consumers in developing countries. 4mn customers
SWAT teams for expansion
Ch6: establish a distributed team
Peak travel - earth and moon strategy
Satellites for specialised functions.
Reverse offshoring- branch - delivers micro lending products in emerging markets but centralized tech development in San Francisco
Frontier car group- reverse off shoring Germany.
Multipolar model - different regions run different core functions - zola - fetcher
Self sufficient hubs - each hub is autonomous
Synpress and globent
Fully remote- base camp - invision- zapier
Flat network
Draw on diverse talent pool
Salt Lake City - sales talent pool - peak, qualtrix, podium rely on this sales expertise
Zapier - delocation package
Remote companies have greater female leaders.
Managing labour costs
Skylight - fully distributed
Hiring for remote teams:
Great autonomy
Who value global culture
Who are great in communication
Great in writing
Incentivise distribution
Globent - starmeup and betterme and tinder for ideas.
Ch 7 - Multi mission atheletes
Babylon health - Ali
Circle health
Rivigo - India - logistics
BOGO - buy one give one
Two pocket thinking - profit and charity
You are what you measure
Impact vs revenue metrics
Sector level impact- mpesa ecosystem engineers
Enables other platforms and impact replicators in other markets
B-Corp benefits corporation
Ch-9
Manage risk foster trust
Aero farming - vertical farming 2004
Food safety - risk mitigation
Aeroponics - growing plants in air with most
Trust worthy products
Life or death products
Zuna - easy quick safe
Product safety
Mall for Africa - physical pick up location, partner with trust worthy brands
Doctor consulta- Brazil
Square clip yoko ezypay
CH10 - finance
Net chemia - Carlos
2in 20 , new Bedford whaling industry- model pioneers of vc funding model
Whaling agents - carry
Captains -
Crew -
Portfolio resilience - at frontiers
Syndicate model
Multi market venture capital
Evergreen funds - naspers, vef
Long dated funds
Impact investing
Cvc - corporate venture capital - corporate investors - soft bank vision fund.
Non-traditional fund raising-
Mining industry
Revenue sharing model
My majors - match students to majors
Flipping majors - increase retention and graduation rates.
Data driven investing - Clear bank
Social capital - capital as a service - algorithm driven investing
Crowd funding:
Ico - initial coin offering - crypto currency
Kick starter - go fund me - 17 Bn dollars in USA and 8 times in China
Ch-11 Lay the foundation
1999 - mcatha libre - Marcos - largest e-commerce company in Latin America
2007 - went public
Kazakh ventures - Rcap
Hernan and Marcos linked to 80 percent startup’s in Latin America
Ecosystem architects - frontier innovators
Fuck up nights - FUN - share stories of defeat.
Pepe - consultancy - failure institute - trends of startups
Entrepreneur ship - a career option.
Startup weekend -
Yasar Bashar - Pakistan - entrepreneurs in residence - Sawari acquired by Karim app in Saudi Arabia
Fred swankier - Africa - train and learn
Alu - African leadership university / academy/network
African school of insurance.
I hub- Nairobi
Erika - brick - Internet access
Entrepreneur first - finding a co founder- start up launcher and talent investor
Lower the bar
Parallel mentor ship and entrepreneur ship and investors
Endeavour - matches startup’s with mentors
Makhtub- fadhi - aramex founder
Sookh - Amazon of the region founded inside makhtub
PayPal mafia - patient zero
Multiplier effect
Power of network - human capital - critical mass and repeatability
Ch 12 - it takes a village.
Innovation ecosystem development
1. Input driven, 2. Network driven 3, entrepreneur driven
Horizontal networks and transparent culture
Geographic and cultural
Student cross pollination- start up Chile/Brazil
Vfa- venture for America -
C100 - links Canadian eco system with Silicon Valley
Cross industry and cross sector
Support immigration- entrepreneur visa - reinstate
Unshackled ventures- for foreign born entrepreneurs
Human capital - life blood
P33 - tech eco system builder - local talent pipeline.
Eco system builders-
Capital and economics:
Yasma in Israel- vc funds
SBIC in USA
Foundations and Multi laterals
Provide right infrastructure and regulatory landscape :
Balanced and tolerated - sandbox approach
Innovation sandboxes
Support ecosystem infrastructure:
India -
Nandan nilkarni - Aadhar - upi - API
12 metrics 4 indicators
Density - new and young firms per 1000 people , sector density, share of employment
Fluidity- high growth firms, population flux, labor market reallocation
Connectivity - program connectivity, spin off rate, deal maker networks
Diversity - mobility, immigrants , multiple economic specialisation
No of later stage entrepreneurs scaled to success
Long term view
Passing the baton across generations
Collaborative approach
The book also deals with the funding modes and innovations that happen at the frontier.
The author talks about how the business models that work at the heart of silicon valley are not applicable to the frontier.
The best chapters are in the first half of this book. After 10 Chapters, most of the chapters are dedicated to the aligning the ecosystem and funding around the Startups themselves. But the book is a great read as a whole. It is extremely impressive.
