The beginning of a dream...

I was reading an article in Fin24 today, and it highlighted to me how important it is to understand what Silicon Cape is, and equally what it is not. Credit belongs to the tireless efforts of countless entrepreneurs & investors with success stories & failures alike, over the many years in the Western Cape. These are the true heroes of the Silicon Cape. The Silicon Cape Initiative is a project which is owned by the community, for the community. No one single person or group of individuals should ever claim credit for it's establishment. It's a movement, a mindset, a vision and a belief.

Luckily, it's also a clean slate for everyone - forget the failures of the past to formalize this region - let's unify our efforts to focus this region into a successful technology hub - we need to enable entrepreneurs to succeed and investors to make above market returns - it's that simple, yet also that difficult too.

Silicon Cape is not about ego's or politics. Instead, it's really about those who care to see a brighter day in South Africa, and that brighter day starts with a land filled with starry eyed, bright young kids (& adults!) who dream of a better future for themselves and are willing to work hard to achieve success in their endeavors. It's about giving these people the best chance to succeed with access to the right people, structures and most importantly, capital - something that is still sorely missing from this region.

The Silicon Cape is a dream that belongs to everyone and anyone. No one person or group started it, no single person or group is going to build it. It belongs to all of us and it needs all of us. Silicon Cape will succeed not despite our egalitarian structure, but, rather, because of it.

Tags: Cape, Silicon

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Comment by Jess Green on July 11, 2010 at 17:52: Since recently joining this community, awesome to read this!

Comment by Warren Fabricius on October 2, 2009 at 15:04: Hi all. Another newcomer to SC but have been following from a distance. Awesome innititiative and I think conrgrats all round to those that have played a role in realising this dream. Any tickets still available for the launch? Please send details...

Comment by Tim Gregory on September 28, 2009 at 8:59: Wow - I thought the SiliconCape was going to be about all the great plastic surgery we see on our beaches!

Comment by Sheraan Amod on September 28, 2009 at 3:18: One thing that inspires me about Silicon Cape is that the movement has spread beyond the "core" of our local and well-networked "inner circle" tech community. Those who attend Geek and 27 dinners are an awesome bunch- but most of them know each other and communicate already. I've heard of UCT students talking about this event and trying to attend - people completely unfamiliar with the the "core" local scene. This means that Silicon Cape will grow fast. Expect new faces, new ideas and new startups to enter the conversation. That's very exciting.

Comment by Marc Vivier on September 22, 2009 at 1:49: Hi Associate Fellows of this grand new venture! (and Vin !)

Great comments - especially Michelle, Shane and Bronwyn's contributions (ideas, thoughts and vision).
I would like to see projects being proposed, (in a brain-storm fashion, where one pools ideas without criticism), and the ideas are then sifted, and the most innovative(and even wacky-feasible ideas) put forward as possible projects. Then the members get divided up into teams, according to background and interest-in-the-project, who can do feasibility studies and further research before returning for final project selection. Here "constructive criticism -preferably with alternative solution(s)" would be most beneficial.
Then refine/select/change project teams to inform/recruit all necessary resources (mostly us!).
After doing the needed preparation, documentation and planning, we initiate focus groups to quantify interest etcetera, and finally Government/Private venture capital funding or fund-raising if it isn't a project we can do ourselves without much funding.

In short, work and job creation through member's discussing and brain-storming new ideas !
Also assisting those who want assistance, or just like-minded members who can use other members to bounce ideas or thoughts off of.
Can we also regularly be informed ( by the department of Trade and Industry and other sources ) of what type of products are in greatest demand - here, in Africa, and internationally, and of new ground-breaking discoveries or innovations, and IT developments.

( Vin, is this part of what you envisioned for Silicon Cape? )

Comment by Colin Hooper on September 21, 2009 at 12:54: Hi. I too am a newcommer to this Initiative, and would love more information.

Comment by Ulanda Schmulian on September 20, 2009 at 18:44: Newcomer to Siliconcape concept. Would appreciate more information regarding the vision for it. Can anyone direct me to such information?

Comment by Justin Stanford on September 18, 2009 at 15:50: Shane: Western Cape Premier Helen Zille is attending the whole event and addressing the audience. She is very supportive.

Comment by Shane Swinton on September 18, 2009 at 15:18: On another note...

I would like to know what the SA Goverments position would be in SiliconCape and if they would be interested in helping create a creative tax bubble within the Western Cape along with an IT haven?
Has there been any indication that WC premier would be attending the launch evening too?

Comment by Bronwen Kausch on September 18, 2009 at 15:16: Yes indeed, the energy of our industry is, I think, on the increase. I look forward to a renewed focus on the possibilities of technology, and being able to view the world through a child's eyes again. As I always say to my kids: Growing old is mandatory; growing up is
optional.