StartupGuideSA - the BIGGER picture

I recently came across a really useful site: London Startup Guide and as the tag line says, it offers aspiring entrepreneurs 'everything you need to know about the London Startup Scene but were afraid to ask'.

This is a really useful platform that lowers the barrier to entry and learning curve for those that have decided to venture off and chase their entrepreneurial dreams. And South Africa needed something similar!

We all know that driving your idea to the market entails an extremely steep learning curve and it takes time to develop the skills and network which will help enable you and your idea. With StartupGuide we hope to fast track this process.

We have shared what inspired StartupGuide  SA and what our main drivers are. But as with any initiative, it's the bigger vision that needs to be communicated so that those who can help make it happen, can! (contact us here to help)

The BIGGER vision

• The local startup community ensures that the resources listed are the best and most effective at the current time
• The platform is continually developed and iterated in the same spirit as it was when we kicked it off - fun, experiential and aiming to create tangible value to the startup scene
  
• Those that contribute get recognition for their efforts and those that are putting in the most effort must be given the authority to action their ideas and take the lead
  
• We begin with the IT sector (as we have done) and expand to others

I have emphasized the last point as this is where the greatest impact lies. I have seen this first hand. My background is in biotechnology and this is the industry I understand the most. But when my biotech idea failed (biofuels - failed when the 2008 credit crisis hit and the price of oil plummeted) I had no support structure/group to fall back on. But the IT sector had this, most notably in the form of the Silicon Cape initiative, which drew  attention and pulled many like-minded aspiring entrepreneurs together. I got involved  and have since learnt a great deal from this space. Furthermore, there are other sectors where South Africa has a comparative advantage to other nations..but they lack the support structures on the ground.

*Note - I have not mentioned other factors such as how IT startups can be bootstrapped and launched on a shoestring budget etc. These topics have been heavily covered my many before and they are relevant, but I'm wanting to keep this post brief.

The next steps:

1. IT sector will be first to use/develop the platform - further development and added functionality
2. Gain critical mass and enough data to analyze for better understanding of the needs
3. Find champion(s) in the IT space who will drive StartupGuide SA's IT 'sector site'
4. Replicate this in other sectors based on key headings/categories identified
5. Find champion(s) in other sectors to keep driving their 'sector site' forward
6. Analyze data and inisights
7. HAVE FUN. CREATE VALUE. CHANGE LIVES.

To end off, I'd like to share StartupGuideSA's initial launch story..and who was involved.

A group of like-minded friends sat down with some croissants and a white board in our digs, and kick-started the project over a weekend. (see the pic above). The focus was on fleshing out what the purpose of the platform should be and what core functionality is needed to get a minimal viable product out the door and in front of the startup community, so they can let us know what we're doing wrong. We also set a deadline for this - 25days - which is a LONG time for what we wanted to achieve! ..I began to write WHY it took so long, but there's no excuse. We just lost the sense of urgency and momentum we were aiming for. TRY AND AVOID LOSING MOMENTUM! But the platform is now live and we are getting the feedback we need :)

The initial team consisted of: James, Justin A, Justin B, Richard and Roger. While we got the process started, the goal is to allow anyone to add their links and suggestions. They can also vote the resources up or down to keep them relevant and useful. So, feel free to add things that have helped you learn and build your company so that others can learn from it too...

Enjoy!