Here are a list of books and keywords that are mentioned in this work:
The innovators dilemma
Blitz scaling
The alliance
A theory of human motivation
Regional advantage - culture and competition in Silicon Valley en route 128
The creative class
The rain forest
Startup communities
The Silicon Valley model
Detroit moment
Frontier innovation
Ecosystem intensity vs macro economic stability
Camels vs unicorns
Okhi - jumbo - address startup
Mpesa - sms based banking
Mcopa - zola - energy
Full stack vs asset light startup’s
Personal finance manager- Ben and Thiago - giaboso - denovo financial lender
Zola lozata
Zoomia - Sasha - first African e-commerce startup
New bank - David - south america - Latin American fintech
Full stack moats - competitive, capital, technology
Horizontal stack
Gojek - Indonesia- low cost motor bike taxi
Nadiam- gopay - payment
Gomart, goshop, e-commerce
Go food - food delivery
Go massage - massages
Go send - shipping
Go pulsa- cell phone
VJs shikar Sharma - Paytm
Super apps - wechat,
Ctrip China
Focus on wedge - Silicon Valley
Zuna - Keith - booths - financial services
My other startup is a unicorn
Unicorn 1bn - decacorn 10bn
Camels for frontiers
Scaling through the valley of death
Growth over profitability
Midas list - best VCs
Extensions and bridge rounds
Fogra effect
Culture of acquahires does not exist in frontiers
No safety net of bankruptcy
Frontier ditches of death
Moic - return
Subsidised user acquisition
Product price is a feature, not a barrier
Qualtrix- Utah - feedback surveys 8bn - acquired by SAP
Mail chimp, atlassian, rxbar -
Frontier car group - used car marketplace
Portfolio entrepreneurship
Bukalapak - Indonesia
Zebras unite
Fetcher - last mile delivery in middle east- idris.
More experience startup founders in emerging markets.
Cross pollinators access - innovation supply chain.
Cross pollinators track Super conductor locations.
Cross pollinators tap scare resources
Cross pollinators access Proprietary sources of talent
Marrying local context with cross pollinators
Janakiraman - Bharat matrimony
Cross pollinators outside success depends on diversity.
Immigrants ultimate cross pollinators
Be born global
Path ui- robotic process automation
Global vs local players and models - drivers of
1. Nature of network effects(global vs local)
2. Resource intensity (asset lite - local or regional), tech, talent, concentration, capital
3. Local complexities
Strategies for frontier innovators
Born global market selection
1.Prioritising and staging expansion
2.Developing a product the localises easily
3.Building an organisation that functions across markets
Tester markets vs must win markets
Market laboratories- sky alert - earth quake early warning. Mexico City.
Zola anchor markets and proximity markets
Build adaptable product and localise.
Decentralise portion of development team.
Build org that can grow across markets
Specialist teams to scale across borders
Matt flannery 2004 kiva - non profit micro finance - 80 countries.
Branch - micro loans to consumers in developing countries. 4mn customers
SWAT teams for expansion
Ch6: establish a distributed team
Peak travel - earth and moon strategy
Satellites for specialised functions.
Reverse offshoring- branch - delivers micro lending products in emerging markets but centralized tech development in San Francisco
Frontier car group- reverse off shoring Germany.
Multipolar model - different regions run different core functions - zola - fetcher
Self sufficient hubs - each hub is autonomous
Synpress and globent
Fully remote- base camp - invision- zapier
Flat network
Draw on diverse talent pool
Salt Lake City - sales talent pool - peak, qualtrix, podium rely on this sales expertise
Zapier - delocation package
Remote companies have greater female leaders.
Managing labour costs
Skylight - fully distributed
Hiring for remote teams:
Great autonomy
Who value global culture
Who are great in communication
Great in writing
Incentivise distribution
Globent - starmeup and betterme and tinder for ideas.
Ch 7 - Multi mission atheletes
Babylon health - Ali
Circle health
Rivigo - India - logistics
BOGO - buy one give one
Two pocket thinking - profit and charity
You are what you measure
Impact vs revenue metrics
Sector level impact- mpesa ecosystem engineers
Enables other platforms and impact replicators in other markets
B-Corp benefits corporation
Ch-9
Manage risk foster trust
Aero farming - vertical farming 2004
Food safety - risk mitigation
Aeroponics - growing plants in air with most
Trust worthy products
Life or death products
Zuna - easy quick safe
Product safety
Mall for Africa - physical pick up location, partner with trust worthy brands
Doctor consulta- Brazil
Square clip yoko ezypay
CH10 - finance
Net chemia - Carlos
2in 20 , new Bedford whaling industry- model pioneers of vc funding model
Whaling agents - carry
Captains -
Crew -
Portfolio resilience - at frontiers
Syndicate model
Multi market venture capital
Evergreen funds - naspers, vef
Long dated funds
Impact investing
Cvc - corporate venture capital - corporate investors - soft bank vision fund.
Non-traditional fund raising-
Mining industry
Revenue sharing model
My majors - match students to majors
Flipping majors - increase retention and graduation rates.
