Visit of Apple

We went to Apple campus and we were well entertained with a brunch and a visit of the Apple Store. We were disappointed by the conference. They gave us only a presentation of their products (computers, ipod, iphone etc) and the second half of the conference was questions and answers.

It was the first time since our arrival in the Sillicon Valley that the working atmosphere was so tense. Apple looks like a company where employees didn't looks like radiant. The security was maximal and people we met look anxious.

We are entrepreneur and we noticed that employees didn't be consulted for innovations and that everybody works on projects they don't know all of it. To illustrate this situation, we can take as example the answer given when we asked about the Apple strategy: "Our strategy is Steve Jobs".

The competition in this line of business can maybe explain their behaviours. One explanation of the atmosphere may be the Mac World happening on the same day.

Meeting with Cynthia Wagner Weick

University of pacific, Stockton, California

The talk was gathering multiple datas from international sources to target what are the main focus to look at, to encourage and finance innovation; to make it successful in a country, and profitable in a world orientated point of view.
The crux is to understand that innovation is a notion in the middle of three main elements: science and engineering, markets and fundings.
Markets opportunities come from the fact that the world is facing currently numerous kinds of challenges as health, food, climate change, energy supply...
Problems arising from these issues can be solved progressively with the improvements the science is likely to bring with its new discoveries going faster and faster within the frame of NICT.
Then, funds are necessary to finance research, and to help new ideas to raise money for investing in new potential developments.
That is why companies, private investors as well as public authorities have all to encourage as much as possible at their level Research, by helping it to become concrete.
One of the main issues in the future would be the capacity of bringing as much patents as possible into application. The trend/expansion of a national economy is drastically linked to the number of patent applications it can issue.
Collaboration and co-authoring is a positive attitude considering the results of such a behavior.
Design has an important place as well to distinguish products and bring an innovation faster to markets.


DAVIER Paul-Etienne, Niamkey Diane
Specialised Master Innovation and Enterpreneurship
ESCP-EAP

Visit of The Plug and Play Tech Center

 

Plug and Play Tech Center is an incubator based in Sunnyvale, in the Silicon Valley. It hosts more than 90 start-ups and offers them a full range of services: from full service space to strategic advice or financing (via Amidad Ventures). Since it opened its doors in January 2006 it has assisted its resident companies in securing more than USD$ 55 million.

Famous companies like Google, Paypal or Skype have grown between their walls. It is committed to cultivating the next generation of revolutionary start-ups in Silicon Valley that will impact people globally.

 

While we were there, we had the opportunity to visit the facilities. Our guide explained us the companies in the centre can arrange the spaces according to their needs. It is like if they had their own office somewhere else.

The visit also permitted us to understand and to feel the real importance of the environment you can find there. Everything is done to help you in the development of your company and you can share with many other persons in the same situation. Therefore, it will allow you to get from the experiences of the companies installed in the incubator.

In addition, we met with a director of a company of the PlugandPlayTechCenter. This person insisted on the importance of the place where you are developing your company. Thus, he told us that, while talking with other people, he met another company with which he could do some business.

Furthermore, he gave us some advices in order to create a business:

1.      First, your company must solve a problem or be useful: you must look widely before to start.

2.      You will have to choose what you will sell: a feature, a product, a company…

3.      Then, you must determine if there is a market for your product or service.

4.      After, it is necessary to evaluate how to get into that market.

5.      Next, it will allow you to evaluate the profit you can make.

He concluded saying “you must stay FOCUS on your real value proposition”.