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”.