Data driven investing - Clear bank
Social capital - capital as a service - algorithm driven investing
Crowd funding:
Ico - initial coin offering - crypto currency
Kick starter - go fund me - 17 Bn dollars in USA and 8 times in China
Ch-11 Lay the foundation
1999 - mcatha libre - Marcos - largest e-commerce company in Latin America
2007 - went public
Kazakh ventures - Rcap
Hernan and Marcos linked to 80 percent startup’s in Latin America
Ecosystem architects - frontier innovators
Fuck up nights - FUN - share stories of defeat.
Pepe - consultancy - failure institute - trends of startups
Entrepreneur ship - a career option.
Startup weekend -
Yasar Bashar - Pakistan - entrepreneurs in residence - Sawari acquired by Karim app in Saudi Arabia
Fred swankier - Africa - train and learn
Alu - African leadership university / academy/network
African school of insurance.
I hub- Nairobi
Erika - brick - Internet access
Entrepreneur first - finding a co founder- start up launcher and talent investor
Lower the bar
Parallel mentor ship and entrepreneur ship and investors
Endeavour - matches startup’s with mentors
Makhtub- fadhi - aramex founder
Sookh - Amazon of the region founded inside makhtub
PayPal mafia - patient zero
Multiplier effect
Power of network - human capital - critical mass and repeatability
Ch 12 - it takes a village.
Innovation ecosystem development
1. Input driven, 2. Network driven 3, entrepreneur driven
Horizontal networks and transparent culture
Geographic and cultural
Student cross pollination- start up Chile/Brazil
Vfa- venture for America -
C100 - links Canadian eco system with Silicon Valley
Cross industry and cross sector
Support immigration- entrepreneur visa - reinstate
Unshackled ventures- for foreign born entrepreneurs
Human capital - life blood
P33 - tech eco system builder - local talent pipeline.
Eco system builders-
Capital and economics:
Yasma in Israel- vc funds
SBIC in USA
Foundations and Multi laterals
Provide right infrastructure and regulatory landscape :
Balanced and tolerated - sandbox approach
Innovation sandboxes
Support ecosystem infrastructure:
India -
Nandan nilkarni - Aadhar - upi - API
12 metrics 4 indicators
Density - new and young firms per 1000 people , sector density, share of employment
Fluidity- high growth firms, population flux, labor market reallocation
Connectivity - program connectivity, spin off rate, deal maker networks
Diversity - mobility, immigrants , multiple economic specialisation
No of later stage entrepreneurs scaled to success
Long term view
Passing the baton across generations
Collaborative approach
June 25, 2020
Alex Lazarow's book 'Out-Innovate: How Global Entrepreneurs from Delhi to Detroit Are Rewriting the Rules of Silicon Valley' was the perfect followup after reading 'The Prosperity Paradox.' The latter helped me better understand how innovation and entrepreneurship positively impacts economies and how needed it is in emerging and frontier markets. The former showed me practical examples of what that actually looks like and the different "playbook" that entrepreneurs and startups in frontier markets are following. The way you build a startup in an emerging or frontier market is different than the way you would do so in Silicon Valley of course. This sounds obvious, but yet much of the conventional wisdom and touted best practice does pertain specifically to the unique circumstances that SV has created for itself. The same approaches just don't work in many other markets. This has definitely been true with our recruitment work in Nepal and Kenya at CloudFactory. You can't just poach from other tech startups using stock options and bigger salaries.
I expected to learn more about entrepreneurship and innovation in emerging markets from this book. What I didn't expect was the shift in admiration and respect that I would personally experience. For the past 5+ years like many of us, I've admired the fast-scaling tech startups of Silicon Valley. Facebook, Paypal, Instagram, Dropbox, etc. They and their founders seemed cool and awe-inspiring. Zuckerberg, Musk, Thiel, etc. Over the past couple of years though, I've become more disillusioned by the plethora of Valley-based companies going to "disrupt" X market or build a world-changing to-do list app. Many of the startups seem like they're trying to solve problems that don't genuinely exist or are only problems for the wealthy 1%.
The more I've learned about people building startups that are solving real problems and doing so in challenging markets the more impressed I've become. I'm now far more impressed by entrepreneurs in LATAM, EMEA, and Asia than most in Silicon Valley. I'm not saying there aren't great entrepreneurs and meaningful startups in the Bay Area. There are. It's just a bit of a bubble that isn't like the rest of the world where most of us live. I'm now more impressed and interested in founders like: Fadi Ghandour (Aramex / Wamda Capital), Timbo Drayson (OkHi), Xavier Helgesen (Zola Electric), Deepak Garg & Gazal Kalra (Rivigo), David Vélez (Nubank), Sacha Poignonnec (Jumia), Inanc Balci (Lazada), Nadiem Makarim (Gojek), Ben Gleason & Thiago Alvarez (Guiabolso), Idriss Al Rifai & Joy Ajlouny (fetchr), Mudassir Sheikha & Karl Magnus Olsson (Careem), and so many others.
Most of the below content is directly from the book. I've only made a few additional comments. My goal is to give you a taste of how important and transformative this book is so that you buy it and read it yourself.
Click Here for Full Review!
I expected to learn more about entrepreneurship and innovation in emerging markets from this book. What I didn't expect was the shift in admiration and respect that I would personally experience. For the past 5+ years like many of us, I've admired the fast-scaling tech startups of Silicon Valley. Facebook, Paypal, Instagram, Dropbox, etc. They and their founders seemed cool and awe-inspiring. Zuckerberg, Musk, Thiel, etc. Over the past couple of years though, I've become more disillusioned by the plethora of Valley-based companies going to "disrupt" X market or build a world-changing to-do list app. Many of the startups seem like they're trying to solve problems that don't genuinely exist or are only problems for the wealthy 1%.
The more I've learned about people building startups that are solving real problems and doing so in challenging markets the more impressed I've become. I'm now far more impressed by entrepreneurs in LATAM, EMEA, and Asia than most in Silicon Valley. I'm not saying there aren't great entrepreneurs and meaningful startups in the Bay Area. There are. It's just a bit of a bubble that isn't like the rest of the world where most of us live. I'm now more impressed and interested in founders like: Fadi Ghandour (Aramex / Wamda Capital), Timbo Drayson (OkHi), Xavier Helgesen (Zola Electric), Deepak Garg & Gazal Kalra (Rivigo), David Vélez (Nubank), Sacha Poignonnec (Jumia), Inanc Balci (Lazada), Nadiem Makarim (Gojek), Ben Gleason & Thiago Alvarez (Guiabolso), Idriss Al Rifai & Joy Ajlouny (fetchr), Mudassir Sheikha & Karl Magnus Olsson (Careem), and so many others.
Most of the below content is directly from the book. I've only made a few additional comments. My goal is to give you a taste of how important and transformative this book is so that you buy it and read it yourself.
Click Here for Full Review!
June 6, 2020
First, the positives. He does a great job defining the key characteristics of the development of start-ups in environments that aren't awash in talent and venture capital (which he defines as pretty much everywhere outside Silicon Valley, NYC, London, and Tel Aviv).
I thought the most effective ideas he explored were around the concept of how frontier start-ups have to be CAMELS (i.e. value growth while not burning excessive amounts of capital). The other concept that was strong was the "Local vs. Global Winner"; effectively, given shortages of capital, a frontier start-up needs to focus on low resource intensity industries with a lot of local network effects.
My criticisms are many, but that is expected given he's exploring a relatively un-discussed part of the venture world and throwing a ton of new concepts at us. First, he does not do a good job of integrating the stories into the exposition. It feels almost "State of the Union" like; he gives a frontier start-up a brief shout-out, an applause line if you will, and then moves on. I'd suggest he either focus on providing more "war stories" from his investing days (more exposition and not all just "applause lines") or he focus on just a couple start-ups, and provide more of a narrative about their challenges, etc.
Second, in my opinion, "frontier" is too broad to be useful. There is the USD/US-domiciled frontier (i.e. Detroit) and then there is the non-USD/domiciled frontier (i.e. Kenya). While both frontier companies suffer from an initial seed/Series A lack of capital (Detroit, for example, won't have a ton of angel investors), US start-ups have a much more robust set of mid-stage investors and exit opportunities. Most Silicon Valley funds can invest domestically, and as a frontier start-up gains traction, it will attract the big boys and can tap into the US Capital Markets either via domestic M&A, IPOs, credit markets, etc. In other words, having the US Dollar as your currency and US laws governing you, provides a tremendous advantage when it comes to mid-stage growth and exit opportunities relative to non US peers.
My broader criticism is I wanted to better understand the financial perspective around Frontier investing. He briefly touches on those topics, but more in-depth analysis of their return profiles, distribution of returns, etc. would have been helpful. Also, is there a difference in returns/distribution of returns for US vs. International frontier start-ups? All that would be helpful, but is missing.
But kudos for a great opener in the discussion of frontier investing, and look forward to reading his next book.
I thought the most effective ideas he explored were around the concept of how frontier start-ups have to be CAMELS (i.e. value growth while not burning excessive amounts of capital). The other concept that was strong was the "Local vs. Global Winner"; effectively, given shortages of capital, a frontier start-up needs to focus on low resource intensity industries with a lot of local network effects.
My criticisms are many, but that is expected given he's exploring a relatively un-discussed part of the venture world and throwing a ton of new concepts at us. First, he does not do a good job of integrating the stories into the exposition. It feels almost "State of the Union" like; he gives a frontier start-up a brief shout-out, an applause line if you will, and then moves on. I'd suggest he either focus on providing more "war stories" from his investing days (more exposition and not all just "applause lines") or he focus on just a couple start-ups, and provide more of a narrative about their challenges, etc.
Second, in my opinion, "frontier" is too broad to be useful. There is the USD/US-domiciled frontier (i.e. Detroit) and then there is the non-USD/domiciled frontier (i.e. Kenya). While both frontier companies suffer from an initial seed/Series A lack of capital (Detroit, for example, won't have a ton of angel investors), US start-ups have a much more robust set of mid-stage investors and exit opportunities. Most Silicon Valley funds can invest domestically, and as a frontier start-up gains traction, it will attract the big boys and can tap into the US Capital Markets either via domestic M&A, IPOs, credit markets, etc. In other words, having the US Dollar as your currency and US laws governing you, provides a tremendous advantage when it comes to mid-stage growth and exit opportunities relative to non US peers.
My broader criticism is I wanted to better understand the financial perspective around Frontier investing. He briefly touches on those topics, but more in-depth analysis of their return profiles, distribution of returns, etc. would have been helpful. Also, is there a difference in returns/distribution of returns for US vs. International frontier start-ups? All that would be helpful, but is missing.
But kudos for a great opener in the discussion of frontier investing, and look forward to reading his next book.
August 6, 2020
Out-Innovate isn't just a must read book in business non-fiction, it's a paradigm setting work that is destined to be the reference text for innovation in the post-covid era for years to come. Even though it was all written before 2020, it's timing could not have been more coincidental, nor its message more pertinent to the future of innovation. In due time, Lazarow's name will sit alongside Christensen's and others who have had a global impact in molding thought and practice in the field of entrepreneurship. By offering a fundamentally different, globally applicable, and future-proofed intellectual construct for thinking about new business innovation, not only does he provide a battle tested counterpoint to the 'Silicon Valley formula' that has succeeded elsewhere, he goes on to convincingly demonstrate that the model he's developing is itself so much more evolved, it threatens to fundamentally disrupt the hegemony. As a seminal work with accessible, anecdotal evidence for the general reader, it makes a bold attempt at a generalized model borne from 'the frontier'.
To use a mathematical metaphor, if the 'Silicon Valley formula' is the Pythagorean Theorem that only works for 90 degree triangles (Silicon Valley Innovation), Lazarow's Camel model could be the Cosine Rule that works for all triangles (Global Innovation). It's the notion that Lazarow's attempting to develop a generalized model that excuses the bifurcation of the world into Silicon Valley and Frontier, because any other reasoning for placing Canada, Brazil, Israel, Kenya, and China in the same bucket would immediately collapse on its own weight. The framework he offers that allows all these places to count as Frontier is novel, and though his book is intended to be non-academic, could be the basis of future academic research to substantially validate the implications he draws from his anecdotes.
Overall conclusion - far moreso than Christensen's own recent work, Lazarow's effort is the true successor to "The Innovator's Dilemma" published just over two decades ago.
To use a mathematical metaphor, if the 'Silicon Valley formula' is the Pythagorean Theorem that only works for 90 degree triangles (Silicon Valley Innovation), Lazarow's Camel model could be the Cosine Rule that works for all triangles (Global Innovation). It's the notion that Lazarow's attempting to develop a generalized model that excuses the bifurcation of the world into Silicon Valley and Frontier, because any other reasoning for placing Canada, Brazil, Israel, Kenya, and China in the same bucket would immediately collapse on its own weight. The framework he offers that allows all these places to count as Frontier is novel, and though his book is intended to be non-academic, could be the basis of future academic research to substantially validate the implications he draws from his anecdotes.
Overall conclusion - far moreso than Christensen's own recent work, Lazarow's effort is the true successor to "The Innovator's Dilemma" published just over two decades ago.
January 5, 2026
Great investors are often characterized by challenging accepted “truths” that turn out to be less true than everybody thinks. Alexandre Lazarow delivers a powerful challenge to the “growth at all costs” precept of Northern California. As a venture capitalist who has worked across global markets, Lazarow argues in Out-Innovate that the Silicon Valley playbook - characterized by “blitzscaling” and a relentless pursuit of “Unicorn” status - is an anomaly that doesn’t work in the rest of the world. In what he calls “the Frontier” (places like Detroit, Nairobi, or Sao Paulo), capital is scarce, infrastructure is unreliable, and macroeconomic shocks are frequent. To survive, entrepreneurs in these regions have had to develop a more robust species of startup: the “Camel.”
Unlike the mythical, fragile Unicorn that requires constant infusions of venture capital to stay alive, the Camel is a real-world creature built for the desert. Lazarow explains that Camels prioritize sustainability and unit economics from day one. They don’t just “disrupt” existing industries; they often have to “create” them entirely, building the “full stack” of infrastructure—from logistics to payments—because nothing else exists to support their business. This forced resilience makes them better equipped to handle downturns than their Silicon Valley counterparts. The book is a fascinating exploration of how these “frontier” innovators are using diverse teams and “born global” strategies to out-compete the traditional tech hubs, suggesting that the future of innovation belongs to those who can do more with less.
This review is originally published within the Money Book Circle in my newsletter. Sign up here for regular reviews of the hottest books on money and technology: https://igorpejic.substack.com/
Unlike the mythical, fragile Unicorn that requires constant infusions of venture capital to stay alive, the Camel is a real-world creature built for the desert. Lazarow explains that Camels prioritize sustainability and unit economics from day one. They don’t just “disrupt” existing industries; they often have to “create” them entirely, building the “full stack” of infrastructure—from logistics to payments—because nothing else exists to support their business. This forced resilience makes them better equipped to handle downturns than their Silicon Valley counterparts. The book is a fascinating exploration of how these “frontier” innovators are using diverse teams and “born global” strategies to out-compete the traditional tech hubs, suggesting that the future of innovation belongs to those who can do more with less.
This review is originally published within the Money Book Circle in my newsletter. Sign up here for regular reviews of the hottest books on money and technology: https://igorpejic.substack.com/
May 9, 2020
I have been working in the Silicon Valley for and with tech companies for over a decade and also have extensive experience working and volunteering with entrepreneurs in developing markets. This book is incredibly timely as many of the questions are extremely relevant in a time where we are seeing massive companies rising from markets outside the Silicon Valley that did not follow the same strategies and practices that Google, Facebook, and Uber did. These companies have carved their own paths, and Alexandre does a fantastic job of distilling some of the commonalities and differences from the Silicon Valley’s best practices and mantras.
Two themes in particular resonated with me. The first is the insight and foresight of Frontier Innovators (many of whom have lived and traveled in multiple global markets in their careers) to take global technology trends and merge these with local preferences. Their ability to meld these ideas gives them a distinct advantage, but still requires an enormous amount of persistence to execute.
Secondly, the book talks about a tension between growth at all costs versus a focus on resilience and long-term viability. This theme will become even more important in 2020 as companies struggle with the current global pandemic. I suspect that the Silicon Valley will look to some of the Frontier markets for strategies to optimize their operations in these times.
Overall, I found this book to be a fast read that asks a lot of very relevant questions and shows how entrepreneurs are responding to these challenges in different markets. Given the current environment, I suspect much of this book will become a reality in the coming years, even in the Silicon Valley.
Two themes in particular resonated with me. The first is the insight and foresight of Frontier Innovators (many of whom have lived and traveled in multiple global markets in their careers) to take global technology trends and merge these with local preferences. Their ability to meld these ideas gives them a distinct advantage, but still requires an enormous amount of persistence to execute.
Secondly, the book talks about a tension between growth at all costs versus a focus on resilience and long-term viability. This theme will become even more important in 2020 as companies struggle with the current global pandemic. I suspect that the Silicon Valley will look to some of the Frontier markets for strategies to optimize their operations in these times.
Overall, I found this book to be a fast read that asks a lot of very relevant questions and shows how entrepreneurs are responding to these challenges in different markets. Given the current environment, I suspect much of this book will become a reality in the coming years, even in the Silicon Valley.
November 10, 2021
Out-Innovate by Alexandre Lazarow as the title suggests - How global entrepreneurs, from Delhi to Detroit - are rewriting the rules of Silicon Valley, is an outlook on what the author calls "Frontier" entrepreneurs; startups operating outside Silicon Valley. With rich expertise and experience from his venture capital days, the author breaks down the challenges, obstacles, and constraints that entrepreneurs face outside the valley, and how they need to constantly adopt and evolve to different ecosystems to succeed - sometimes, even building entire ecosystems from scratch in nascent global economies
Across 12 well defined and exclusive chapters, each dedicated to one challenge that frontier entrepreneurs face, the author has designed the flow of each chapter to: describing the obstacle/ challenge, success stories of entrepreneurs who swam against the tide, and principles for managing that specific challenge against established Silicon Valley best practices. With a wide breadth of examples around the world, the author has brought to light many frontier entrepreneurship examples that needed the light to be shone upon them. Truly appreciable effort on this front!
This book is probably one of the first, maybe in a long time, that casts a positive and encouraging look at entrepreneurial spirit and ecosystems outside Silicon Valley. Covering the entire breadth of the startup ecosystem topics, this is a must-read for any enthusiastic entrepreneur, both in Silicon Valley and rest of the world. I wish that this book is one of the re-reads that sits in your library and is a constant beacon towards gaining entrepreneurial wisdom!
Across 12 well defined and exclusive chapters, each dedicated to one challenge that frontier entrepreneurs face, the author has designed the flow of each chapter to: describing the obstacle/ challenge, success stories of entrepreneurs who swam against the tide, and principles for managing that specific challenge against established Silicon Valley best practices. With a wide breadth of examples around the world, the author has brought to light many frontier entrepreneurship examples that needed the light to be shone upon them. Truly appreciable effort on this front!
This book is probably one of the first, maybe in a long time, that casts a positive and encouraging look at entrepreneurial spirit and ecosystems outside Silicon Valley. Covering the entire breadth of the startup ecosystem topics, this is a must-read for any enthusiastic entrepreneur, both in Silicon Valley and rest of the world. I wish that this book is one of the re-reads that sits in your library and is a constant beacon towards gaining entrepreneurial wisdom!
July 1, 2020
A detailed, insightful, and inspiring playbook for the next wave of entrepreneurs.
I'm a Senior Product Strategist based in Amsterdam. For the past 7 years, I have helped many startups and corporates to innovate, build, and grow their businesses. This book details the much-needed changes to the way startups being built and operates. An approach that I knew was brewing outside the main hubs but finally is articulated in this book.
Covid-19 as a disease doesn't discriminate, but its effect has disproportionately affected non-affluent and marginalized populations. If startups were to be the shining knights that will bring our society to the future, then these knights need to start building and innovating for the people who need them the most.
The best part about Alex's book is that is actionable. Instead of merely paints an idealistic picture of what impactful startups can be, he gives concrete examples of what impactful startups around the world did and are already doing.
I'm from Vietnam and it has always been my conviction to utilize my Western exposure and skillsets to help the entrepreneurial scene in my country. However, my experience in the West has proven incompatible with how things are being done in Vietnam (and at the Frontier, in general). This book provides a potential bridge to that incompatibility and helps me truly start on my journey.
I'm a Senior Product Strategist based in Amsterdam. For the past 7 years, I have helped many startups and corporates to innovate, build, and grow their businesses. This book details the much-needed changes to the way startups being built and operates. An approach that I knew was brewing outside the main hubs but finally is articulated in this book.
Covid-19 as a disease doesn't discriminate, but its effect has disproportionately affected non-affluent and marginalized populations. If startups were to be the shining knights that will bring our society to the future, then these knights need to start building and innovating for the people who need them the most.
The best part about Alex's book is that is actionable. Instead of merely paints an idealistic picture of what impactful startups can be, he gives concrete examples of what impactful startups around the world did and are already doing.
I'm from Vietnam and it has always been my conviction to utilize my Western exposure and skillsets to help the entrepreneurial scene in my country. However, my experience in the West has proven incompatible with how things are being done in Vietnam (and at the Frontier, in general). This book provides a potential bridge to that incompatibility and helps me truly start on my journey.
June 28, 2023
An inspiring read that makes me dream bigger.
Out-Innovate is the best book I've read this year. Alex distills with excellence all the component ingredients for building a successful tech company at the Frontier (as he calls non-Silicon Valley/NY ecosystems). The stories told, challenges faced, and obstacles that are overcome are personal to me as a Frontier entrepreneur, and I can attest to their exemplary accuracy. I felt seen and understood reading Alex's book.
Anyone building a tech business today, including in SV/NY, must read this book and learn to apply its prescriptions to have success in this brave new global world. Inside, one will find a wealth of proven-to-work strategies employed by the dozens of entrepreneurs interviewed. And the notes provide even more know-how. The knowledge gained here has shortened my research process by months.
Finally, Camels, not Unicorns, are the future for innovation everywhere, and Alex provides irrefutable proof for this in Out-Innovate.
In Camels we Trust!
Out-Innovate is the best book I've read this year. Alex distills with excellence all the component ingredients for building a successful tech company at the Frontier (as he calls non-Silicon Valley/NY ecosystems). The stories told, challenges faced, and obstacles that are overcome are personal to me as a Frontier entrepreneur, and I can attest to their exemplary accuracy. I felt seen and understood reading Alex's book.
Anyone building a tech business today, including in SV/NY, must read this book and learn to apply its prescriptions to have success in this brave new global world. Inside, one will find a wealth of proven-to-work strategies employed by the dozens of entrepreneurs interviewed. And the notes provide even more know-how. The knowledge gained here has shortened my research process by months.
Finally, Camels, not Unicorns, are the future for innovation everywhere, and Alex provides irrefutable proof for this in Out-Innovate.
In Camels we Trust!
September 19, 2021
The world is always talking about Silicon Valley unicorns, but actually the growing trend is Frontier startups and unicorns from new tech hubs. The tech unicorns from China has risen from 4% in 2014 to 24% already in global pool. And even smaller hubs like Singapore and Tallinn (capital of my own Estonia) are kicking ass at a crazy pace. The book is a detailed comparison of Silicon Valley style ("Mosquito" - only offensive to score) and Frontier unicorns ("Mid west camel" with survival in harsh conditions). And it seems it is a lot wiser to invest on Frontier companies, since they have to provide good results already in the beginning since they are born in a colder financial environment. This book is mostly for the Frontier investors and startup leaders, like me! :)
April 7, 2020
Lazarow's key points revolve around all the lessons from outside of Silicon Valley and other VC hubs that often get overlooked because of our preoccupation with the unicorns in our own backyard. There are some great stories in this book that are the product of interviews with a ton of different founders across the globe, and Lazarow weaves them seamlessly into an easy-to-read but engaging narrative about building strong global businesses and the ecosystems that support them. If you're a VC, a business owner, an aspiring entrepreneur, or just find yourself interested in the startup world, you'll find this book both engaging and timely.
June 1, 2020
If you see yourself as an innovator, this book is for you. You will be amazed how precise Alex Lazarow is when he describes your path and the risks and challenges it contains. It is obviously because of the large experience the author has of Frontier companies and Frontier entrepreneurs; from east to west and north to south, it is a real trip full of colors and culture.
More than a critic of Silicon Valley (which is largely recognized as a center for innovation and leadership) it is an invitation to think out of the box and to look for alternatives. A real eye opener for anyone in charge of innovation or leadership.
A must-read.
More than a critic of Silicon Valley (which is largely recognized as a center for innovation and leadership) it is an invitation to think out of the box and to look for alternatives. A real eye opener for anyone in charge of innovation or leadership.
A must-read.
March 9, 2021
It would have been a better business book if it wasn't a collection of haphazard observations on the global innovation winners viewed from the eyes of a liberal trying to prove his political beliefs are the essence of success for these entrepreneurs!
It's more like frontier innovators good, silicon valley innovators bad!
With whatever limited exposure he's had to the startup ecosystems outside silicon valley, he tries to reach models which usually take this form:
"in order to reach A, B had to be solved, so this frontier innovator did C to achieve it and thus became successful.", while for each B you could name an entire alphabet of alternatives and for each C the same!
It's more like frontier innovators good, silicon valley innovators bad!
With whatever limited exposure he's had to the startup ecosystems outside silicon valley, he tries to reach models which usually take this form:
"in order to reach A, B had to be solved, so this frontier innovator did C to achieve it and thus became successful.", while for each B you could name an entire alphabet of alternatives and for each C the same!
April 11, 2020
In this book Alex Lazarow challenges traditional ideas about the ingredients that go into a successful startup. By examining companies from all over the world that have become successful without following the risky grow-fast-at-all-costs playbook of Silicon Valley, he uncovers a set of strategies whereby companies can become dominant in their industries in a more global, sustainable way -- which will be all the more important as the world economy changes over the coming months and forces startups to follow a more resilient approach.
April 21, 2020
The timing of this book couldn't be more relevant. The world's hit a wall with COVID19 (Apr 2020), and Alexandre's book gives a phenomenal breakdown of how resilient startups have been built around the world.
As a Orange County CA resident working with a Toronto based startup on US market entry, I can certainly say, Alex's book has caught the secret formula of startups working outside of Silicon Valley.
These reflections are going to be helpful to SF in these turbulent times, and they're rich with wisdom for startups all over the globe.
As a Orange County CA resident working with a Toronto based startup on US market entry, I can certainly say, Alex's book has caught the secret formula of startups working outside of Silicon Valley.
These reflections are going to be helpful to SF in these turbulent times, and they're rich with wisdom for startups all over the globe.
August 18, 2020
Sharing the #book that deserves attention of #entreprenuers who aim to #change the #world. I am a strong believer in #innovation and #creativity and no matter how small your #startup is you can out-innovate anyone! If you are innovative you will be always one step ahead of your competition. Thanks to Harvard Business Review and Alexandre (Alex) Lazarow for this great #bookstoread
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dariya...
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dariya...
March 6, 2020
It's a fascinating read that introduce you to the new frontiers of innovation and the different with the Silicon Valley.
I liked the style of writing and the clarity of the explanations.
Informative and useful, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I liked the style of writing and the clarity of the explanations.
Informative and useful, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
July 9, 2020
I think this is a must read if you’re thinking about social impact or entrepreneurship. It serves as a fantastic reminder that there are startups out there that are bringing completely new and quality of life changing technologies to communities- and that there is still a lot of work to be done, and millions of people to be helped.
May 18, 2021
Well written. Being a seasoned Venture Capitalist himself, Lazarow talked about how the world of Entrepreneurship and Innovation is shifting from Silicon Valley to the rest of the world (Frontiers). Frontier Innovators created their own playbook themselves, which their Silicon Valley counterparts can and even need to take lessons from.
November 19, 2021
There have a bevy of business books, released the last couple years, which have a range of recommendations for addressing some of the changes with Industry 4.0 and beyond. Some of these are better than others. Innovation, is a timely topic; in the age of megalithic corporations, and excessive survellience, it is in short supply (as is disruption).
February 22, 2022
I've read many books related in whole or part on entrepreneurship and their fundings, as well as having a tone of experience myself. All those knowledge have always been from the view of silicon valley investors. This book is a very refreshing view (and one of a kind) of the possibilities out there for entrepreneurs and investors, highly recommended.
March 27, 2024
This is a book on how successful business can be built also outside Silicon Valley. How building a Camel and not only Unicorns is a viable and maybe even more sustainable way to build a better world. It would be worth reading also to our government to get some ideas on how they can support business better. If they want to support it at all. Worth reading.
June 22, 2020
Insightful take on the state of innovation globally, which is a perfect read as the world needs to find new models to rebuild and emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic as a more just and equitable global community with greater economic opportunities across the frontier.
January 4, 2021
Great short quick read that makes you think twice about Silicon Valley. The author uses compelling examples and statistics to show how high variance and unsustainable entrepreneurship in SV can be compared to emerging markets.
October 30, 2022
Impressive the way that Author explain the current entrepreneurship movement about the “Frontier”, no Silicon Valley, and why not the Silicon Valley way apply for the other geographies, by the other hand, how to build a good local problem solving, thought global ecosystem.
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